Feature Spotlight: The Buick Encore And Its Single Armrest
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What good is dual climate control, Quiet Tuning with Active Noise Cancellation, and a fancy-pants IntelliLink infotainment system if the weakest link of the interior is a small, single, narrow arm rest between the driver and front-seat passenger? That’s the question we’ve been asking ourselves over the last few weeks about the 2013 Buick Encore.
Perhaps the more pertinent question is whether a vehicle with a single arm rest between the front occupants is even remotely worthy of being considered luxurious — an adjective Buick would like you to associate with its vehicles. Heck, pretty much everyone with any skin in the automotive luxury game has realized that something as simple as a decent armrest is crucial. Lexus learned this the hard way with its first-generation IS — which didn’t even have an arm rest — and addressed the deficiency with a mid-cycle refresh; the same goes for Volvo and its original S40.
To us, the whole single-armrest ordeal reeks of the Encore’s Aveo/Sonic roots — a shame, since there’s clearly room for a second arm rest on the left side of the passenger’s seat. Perhaps the lack of a decent place for the passenger to place their elbow may not be a deal breaker in and of itself, but it may contribute just enough to the various compromises a buyer has to make in order to purchase the subcompact Encore, ultimately pushing them in the direction of a competing product.
Have we been eating too much Valentine’s day candy or are we spot on? Let us know in the comments!
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lol leave the armrest alone!!
No it needs to be changed!!!!
Buick screw this one…..maybe they have a reason be nice to no wy ..
If that arm rest is like the one on the Sonic, it will jam a lot of arms into their shoulder sockets, as it did me when I sat in the vehicle at a recent auto show. (I am 6 feet tall with a 34/35 sleeve size.)
I wrote GM about the problems with the Sonic arm rest as soon as I saw it in pictures about a year ago, and they even called me to talk about it. I had a short person (of oriental decent) sit in the car as well, and that manifested a different problem. After adjusting the seat height appropriately, that person’s arm sloped severely between the arm rest and the shift knob. That goes against common ergonomic standards.
Most arm rests are wider and farther from the driver’s seat. That enables the arm rest to be suitable for different sized people. GM needs to fix this on both the Encore and the Sonic.
I’m not thrilled with the single armrest, I would almost prefer no armrest at all.
Personally I could care less about things like armrests, but for people like my father(the kind of people who would buy this car) this would be a dealbreaker, because of this, he would go buy a rdx instead of a 30k encore.
Good job GM, make more luxury vehicles from 13k subcompact cheap volume platforms. This is going to boost Buick’s image so much its going to be considered above Lexus who know because its so luxuriious while being cheap. Cadillac Cimmaron anyone.
I have always known this car would be a fail. A 1.4 Turbo is not enough for something this big. There seem to be too many problems, big and small, for this car to be good.
Kevin, what problems do you speak of?
thanks for your input it is being looked at by design. and manufacturing.
Research shows that passengers do not use the armrests, uh my research anyway. My wife flips hers up and I flip hers down when commuting cause I like to actually lean on it rather than my own, ha…
Boo! Boo all of you! I’m booing you people!
I’m so pro-armrest, I’ve got a armrest tramp-stamp tattoo!
How could anyone hate armrests?! There are so many boring highway drives that are made liveable and tolerable with armrests! To me, it’s a massive deal-breaker if I can’t get an armrest in line with not getting seatbelts or airbags!
Shame on you all for hatin’ on armrests!
exactly!!
JD, thanks for taking this issue to Design. I’m hoping it will be fixed before the release next year. The Encore is still near the top of my list. This will be a true measuring stick on “agility” within the new GM. We shall see…
As for the 1.4 Turbo, yea, that’s probably a little on the small side for this car. Might work well in China, but probably not for a lot of U.S. customers who need their car to accelerate quickly onto crowded highways. Would eAssist help, or perhaps a 1.6? The issue is not a complete deal-breaker for me, as it is flat where I live. But, that arm rest definitely is a deal-breaker if it cannot be adjusted for my frame.
Overall, the Encore could be a great car for a lot of people, especially those without kids. I’m excited about it, and I would be just as excited to see a Chevy version. That GMC Granite Concept would be perfect as a Chevy. Would definitely ease use of the roof. If Chevy really does intend to compete with Subaru that would be great for those who are into the outdoors. Subaru offers nice roof racks and their AWD seems like a good design. But Subaru is not making use of small turbo engines for fuel economy (for the U.S. market), so in my view GM could have a significant competitive advantage. Mazda is also a company that seems to care. For me, the jury is still out on Ford.
Jim — just curious as to why you think the 1.4 will be a negative aspect of the Encore. True, the engine is no power mongrel, but it gets the job done.
