Overview & Reviews

Buick's Encore distills the brand's essence into a small, affordable compact crossover SUV. That means you get a comfortable ride and a quiet, rich-feeling cabin environment to go along with the Encore's fuel-efficient engine and available all-wheel drive. A fair amount of Buick's latest technology and safety features are also available to imbue the Encore with a healthy premium vibe.

Know that the Encore is smaller than other more established crossovers, however, and those petite dimensions cut down on the Encore's available rear legroom and cargo space. Tepid acceleration is another drawback. But if you're looking for an easy-to-drive and easy-on-the-wallet vehicle with an elevated seating position, the Encore makes a lot of sense.

Current Buick Encore
The Buick Encore is available in four trim levels: base, Convenience, Leather and Premium. All Encore models are powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder making 138 horsepower. That power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is optional.

The base Encore comes standard with 18-inch wheels, a power driver seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a rearview camera and a suite of tech conveniences like Bluetooth, OnStar services, Buick Intellilink smartphone integration, a 7-inch touchscreen display, and a six-speaker sound system with a USB/iPod connection. The Convenience trim level adds remote engine start, dual-zone automatic climate control and a blind-spot monitoring system. Pick the Leather trim level to get leather upholstery, a power passenger seat, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and driver memory settings.

The range-topping Premium level adds a premium Bose audio system, parking sensors and lane departure and forward collision warning systems. A sunroof and a navigation system are also available.

A damped, hushed ride remains a Buick hallmark, and the Encore lives up to this legacy with an acoustically-treated windshield, side glass and headliner, and a specific "quiet" standard tire. The Encore even offers an active noise suppression system that fends off sound from the engine and road by emitting noise-cancelling frequencies through the speakers. But while this Buick may carry occupants in peaceful serenity, it won't carry much else -- maximum cargo capacity is noticeably less than what's provided by most other small crossovers. On the upside, the front passenger seat can fold flat to accommodate longer items, which is a useful feature when space is at a premium.
The Encore is enjoyable to drive around town. Its small size allows it to fit into small parking spaces with ease and gives you a tidy turning circle for U-turns. Less impressive, though, is the 138-hp 1.4-liter engine. This just isn't enough power for a crossover SUV, and although the Encore feels adequately powerful in city driving, it feels strained when merging onto the highway or making any sort of passing maneuver.

Used Buick Encore Models
The Buick Encore debuted for the 2013 model year. There have been no major changes since, though in that first year the blind-spot monitoring system wasn't available.

User Reviews:

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  Overpriced with mechanical issues - 2014 Buick Encore
  By Christine Meldrum - May 27 - 2:37 pm

  I've been driving this car now for 7 years, and this is what I've found which may be outdated. At 500 miles over my warranty, I had to pay $1000 to get something fixed with the turbo. The turbo line was leaking antifreeze. I paid the car off early, but within 5 months after paying it off, I had to spend another $3200 for all kinds of other issues, and the turbo was once again on the list. This was around 90,000 miles. 1 month after that, I had a problem with it sucking in air and squealing, and had to spend another $600.00. I've never bought a brand new car before, and in the past, I kept my vehicles for a lot longer with many more miles, and never spent this much money on mechanical issues. I would never buy another one. It also has very low visibility because of the shape of the back of the car. If you change lanes and turn your head to the right to check your blind spot, you still can't see if a car is there due to the slope of the back side of the car going up too high on the back window, hiding any vehicles who might be in the lane next to you in that spot. Others who have driven my car said the same thing to me.

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  NOT a family car - IMPOSSIBLE for REAR FACING - 2015 Buick Encore
  By glamar - December 30 - 4:45 pm

  i jumped on this lease deal and have not owned the car for long but want to let others know this car does not accommodate a rear facing car seat. i had a car seat in my lexus that fit fine but was a larger foot print. i had a car seat specialist come out to help me properly install into the new buick. it absolutely would not fit. we went to the nearest store to "try on" other car seats. the ONLY car seat that did fit is the chicco nextfit. and it did require installation on the side (not center which would have been preferred) and the passenger seat has to be moved VERY far forward. I wish i would have done more homework on this as i would have reconsidered this vehicle.

