Topic: 2024 Buick Encore GX ST

[Blueprint]

Question: Which manufacturer had the best sales growth in NA for 2023?

Answer: Buick. Yes, Buick, to the tune of +56% in the US and +48% in Eastern Canada. And that success is on the little shoulders of this week's subject, the Encore GX, itself having seen 92% growth in the US over 2022 - the 'Muricans really liked the new-for-2023 nose job!

https://www.autohebdo.net/editorial/20240111/buick-encore-gx-st-2024-essai-routier/

[Blueprint]

Buick cleared up the GX's mission by killing off the original Encore after the 2022 model year. But 2024 brings the Envista, which blurs things again.

The GX is Buick's version of the Trailblazer, although both cousins don't share any sheetmetal. Built by GM Korea, the GX is available with fwd or awd, unlike the longer Envista whose platform is strictly fwd, like the Trax.

So the GX is smaller than the Envista, but positioned above it. Following?

[Blueprint]

Let's tackle the elephant in the room, and it's no Hellephant. The GX is available in three trims, and only the base model is available with fwd. This "value leader" shares the smaller 3 cyl. 1.2t with the Trax and Envista, but although these two have a 6-speed auto, the GX fwd keeps the previous CVT. While the standard kit is nice, GM should kill off the base fwd model to reduce overlap with the sexier, roomier and cheaper Envista.

AWD models such as my tester come with the larger 1.3t engine, paired to a 9-speed automatic. A sign that costs are kept in check, you have to manually activate the awd with a button, and despite the addition of a rear diff, the rear suspension is still semi-independant and has a proclivity to twerk in bumpy corners.

The wee engine offers 155 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque, and is very well paired to the 9-speed, making the Encore GX peppy in town. But, as with the 3 other members of this family, flat out acceleration is not its forte and passing manoeuvres have to be well-planned. Towing capacity is at 1,000 lbs, which is better than nothing, aka the typical towing capacity in this category.

[Blueprint]

My tester had the monochrome black interior, but Buick offers a few two-tone options that lux things up a bit. Materials are ok, but unlike GM I won't compare this with offerings from premium brands - this is more of a CX-30 and Crosstrek competitor. Seats offer good support and gain a powered lumbar over my recent Trax tester. Many bits and pieces are the same, including both screens, although what is displayed in them differs.

Typical for GM, the Bose stereo is excellent and, frankly, it was better that the deceiving and overpriced 17-speaker Mark Levinson in my recent Lexus tester. Rear seating is really thight, I could *just* sit "behind myself", sign that parents while have trouble fitting a child seat back there. Trunk is pretty good though, overall cargo being the lone metric where the GX was larger than the previous Encore. The wheelbase is so short that when looking over my shoulder I was doing that through the rear window.

[Blueprint]

Fuel economy is the big letdown here, especially when factoring in the 3-pot and diminutive size. My observed weekly number was 9.1, bang on NRCan's City rating, or about 2 l/100 km lower than a 2.0t Atlas...

So, why so much success?

In base trim with awd, you get a pleasant city runabout with pretty solid content, a nice very "SUV" driving position (higher than Trax/Envista), a nice interior and a bank-pleasing budget. But it's definitely a single's or couple's car as the rear seat is pretty much useless. It's easy to park, zips well in town and offers a practical trunk.

Higher trims and options bring the budget to Audi Q3 levels, the Encore GX writing a check it can't cash in this company. And an optioned-up ST like my tester (39.6k$) makes for an odd build, with plenty of tech - but manual HVAC (my much cheaper Trax had auto climate control!).

But for rural buyers with restricted dealer options, this is still far better than a leftover EcoSport!

[PJungnitsch]

A sign that costs are kept in check, you have to manually activate the awd with a button,

Believe that's a fuel economy testing sneak by GM. With the button system they can get higher mileage numbers on the EPA test to advertise

The standards for fuel economy testing are the Federal Test Procedure 75 (FTP75) for city testing and the U.S. EPA highway cycle. When testing in either test, if a feature is selectable, like AWD, the automaker can test in the default position. This is why start/stop systems with a switch typically revert to enabled on every ignition cycle. Enabled is the default. Making that the default allows automakers to test with the system enabled and count the gains in their results. Same thing with AWD. Make it selectable, make the default off, and they can test with the system disconnected.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/3rd-gen-equinox-awd-questions.312914/

[Blueprint]

A sign that costs are kept in check, you have to manually activate the awd with a button,

Believe that's a fuel economy testing sneak by GM. With the button system they can get higher mileage numbers on the EPA test to advertise

The standards for fuel economy testing are the Federal Test Procedure 75 (FTP75) for city testing and the U.S. EPA highway cycle. When testing in either test, if a feature is selectable, like AWD, the automaker can test in the default position. This is why start/stop systems with a switch typically revert to enabled on every ignition cycle. Enabled is the default. Making that the default allows automakers to test with the system enabled and count the gains in their results. Same thing with AWD. Make it selectable, make the default off, and they can test with the system disconnected.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/3rd-gen-equinox-awd-questions.312914/

Great observation! But in the same logic, manufacturers would default to Eco modes when present...

[OliverD]

To be honest I'm absolutely fine with a switchable AWD system.

I find the GM lineup a little bit perplexing. I totally get the Trax/Envista as a simplified value product that comes with a single drivetrain. What I don't quite get is why the next model up the ladder is smaller.

[me_2]

So the GX is smaller than the Envista, but positioned above it. Following?

No and I gave up, too many variant of CUV/SUV issue from the General imho.