It did well in my Cruze, although the gearhead yearned for a 2.0 turbo. But I imagine most buyers of either the Cruze or the Encore won’t mind and/or notice…
Alex, correct my assumptions if they are wrong. The 0-60 acceleration of the Cruze is about 9 seconds. The Encore is reportedly about 100 lbs heavier, even more with AWD. The Encore also has larger wheels, and is less aerodynamic, so I’m guessing it will be about 9.5-10. As I’ve said before, assuming they fix the armrest, the engine isn’t a deal-breaker for me. I like so many other things about this car. (The folding front seat and roof rack, in a sub-compact, are huge pluses.) It’s just that I’d prefer the car to be a little quicker. On today’s roads the issue really isn’t the absolute number, it’s your number relative to everyone else’s.
The Chinese probably care less about torque and horsepower, and they are the primary market, so I’m not expecting this to change. The e-Assist seems like such a simple and effective technology. I just wonder why Buick isn’t being more aggressive with it. But, maybe we will be pleasantly surprised.
Jim, that 9-10 seconds to 60 figure is right about average for most passenger vehicles in North America. And if you flog the Cruze, it can do better… and handles like a champ.
The eAssist tech helps, but is a stop gap; GM needs a full two-mode hybrid system for its cars (rather than trucks). Then we’ll really be able to reap the benefits of a hybrid drivetrain.
Or at least they can put the voltec technology into the cars.
Or that, but I have a feeling they’re waiting on Voltec 1.5 or even 2.0 — which will bring lower complexity and cost — to do that.
because cars like malibu would need some to compete with fusion or camry hybrid or the Fusion energi
I think the Cruze weights about the same as the Encore.
An armrest for the 2013 Encore will be a must for most drivers. I wonder if HID headlights are available.
You would be surprised at how interior comfort can be a dealbreaker. I like my 2011 Hyundai Limited ..except for the low position of the passenger seat–I look like a little old lady sitting in it and peering out of the window . Result ?? I have been patiently waiting for the release of the Buick Encore. My husband and I travel a lot, and this crossover seemed perfect for us.We especially like the higher driver position. No armrest for long trips??? You have got to be kidding. This, along with no power liftgate may just be a dealbreaker. I am sad because as recently retired boomers we want a fun, spoty, but comfortable compact SUV.. No big boatlike cars like our retired parents
coveted. Didn’t anyone tell the designers we live like we are forty, but our bodies are still sixty–and we want luxurious comfort.–and are willing to pay for it in a compact SUV which gets good gas mileage and is maneuverable.
NO ARM REST ??WTH?? Really ??? Morning Al …. well well well … the things common folk can see, that the Genius’ at Gm can’t. It is just another example of what went wrong …. and what is still going wrong at GM. (How did they know my wife is an amputee?) We are a retired couple looking for some comfort, and no arm-rest for the wife? We really really had decided on the Buick Encore. Went with the “Premium package”. Test drive: No arm-rest for her (where is the luxury?) … it is a deal-breaker for sure. Get the fork! Unless GM pays to have an arm-rest put on the passenger seat … that vehicle is dead in the water. And the one for the driver … well it looks like a chicken wing stump! … no arm rest for the passenger … it must be a joke! My money is laughing at another dealership.
Lack of armrest on passenger side my only major gripe with the Encore. This is a LUXURY vehicle, not a Sonic!. Even the HHR had driver AND passenger front arm rests. Just give the Encore a decent front console armrest that covers both front passengers.
How does GM let such stuff get by them????
Just checked with Buick and they say that the armrest was not a priority. Not adding it for 15 either. Guess I will need to look at an alternative since this is a deal breaker for my wife and me.
Update: Buick has NOT fixed the front passenger side armrest issue. I just bought a 2015 Encore with leather and found out later from my passenger gripes how much of an issue that a lack of a passenger side armrest is. I’ve been looking online for an after-market passenger armrest. Help!!!
Just brought a 2015 Encore, disgusted they didn’t have passenger side armrest. I’m with john M and looking for an after market armrest.
The lack of a passenger side armrest was a deal breaker for us. We take long trips (7-10 hrs. each way) several times a year. I can’t imagine traveling that much without an armrest to rest my arm on. This is definitely something Buick needs to address! Very unwise design decision.
I hate that there is no armrest on the passenger side!! We take long trips (20 hour total driving time) and for me not to have an armrest that whole time is ridiculous! I’m looking for a new vehicle and loved the Buick LeSabre we had ( actually we’ve had 2) , so we love the Buick line, but this no armrest thing was an absolute deal breaker for me.