Buick Encore Review

Compact and economical are words I find hard to associate with a Buick, and I can’t be the only one.
Back in the ‘80s, when my kids were small, we owned and loved a big Buick wagon with three rows of seats. A great vehicle with great vacation memories, it was built like an army tank and its V8 engine sucked fuel at a comparable rate.

How the automotive world has changed. The all-new Buick Encore is a highly functional small cross-utility vehicle that’s more in character with modern Buick. It offers qualities I cherished in my big Buick — a quiet passenger cabin, a comfortable ride, high-end features and outstanding occupant protection. Yet, Encore has modest external proportions and it’s powered by a fuel-efficient small 4-cylinder engine.

An added bonus is Encore’s handling dynamics, which proved to be agile and more predicable in corners than I expected this tall-ish vehicle would be. On the straight-aways, its steering tracked a straight line in a delightfully positive manner, even when the road was less than smooth.

The 1.4-litre is a gutsy little turbocharged engine that provides pretty good pulling power. While you’re not going to pull a big RV or break any land speed records, you won’t feel foolish at freeway speeds either. Encore’s highly productive little engine is aided by an equally impressive smooth-shifting 6-speed automatic (Hydramatic) transmission.

The base price for an Encore is just $27,130 and it comes with 18-inch wheels, 10 airbags, fog lamps, a seven-inch, high-resolution, full-colour display radio with IntelliLink connectivity and a QuietTuning package that includes Bose Active Noise Cancellation.

Active noise cancellation is an intriguing new addition. Microphones in the cabin headliner (front and rear) monitor powertrain noise and an opposing sound frequency is produced through the audio speakers. The unwanted noise is not masked, it’s eliminated and this system is always active when the engine is running, even when the audio system is turned off.

All-wheel drive is also available on all Encore models for an extra $1,950. Other stand-alone options offered include navigation ($995), 18-inch chrome-clad wheels ($995), a sunroof ($1,100) and a Bose premium audio system ($775) that’s standard with the top Premium trim.

This all-wheel drive system operates a little differently. From a standing start, it always provides full four-wheel-drive and then it switches to a two-wheel (front-drive) mode if driving conditions are acceptable. While opposite of most other systems on the market, it seems more sensible to me.

Encore is based on a GM global small car platform that’s also sold as the Opel Mokka in Europe, but the version we get is built in South Korea. All its lower body panels, side skirting and fender rims, are a composite material that provides stone-chip protection and gives Encore a two-tone colour effect.

On the inside, rear seat passenger room is surprisingly good, even for a tall adult, and behind the rear seat there’s 532 litres (18.8 cubic feet) of storage. There’s also a clever storage slot behind the rear seat for the hard cargo cover, if you need to use all the cargo height in the rear. And apparently there are 21 storage points in the cabin (according to Buick), including a second upper glove box.

For added safety, Encore comes with ten air bags and includes front and rear thorax air bags on all outboard positions and side curtain air bags for both front and rear outboard passengers. A Forward Collision Alert system that gives audible and visual warnings when a collision may be imminent at speeds above 40 km/h is also available. As is a Lane Departure Warning system alerts drivers when they may have crossed a detected traffic lane marker without using a turn indicator (at speeds over 55 km/h).

Good things do come in small packages, like the new Buick Encore.

INFO BOX
2013 Buick Encore - Fast Facts
Price: $27,130 to $32,505
Trim levels: Base, Leather & Premium
Power: 1.4-litre Turbo I4, 138 horsepower.
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Fuel consumption (estimate): 8.2/6.0 L/100 km (city/highway)

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