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:
Showing 21 through 30 of 80.00-
literally a vehicle sent from heaven - 2014 Buick Encore
By wunderman - November 28 - 11:31 pmI purchased my Encore in May, 2014. I wanted a reliable car that would get good gas mileage and satisfactory performance. What I did not pay attention to was safety features but that has changed! I was driving this past Monday prior Thanksgiving and was driving near 70-mph at 10-pm when I fell completely asleep at the wheel. I rifled off the highway here north of Cincinnati and drove head on into a guard rail. I woke up to incredible jerking and twisting due to the collision which ripped guard rail posts, one-after-another, throwing me in a roller coaster ride. The car air bags erupted and the engine fell beneath me. I kicked open the passenger door and walked without harm!
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Do not buy this car! - 2014 Buick Encore
By alexusxix - October 15 - 7:52 pmI have Encore base for 7 months and it has about 6K miles now. It is a comfortable car, but all positives ends here. Performance is mediocre. Driving it is a nightmare: I experience automatic transmission issues at times. Gears are switching erratically and incorrectly, the car is shaking. Dealer is reluctant to do anything: they just cannot duplicate the problem. Build quality is horrible: I did have a problem with shock absorber, it took me 4 visits to dealer to fix it. Do not buy this car under any circumstances!
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Dissatisfied with Encore, GM, and the Dealer! - 2014 Buick Encore
By dissatisfied32 - September 3 - 11:50 amWe purchased our Encore brand new. After an initial "honeymoon period", we started having reliability issues. The car has now been repaired three times for suspension noise. It has gotten so bad that the Dealer & GM proposed a "Trade Assist" as they suggested we get rid of the car. Unfortunately the assistance wasnt much. We are very dissatisfied - we have spend endless time on the phone with GM and at the Dealer. I would highly recommend you consider another manufacturer!
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2014 Buick Encore SUV - 2014 Buick Encore
By seanesther - June 8 - 1:01 am2014 Buick Encore White perl. About $32,000 before tax for full fully loaded premium AWD 2014 incluing cargo net, organiser, cargo floor, floor mats etc. I have driven it from Seattle to Los Angeles for a week mostly west coast 1 and 101 hwy. Here is what I felt after driving over 1400 miles. 1. Very comfy riding experience, also thx to the noise reduction technology. Stylish exterior and cute design good for 20s 30s female driver. 2. Despite of small suv size, it is roomy inside for 4 ppl. Cargo space is little tight though. 3. No problem merging hwy however, no confident following another suv up on the mountain hills. I felt little embarrassing.
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Excellent car, pass on the navigation - 2014 Buick Encore
By blindqu2285 - May 28 - 11:47 amWe have had our encore for a bit over a month. We are pleased with everything except the navigation. Worst GPS routing I have ever used. On a five hour trip -- using side by side with our portable TomTom the buick system routed us 30 miles farther and 1 hour longer. We do not trust the navigation at all. It can not find addresses our TomTom has and it routinely routes a longer distance or time. We will not use it for anything other than finding an address in town -- if it even can find the address. Do not waste your money on the navigation system. Spend $100 on a portable instead of $800 for the car system.
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Favorite Car - 2014 Buick Encore
By texasgovernor - April 23 - 10:11 amAbsolutely Love this Car. Addictive to drive. Blows away the whole field of SUVs
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Love my 2014 Encore. Naysayers should drive it! - 2014 Buick Encore
By janidb - February 23 - 5:37 pmI am an active older woman, and my husband and I wanted to buy a vehicle with some luxury touches, a higher seating position and a quiet interior. I kept looking at the Encore and being put off by reviews saying that the engine is too small, itÂs slow etc. But when I actually test drove an Encore Leather, I was hooked. No problems merging on to the highway or driving on hills. The turbocharged engine managed just fine. Have driven it for 3 mths mostly in town with a few trips on the highway, and one in Rocky Mountain Nat. Pk. There, the car purred quietly up and down the snowy and sometimes slippery mountain roads and I could easily control the downhill speed in the Manual range.
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Engine Issues - 2013 Buick Encore
By glendive - February 4 - 10:08 pmAfter driving 13800 miles, in trips of 1400 to1600 miles per trip, since I purchased this SUV I can honestly say it needs more horse power for the road. Going up hills, and going into headwinds puts a definite strain on this little engine. And the more it strains the less MPG it gets. I also am concerned with the air intake design beings this car stalled out on me while driving one crappy winter day in ND. This is not a good situation for a new car to have happen to it and the passengers. Snow/moisture should not get into parts of the engine compartment where it can cause problems.
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heater - 2013 Buick Encore
By lynned - January 29 - 2:02 pmon short trips at 25 below c. the heat gauge comes up to normal then when you turn the fan wide open the heat gauge goes back to cold and blows cold air on highway driving works ok dealer put new thermostat in still same problem returned to dealer who phoned gm and was told there seems to be a problem with heat has anyone else had this problem
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Nice car for the money - 2013 Buick Encore
By 45thannivstang - January 17 - 4:11 pmYou get a super nice car for around $30,000, if you go with the premium package like we did. We got the saddle brown leather interior, which smells and feels wonderful, and is very luxurious. We put a child seat in the back, and in doing that, you have to move the front seat up, which makes for a less than comfy ride...and Im only 57"! The gadgets are well placed, and the ride is very quiet and comfortable. The car looks very elegant inside and out, and has every option you could ever want. Performance on this vehicle sucks, straight up. It is probably one of the weaker vehicles I have ever driven, and takes about 10 seconds to get to 60 mph.