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  Leaks & more... - 2013 Buick Encore
  By Brian Alley - April 17 - 11:10 am

  After 27,000 miles was loving this car then bam a maintenance nightmare. 3 recalls (seat belt issues & parking brake cable) a oil pan leak & a vibration/buzz that turned into an exhaust system failure that required an all new system. While they were fixing these problems they found a coolant leak & are now replacing the water pump. Disappointing as I was crazy about this ride...Im asking for an extended warranty as this is looking like a lemon?

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  In search for a perfect urban family vehicle - 2013 Buick Encore
  By gluzdov - February 9 - 11:36 am

  Picked up this emergency upgrade from a 2006 Scion xB on 2/7/13. As I heard, xB upgrade was some of Buicks engineers purpose for Encore design. This review is my first impressions. So far, I hate one and only thing: bling. All Leather Group Encores that were available right now had chrome wheels and you cant change it. This is an addition of $1,000 to the total car price that was forced down my throat by some schlub on Buicks payroll who decided thats what the first batch of Leather Group Encores should have. There are other decorative, non functional "design" elements that I am learning to tolerate. Fake plastic hood vents are not cool, despite what the hoodlums are saying.

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  Really nice vehicle ... but - 2016 Buick Encore
  By Kent - June 9 - 1:44 am

  I came real close to buying a Buick Encore. I really like the styling and trim. And, the size is perfect for me. I do question the 1.4L engine. Turbo chargers do not favorably impress me. Just something else to go wrong. I finally took one for a test drive. Did not seem to be as spunky as my 2.0L 2000 Tracker but maybe I could get used to it. The Tracker is 17 years old now. I bought it new in November of 1999. I really do need a new vehicle now. Sadly, I had to walk away from the Encore because of the dark tinted glass. I am older now, dont see as well as when I was young. Always have had some trouble seeing at night. It gets worse when you get older. You will understand that later. Tinted glass is a real pain for me. I dont care if people can see in. I need to be able to see out, in every direction, front, back, and sides. That is what is important and the Encore fails in that respect. The Encore does not seem to be available without the dark tinted glass in the back. That seems to be the case with most of the new SUVs. Even the front glass is a bit dark for me. I guess I am going to have to keep on driving my 1994 and 2000 4WD Trackers. They go in the deep snow and on the ice. And they can pull your boat and trailer out of the water at the lake shore. The Encore cant even pull a small trailer. And they call it a SUV. I dont know that AWD would be as good. My Trackers do have very light tinted glass. Dont even need that but it is tolerable. Clear glass would be better. I know the dark tinted glass is only in the rear but it reduces the available light throughout the interior of the vehicle. I really need a new car but I cant find anything acceptable to me. Everything has dark tinted glass and they all seem to have way too many buttons on the dash. I cant drive and read the operators manual at the same time. I dont text and drive. I like to be able to find the controls by touch. I dont want to have to look for them. I have to keep my mind on the road. I dont want distractions. This is all insane. Aftermarket tint is readily available for all car windows. Why do the automobile manufacturers have to force tinted glass on all of us? It definitely is a serious safety hazard.

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  Car grows on you - 2016 Buick Encore
  By Don - March 22 - 3:16 pm

  Hard for me to get use to tight steering handles very good lots of power very quiet inside easy to see out of moves around in traffic and parking lot very easy lets you know if someone is behind you so you dont hit anything fun to drive . Mine is a 2016

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  Engine Auto Start Stop Feature - 2016 Buick Encore
  By twiceencoreowner - September 12 - 2:24 am

  After owning another Encore (2015), I traded and I bgt the 2016 Sport Touring. I was excited as it had a gas saving feature called "Auto stop" plus a few cosmetic extras. At first this feature was intriguing but after 5 mos of it starting and stopping all the time at traffic lights etc it became a real nuisance. The A/C also changes temp and gets hotter and fan slows down..also on heat as the compressor also shuts off. I decided to take it to the dealer and have it disabled...unfortunately that isnt possible..for some damn reason?? Software issue or program design bug? Dealership and Buick wont offer any allowance for my gruntled issue on a new 2017 w/o this stupid feature either. So be damn sure you understand what this does before you get stuck with it on an Encore. To save 50c a week this isnt worth the BS to have it. I cant believe some moron engineer thinks he is saving the environment and gas mileage by starting and stopping an engine at every slow down..