Photo: Buick
Twinned with the Chevrolet Trax, the Buick Encore is one of the oldest SUVs in its segment. 2022 will be the final model year for the current iteration of the small crossover because the next generation will be revealed at the end of 2021.
As such, General Motors decided to phase out the base trim. GM Authority understands that only the Preferred will be available with front- and all-wheel drive, and I’m not surprised because the sales figures are borderline abysmal. Buick sold merely 41,752 units last year as opposed to 102,402 examples in 2019, the lowest volume since 2013 when 31,956 were delivered.
Priced from $25,595 excluding freight for the 2021 model year, the Preferred isn’t too different from the base trim. Highlights, if you can call them that way, include color-keyed front and rear floor mats and a stowable and removable rear cargo cover. I’m not making this up. It’s exactly what Buick lists in the configurator as standard features over the entry-level Encore.
A 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, three months of SiriusXM, active noise cancellation, six-way power driver’s seat, leather on the steering wheel, cloth and leatherette for the seats, and single-zone manual air conditioning are also featured. Gifted with 18-inch aluminum wheels and a 16-inch spare located under the cargo floor, the Preferred relies on a 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder motor.
Codenamed LE2 and capable of 153 horsepower plus 177 pound-feet (240 Nm) of torque, the direct-injected engine is connected to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Environmental Protection Agency lists the force-fed mill with a combined rating of 27 miles to the gallon (8.7 liters per 100 kilometers), which is alright for a crossover with old underpinnings.
For the 2023 model year, the Encore will switch to the GEM vehicle architecture. If you were wondering, that acronym stands for Global Emerging Markets. Greatly influenced by the second-generation Encore for the Chinese market, the North American version will likely transition to three-cylinder turbocharged powerplants with up to 1.3 liters of displacement.
Priced from $25,595 excluding freight for the 2021 model year, the Preferred isn’t too different from the base trim. Highlights, if you can call them that way, include color-keyed front and rear floor mats and a stowable and removable rear cargo cover. I’m not making this up. It’s exactly what Buick lists in the configurator as standard features over the entry-level Encore.
A 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, three months of SiriusXM, active noise cancellation, six-way power driver’s seat, leather on the steering wheel, cloth and leatherette for the seats, and single-zone manual air conditioning are also featured. Gifted with 18-inch aluminum wheels and a 16-inch spare located under the cargo floor, the Preferred relies on a 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder motor.
Codenamed LE2 and capable of 153 horsepower plus 177 pound-feet (240 Nm) of torque, the direct-injected engine is connected to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Environmental Protection Agency lists the force-fed mill with a combined rating of 27 miles to the gallon (8.7 liters per 100 kilometers), which is alright for a crossover with old underpinnings.
For the 2023 model year, the Encore will switch to the GEM vehicle architecture. If you were wondering, that acronym stands for Global Emerging Markets. Greatly influenced by the second-generation Encore for the Chinese market, the North American version will likely transition to three-cylinder turbocharged powerplants with up to 1.3 liters of displacement.
Google News