Price: $24,950 to $30,440
Competitors: Mini Countryman, Jeep Patriot, VW Tiguan
Powertrains: Turbocharged 1.4-liter I4, 138 hp, 148 lb-ft; 6-speed automatic transmission, FWD or AWD
EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 25/33 mpg FWD, 23/30 AWD
What's New: Aiming at an open slot in the U.S. market, this compact luxury crossover is the smallest Buick since the Vega-based Skyhawk from 1980. The Encore is built by GM Korea on a platform shared with the Opel Mokka and Chevrolet Trax (both are sold overseas but not in the U.S.). It rides a 100.6-inch wheelbase. With a 168.5-inch length and claimed curb weights of 3109 lbs in front-wheel-drive form and 3390 with AWD, think of the small Buick as a tall VW Golf-sized hatchback, or a Kia Soul-sized five-door designed for grown-ups (no dancing hamsters. Interior design measures up to the Buick badge, while the small turbo four and six-speed automatic deliver the best fuel economy ratings of any domestic-brand crossover: 28 mpg combined for the front-drive model and 26 mpg for the all-wheel-drive.
Tech Tidbit: The "Active On-Demand" AWD employs a new rear-axle engagement clutch design mounted just ahead of the rear differential. Developed with BorgWarner, it's a smaller version of the system Buick uses on the Enclave, electronically actuated and using a magnetic charge to operate a ball-ramp mechanism to engage a clutch. That magnetic actuation allows for rear-wheel engagement not only whenever slip is detected, but on every launch. If the system detects no slip after starting from a full stop, then it starts slipping that clutch at 2 to 4 mph, moving torque forward gradually into full front-drive operation at 37 mph. It's smooth enough that we never felt it in operation, though we tried. The coupler is rear-mounted for packaging reasons (allowing more front-seat legroom), which means the driveshaft to the rear spins whenever the car is in gear.
Driving Character: It may be small and come from Korea, but the Encore doesn't feel cheap or cheesy. It delivers luxury-car quiet in a handsomely-designed cabin. Standard Bose Active Noise Cancellation tunes out any thrash from the hard-working little engine, with isolation enhanced by an acoustically treated headliner, acoustic-laminated glass, careful aero-tuning, and strategically placed seals and insulation. On some coarse highway surfaces around Atlanta, we heard enough tire noise to make us wonder why Buick didn't tune the noise cancellation to counter that as well. But the hum went away on smoother pavement.
Giving each of the Encore's horsepower 23 pounds to drag around (24 in the heavier AWD version) makes for sluggish performance?we're estimating 0-60 mph times will come in around 10 seconds, at best. Ride was excellent for a vehicle this size, with only a little fore-aft bobble betraying the short wheelbase, and that with three people and a load of luggage on board. Handling reminds us more of your great-aunt's Century than the latest Regal GS, but roll is well-controlled, while plenty of traction and stability aids kept us out of trouble when our cornering ambitions proved larger than the available tire grip.
Favorite Detail: The split rear seat folds flat, as does the front passenger bucket, so you can load long cargo if need be. There's 48.4 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the front seats (and more if you fold the passenger front), 18.8 behind the rear bench. The rear cushions, when folded down, poke up a couple inches above the flat surface, but anyone who drove a PT Cruiser or Chevy HHR knows how handy this feature is in a small vehicle.
Driver's Grievance: The electric-assist power steering operates a fixed-ratio gear and feels too light at center, especially around town. It's not vague, and it feels heavier with some with speed, but we never quite got used it.
The Bottom Line: Forget the small Buicks of the past that were Detroit-centric and built down to a price; the Encore benefits from GM's European and Asian expertise in small cars and feels built to a Buick premium. Even so you can lump in plenty of options before you reach the base price of German alternatives like the Mini Countryman or VW Tiguan. The Encore comes standard with 10 airbags, 18-inch wheels, a rearview camera, and a 7-inch high-res color display for the radio with IntelliLink (Buick's Pandora- and Stitcher-friendly infotainment system). Add $810 for the convenience trim with dual-zone climate control, a 120-volt outlet, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, remote start, and fog lights. Another $2000 brings leather upholstery, heated seats, and steering wheel, while the top-spec premium model includes lane-departure warning and forward collision alert. Other options include chromed wheels, navigation, and Bose premium audio. (You don't need that to get the noise-cancellation, it's standard).
The example we drove most was a loaded front-drive premium with white pearl paint and power sunroof, ringing up with a MSRP of $32,275. Whether you see that as a bargain or rip-off might depend on how the exterior styling strikes you. Squeezing Enclave design cues onto this much smaller package reminds us of a quote by late GM design VP Bill Mitchell referring to 80's-era "downsized" cars: "It's hard to tailor a dwarf." Plus, there's some chassis hardware protruding under the sill?real "luxury" cars don't flash the dangly bits. Buick hopes that potential buyers will care more about both fuel economy and luxury in a tidy, compact package.
Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/reviews/drives/2013-buick-encore-test-drive-14845591?src=rss
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