The $34,000 Buick Encore GX has arrived to take on Mazda, Toyota, and Honda — but we should really be matching it up against BMW
Business Insider
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I drove a $34,115 Buick Encore GX, an all-new subcompact crossover SUV.
The new Encore GX is larger than the previous-generation vehicle, but it has a smaller motor. If that's not confusing enough, the three-cylinder engine is actually more powerful then the old four-cylinder unit.
The Encore GX combines appealing styling with premium options and a fun driving experience, as well as surprising versatility.
The Encore GX also rises above mass-market competitors from Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan to challenge some smaller, entry-level luxury vehicles.
The Buick Encore is a young-person's car that wears a badge long associated with more mature individuals. It shouldn't work, but it does, yielding impressive sales for the brand and cementing Buick's crossover-driven comeback from near-death during the financial crisis.
As a one-time Buick owner — my parents gave me their Regal in the 1980s — I've approached the Encore with skepticism since the "cute ute's" debut over half a decade ago. I'll never forget the first time I drove one, in 2014. Man, is this thing small, I thought.
But over the years, the Encore has stood out because it's part of a brand that's thought of as "near luxury" and is supposed to rise above the mass market and prepare buyers, in the General Motors' logic, to graduate to a Cadillac someday.
That old brand ladder doesn't apply anymore, but for the Encore to make good on its brand promise, it needs to be comparable to a small BMW utes, even though one might want to match it up against Mazda and Kia.
For 2020, Buick has rolled out the all-new GX level of the Encore, and I spent a week testing it in New Jersey and New York. Here's how it went.
Behold! The 2020 Buick Encore GX Essence. My $34,115 tester wore a "Chili Red Metallic" paint job. Before extras, the vehicle started at $28,500, and the base GX is about $24,000.
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This isn't my first time at the rodeo with Buick's popular "cute ute." Back in 2017, I put the first-generation of the crossover up against the ...
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... BMW X1 — and the Buick triumphed in the comparison!
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Read about the Buick Encore's upset win.
The 2020 Encore GX is the second-generation of the subcompact hatchback, built by GM Korea and exported to the US. The GX is actually larger than the old Encore, which remains in the lineup.
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The Encore is the smallest crossover in Buick's lineup. Crossovers have revived the brand and helped it shake off some of its stodgy image. Our GX Essence is the top trim level, above the less expensive Preferred and Select.
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The Encore's design is sort of snazzy, and it hides some of the more plasticky elements in a good way. My tester enjoyed a $650 Sport Touring package that improves the front end. The headlamps are LED units with daytime running lights.
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Buick went back to its old red-white-blue tri-shield badge badge design several years back, and it was a great call. The classic emblem sits nicely on the black-and-red grille, between chrome wings.
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The fog lamps, scoops, and aerodynamic elements could threaten to overwhelm a vehicle this size, but the Encore hold it all together.
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The wheels were 18-inch machined aluminum, what Buick calls "Medium Android."
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The cute ute also had disc brakes on all four corners.
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Small utes, unlike big SUVs, present from the rear more like European hatches or wagons. The Encore offers a winning look, with a trim back window, a slightly floating roofline, and an integrated spoiler.
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The tail lights are perhaps a tad overcooked.
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Viewed from a low angle, the Encore looks almost sporty.
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The Sport Touring package is noted at the rear. For less than $700, it brings a lot to the visual party.
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The dual exhaust ports and pseudo-diffuser might not be for everybody, but they grew on me.
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The tri-shield is as proud on the liftgate as it is on the front grille. Buick, after all, was the original General Motors brand.
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Here's something cool: The tri-shield projects in light on the pavement when you approach the rear of the Encore with the key fob.
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Cargo volume is solid. Without the second row of seats in use, you have 24 cubic feet. That goes up to 50 cubic feet with the second row dropped.
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There was space for a hat, but also for a pair of dining chairs ...
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... And the Encore can easily handle grocery runs.
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OK, time to pop the hood on the 2020 Buick Encore GX Essence and see what rude beast lurks at the heart of this ute.
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It's a turbocharged. 1.3-liter — wait for it — three-cylinder engine! Before you scoff, this little guy makes a peppy 155 horsepower with 174 pound-feet of torque. A smaller three-banger is available: 1.2-liters of turbocharged fury, making 137hp with 162 lb.-ft. of torque.
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The smaller engine is mated to a continuously variable transmission, but the 1.3-liter pipes its power to the front wheels via a nine-speed automatic. Fuel economy is 30 mpg city/32 highway/31 combined. An all-wheel-drive version of the Encore GX can also be had, but it starts at $31,500.
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The Encore GX's interior has a split personality. The brown-and-black, two-tone upholstery is attractive, and most of the components exude a premium vibe.
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But the Encore also some relatively inexpensive looking and feeling stuff here and there. Overall, the car punches above its weight, but it doesn't surround you with a luxury vibe.
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The instrument cluster is a straightforward analog-digital combo.
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And there's a head-up display that rises and retracts at startup.
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The back seats are a bench design and they echo the color scheme of the front.
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I thought the snug quarters would be challenging for road trips, but I took four family members on a 200-mile jaunt in the Encore, no complaints.
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Legroom for even an un-large adult isn't great.
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And there isn't much space to stretch out. But my rapidly ascending 14-year-old son offered no complaints.
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The Buick's terrific infotainment system runs on an eight-inch touchscreen that's framed in chrome.
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The system is used across GM vehicles. It renders crisp visuals, is brisk and responsive, and has 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity as well as OnStar, GM's safety and communications platform.
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GPS navigation is faultless and reacts well to voice commands.
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The system also features a suite of apps, as well as easy Bluetooth device-pairing and connectivity through USB ports. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available.
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Topping it all off, this little Buick has wireless device charging, a feature that I see more often in luxury brands.
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So what's the verdict?
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The Encore part of the Buick lineup is a little weird right now, with the older, smaller Encore still in the picture, packing a four-cylinder engine, while the newer, larger GX gets the — believe it or not — beefier three-pot.
But once you wrap your head around that, you can sit back an enjoy the Encore GX's charms. It really does manage to downsize some traditional Buick charms, such as smooth and quiet driving, while adding some youthful zest. It's definitely not your father's Oldsmobile, if you catch my drift, and it isn't even you father's Buick, although some of it is.
I put the vehicle through its paces and it came shining through. Puttering around the suburbs and running errands? Check. Road trip to the East End of Long Island from New Jersey with four of five family members in residence? Check. A bit of spirited motoring on some twisty roads? Check. The only thing I couldn't do was sample the Encore GX's 1,000-pound towing capacity, enough to pull a small trailer.
The Encore GX has a suite of driver-assist features — emergency braking, lane-keep, forward-collision warning, and so on — and advanced cruise control, but it doesn't offer any serious semi-driving tech. It hasn't yet been rated by the US federal government for crash-testing.
As far as the buying decision goes, it's a bit odd to consider a Buick that's so wee, if your impression of the brand is still large, vanished freeway cruisers like the Park Avenue. But plenty of consumers have taken to Buick's cute ute with an open mind: the Encore sold over 102,000 units in 2019, and the addition of the GX to the lineup should help Buick to attract entry-level customers.
I owned a big Buick for a while, and I'll be the first to admit that the Encore has always taken me some getting used to. But every time, I can't help but fall for the cute ute.
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