Used 2020 Buick Encore GX

The new Buick Encore GX joins the Encore, Envision and Enclave in the company’s expanding portfolio of luxurious crossover SUVs. Like the standard Encore, the GX is built in South Korea, but it’s a slightly larger vehicle with a much more modern safety suite and added driver-assistance and convenience features.

Under its hood, the Encore GX is available with two 3-cylinder engines: a turbocharged 1.2-liter with 137 horsepower or a turbocharged 1.3-liter with 155. Front-wheel-drive (FWD) GXs (with the 1.2 or the 1.3) have a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), while the all-wheel-drive (AWD) versions (equipped exclusively with the 1.3) have a conventional 9-speed automatic.

The new 2020 Buick Encore GX competes with a varied lot of SUVs that includes the Mazda CX-30, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Honda HR-V, and the new Kia Seltos. While the Buick is more of a premium SUV than these competitors, all are in the same ballpark size-wise, as are compact premium European SUVs like the Audi Q3 and BMW X2.

With the new Encore GX — which starts at about $24,000 and can reach close to $35,000 when loaded with options — Buick is upping the luxury and safety quotient in the compact crossover SUV category. With the previous Encore (which is still on sale), the company was successful at bringing a host of younger buyers to the brand. But we think the newer and far more contemporary Encore GX will be even better at that task.

No matter what trim of Encore GX you choose, it will be powered by a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine. Standard is a 1.2-liter that makes 137 horsepower, along with 162 lb-ft of torque. It is connected to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and is only available with front-wheel drive.

The optional engine, the one we tested, is the 1.3-liter with the more ample 155 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque. Though also small, this engine punches above its weight. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a small 4-cylinder. It’s not blindingly quick, but it does have verve and presents acceptable acceleration. Even with Buick’s otherwise impressive sound-deadening, the 3-cylinder sounds a bit thrashy under heavy acceleration.

When optioned with all-wheel drive, the 1.3-liter engine gets a 9-speed automatic transmission instead of the CVT. It works okay, but some moments between shifts can feel longer than we’d like. The all-wheel-drive system available with this engine can be turned off, engaging front-wheel-drive-only mode if you want to eke out the most fuel economy. Otherwise, we advise just letting it make up its own mind.

Ride quality is in line with what you’d probably expect from a Buick – more on the comfort end than sporty. The Encore GX’s forte is highway cruising and in-town errands, not backwoods burning.

Steering effort is very easy, but there isn’t much in the way of communicative feedback. The lane-keeping assist can feel a little aggressive, but it can also be defeated, as can the engine start/stop.

There’s enough room inside the new 2020 Buick Encore GX for a 5-foot-10-inch person to sit comfortably behind a driver of the same height. Headroom is in good supply, even with the available large sunroof. While the materials used in the front seating area are of the high-quality soft-touch variety, those used in back are a touch hard and plasticky.

The Encore GX’s back seat splits 60/40 and folds for improved cargo utility, which is enhanced further by a front passenger seat that folds flat to help this compact Buick SUV carry long items. An 8-foot board, for example, can be carried diagonally in the Encore GX. Behind the rear seat, and there’s 25.3 cubic feet of cargo room, almost as much as the 26.9 available in the Envision, the Encore GX’s larger sibling.

The midlevel Select model has heated front seats, while the top Encore GX, the Essence, has leather-covered seats and a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The standard Encore has been a big success for Buick, but it has always looked a bit awkward to us, a bit too stubby and tall to be elegant. The new Buick Encore GX, on the other hand, has the proportions down. It looks great from all angles, aided by an improved stance, short overhangs, and just enough added length and width to make a big difference.

As is trendy these days, a black-painted roof is optional on this new Buick.

SPORT TOURING PACKAGE
One of the best traits of the new Encore GX is its handsome styling, and this optional package enhances this Buick’s sporty looks with unique 18-inch alloy wheels, body-color rocker moldings, a black mesh grille, and red exterior accents.

TWO-STAGE LOAD FLOOR
All 2020 Buick Encore GX SUVs have this feature, which allows smaller items to be stored under the rear load floor, out of sight. Or the cargo floor can be switched to a raised level that’s even with the folded rear seat, creating a perfectly flat load floor.

The 2020 Buick Encore GX is available in three levels: Preferred, Select and Essence.

Even the entry-level Preferred model is generously equipped. A 1.2-liter model with front-wheel drive, the Preferred has an excellent standard safety suite that includes automatic emergency braking, pedestrian braking, and lane-keeping assist. Moreover, the Preferred also benefits from push-button ignition, an 8-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Midlevel Buick Encore GX Select models up the standard content level with heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and a safety package that includes a blind-spot warning system, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear park assist.

The top Encore GX, the Essence, is equipped with leather-covered seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, plus an in-vehicle air ionizer to keep the 5-seat cabin fresh.

The 1.3-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine is optional on all three models of the new Buick Encore GX, as is all-wheel drive, a Sport Touring package, and a black-painted roof.

Notable options on the entry-level Encore GX Preferred model include a panoramic moonroof, a hands-free power liftgate, heated front seats, rear cross-traffic alert, and a blind-spot monitoring system.

A navigation system can be ordered on the Encore GX Select model, along with a head-up display (HUD), a rear camera mirror, and Marketplace, an app that allows you to, among other things, make Yelp reservations at your favorite restaurant or pay for fuel at participating Exxon, Mobil and Shell stations.

Options on the well-equipped flagship Encore GX Essence are fewer in number, but they include a 7-speaker Bose audio system, wireless smartphone charging, and a parking-assist program.

A turbocharged 1.2-liter inline-3 is the standard engine in the 2020 Buick Encore GX. It puts out 137 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 162 lb-ft of torque at 2,500 rpm.

The better choice is the optional turbocharged 1.3-liter 3-cylinder. This slightly larger powerplant puts out 155 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 174 lb-ft of torque at only 1,600 rpm.

All front-wheel-drive Buick Encore GX models are equipped with a CVT. They can be powered by the 1.2 or the 1.3. The all-wheel-drive Buick Encore GX, however, is powered exclusively by the 1.3-liter engine mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission.

Why do we favor the 1.3 over the 1.2? Simple: It puts out more horsepower, produces better low-end torque. Moreover, the 1.3-liter turbo mates to a conventional 9-speed automatic transmission (in the AWD models), and it endows the Encore GX with better fuel economy. See the EPA figures below.

1.2-liter turbocharged inline-3
137 horsepower @ 5,000 rpm
162 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 26 mpg/30 mpg

1.3-liter turbocharged inline-3
155 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm
174 lb-ft of torque @ 1,600 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 30 mpg/32 mpg (FWD), 26/29 (AWD)