If you want a map without music, you have to take the extra step of turning the volume down to zero, but not turning off the radio (unintuitive, at least to us). We'd also ask Buick's engineers why it's necessary to have the radio on to use the navigation. Then there's the driver's seat, which has power adjustment only for the bottom half of the seat-the backrest recline angle is controlled by a lever at the base of the seat. There's no proximity key, for instance, just GM's standard fob with a flip-out key (a feature we like, but we'd have expected a proximity key anyway). Just getting in the car reveals some of the not-quite-luxury features. It sits tall and looks larger than its actual size, helped by the optional 18-inch chromed aluminum wheels that give it a brash look.īuick calls it a five-passenger small luxury crossover, but in reality, three adults will not be willing to travel long distances in the rear seat. The Encore's lines probably look better in person than in photos. There's also an all-wheel drive version of the Fiat 500L coming in a year or so, and the now-discontinued Toyota Matrix AWD version and departed Suzuki SX4 hatchback would have qualified as well-though none of the cars on this list are anywhere as luxurious as the Buick. The competition among all-wheel drive small crossovers is a mixed bag, ranging from the less luxurious, more utilitarian Subaru XV CrossTrek to the sportier Nissan Juke hatchback and Mini Countryman crossover. The front-wheel drive Encore, incidentally, gets better ratings, at 28 mpg combined (25 mpg city, 33 mpg highway). To be fair, our 2013 Buick Encore was a pleasant enough way to travel, and it did everything we asked it to do-including passing our driveway test by scampering up a snowy, icy, rutted dirt and gravel track.Īnd, on our usual test cycle-about two-thirds highway, one-third city and suburban-it returned a creditable 28.1 miles per gallon, higher than its EPA combined rating of 26 mpg (23 mpg city, 30 mpg highway). Its base price of $24,200 is more than $1,100 higher than that of the Buick Verano compact sedan.īut our top-of-the-line Encore all-wheel drive with the Premium package came in almost $9,000 higher, at a breathtaking $32,975 (including a mandatory $750 delivery fee).Īnd we seriously wonder whether Buick is going to find much of a market for a tall mini-crossover that really only holds four adults and has some head-scratching compromises that make it seem very expensive for what you get.
We recently spent four days and covered 373 miles in a 2013 Buick Encore, the newest and smallest entry in the five-car lineup from GM's near-luxury brand.ĭespite its subcompact size, the Encore isn't quite the least-expensive Buick.
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