1/5/2024 0 Comments 2020 encoreAdding all-wheel drive reduces those numbers to 26 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, and if you go for the smaller 1.2T, you're looking at 26 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. The GX's most efficient powertrain combination is the 1.3-liter engine with front-wheel drive, which the EPA says should return 30 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. It kind of chugs like a diesel under hard acceleration, and the engine vibration at idle is strong enough that you can feel it through the seat and the steering wheel. Little triples like this are often rough by nature, and Buick's 1.3-liter is no exception. The nine-speed transmission operates smoothly and seamlessly, and with the engine's full torque punch coming on strong at just 1,600 rpm, there's plenty of low-end power for scooting around town. (Or, you know, just make it standard, like so many other non-premium competitors are doing these days.) It's a shame Buick doesn't allow a desirable option like adaptive cruise control to be purchased on its own. The HD camera is the only part of that package worth paying for the head-up display is one of those dashboard-mounted ones where a small screen flips up, and you can hear how cheap this thing is by the groan of its motor and the click as it snaps into place. Curiously, though, adaptive cruise control remains optional, even on the most expensive Essence model, where it's bundled into the $1,790 Advanced Technology Package that also includes a surround-view camera, head-up display and navigation. It's an impressive roster of tech for this price. Standard driver-assistance systems include forward-collision warning with pedestrian braking, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist and lane-departure warning. With the driver's seat set for my ideal driving position, I have lots of space to sit behind myself (although at 5 feet, 8 inches, I'm not exactly what you'd call tall). The leather seats of my Sport Touring tester are comfortable, though they're rather narrow and lack any real side bolstering. Since it's bigger than the standard Encore, there's plenty of room for adults in both front and back, and the upright shape means headroom is hardly an issue. Happily, the GX redeems itself in terms of overall passenger volume. Buick maintains it's a premium brand, and its larger vehicles are actually quite nice inside - even the smaller Encore can be decidedly more plush - but the GX's interior is no better (or in some cases, worse) than what you'll find in non-luxury competitors like the Hyundai Kona or Kia Seltos. Specific items like the turn signal and windshield wiper stalks are the same low-rent parts General Motors has been using for years, and the rest of the controls are all just kind of meh. And even the more upscale-looking materials on the dashboard feel weirdly rubbery. If something looks like cheap plastic, it is cheap plastic. Don't forget the $25,095 Encore GX (including $995 for destination) is based on the $19,995 Trailblazer, and it doesn't take long to find evidence of those budget roots. Stepping inside reveals a handsome, nicely organized cabin, although the closer you look, the more flaws you find. Still, you're likely better off skipping this package and saving some money I think the Encore GX is just as attractive with its standard gray exterior trim. I could absolutely do without the red stuff, but the rest of the Sport Touring getup is actually rather nice. The version you see here wears Sport Touring duds - a $1,100 package that adds body-colored side moldings, unique bumpers and a whole bunch of red accents in the grille. The GX is certainly more handsome than the little potato that is the Encore, with standard 18-inch wheels and LED headlights. It squeezes in between the ever-so-slightly smaller Encore and the ever-so-slightly larger Envision, the latter of which will be replaced by a sharply styled successor in early 2021. It might sound like just a trim level of the subcompact Encore crossover, but the GX is in fact an entirely new vehicle, riding on a platform shared with the Chevrolet Trailblazer - for better or worse.
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