I really liked the high driving position. It affords you an excellent view of the road ahead and around you, though shoulder-checking is hindered by those massive rear pillars.
    2013 Buick Encore Premium. Click image to enlarge |
It’s not a fast vehicle – that much is clear from the moment you start driving it. But that’s not the point. The driving experience is a lively one, and the chassis is dynamic enough to make it passably fun.
The power builds in a very linear manner, but it never feels as though it has a lot of jam under the hood. With that said, it’s plenty for everyday driving. You probably don’t want to pull out of a side street in front of a speeding truck and passing someone on the highway requires a bit of planning and a few seconds longer than most vehicles need. But during the week I had it, I rarely wanted for more power.
The transmission is relatively smooth, although there is often a split-second of hesitation between shifts. The smoothness isn’t interrupted, but the power feels as though it is, albeit very, very briefly. I’m not sure if software retards the ignition momentarily between shifts, or what the story is. The transmission seems to be mostly interested in saving fuel, and it hunts for higher gears right away. When you step on it to pass, it takes a couple of seconds to downshift to the right gear. You can also manually shift gears, using the irritating top-mounted rocker on the gear selector. Shifts are slow, and I found little use for manual shifting. Let the autobox do its job.
The ride is firm, but in a sporty way, not in a harsh way. It’s comfortable and well-controlled. I thought the handling was quite good as well. The Encore actually has a respectable eight inches of ground clearance. That raises the centre of gravity, and you end up with quite a bit of body lean around corners but it hangs on tenaciously when you throw it into curves. It obviously prefers the straights, but it will do just fine in the twisties, considering it’s a small crossover.
The Encore weighs 1,476 kg (3,254 lb) in Premium trim. That makes it a relative feather-weight for an all-wheel-drive crossover and I liked that it never felt heavy.
There is some minor road noise, but overall, it’s a quiet vehicle. Drivetrain and wind noise levels are very good, unless you’re really stepping on the gas – things get a bit buzzy over 4,000 pm.
The brakes are fine and the all-wheel drive is slip-and-grip so you’ll always feel the front end trying to grab before the Encore digs its heels in. But for most folks, it’s perfectly effective, and it did as good of a job on our crappy, snowy Edmonton streets as it did on our crappy dry, potholed Edmonton streets.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that towing is not recommended with the Encore.
