Buick today announced that it has begun shipping the Encore subcompact crossover to dealers. This means that customers will able to test drive and purchase the smallest Buick (ever!) in a matter of weeks. And for whatever it’s worth, initial orders for the Gamma-based crossover have been exceeding expectations.
Assembled in Bupyeong, South Korea at GM’s Korean operations, the Encore features a long list of standard features such as the (very good) IntelliLink infotainment system with voice commands, ten air bags, and a rearview camera. Unfortunately, a real armrest for front seat occupants isn’t one of these features.
Nevertheless, are you looking to drive and/or buy the Encore? Talk to us in the comments below.
Comments
I like the design a lot. I reallyw ant to see it in person. I know it’s small, but I just can’t relate to just how small it is yet.
Run on down to your local Chevy dealer and look at a Sonic 5-door.
Opel claims 60.000 orders for their version, the Opel Mokka. Yet production is not to be moved to Opel’s own factories… and still GM complains about “overcapacity” in those plants.
Could not make money if they built this in germany
I rented a Sonic HB for a couple of weeks. Decent car, even with the base engine. Want to see how peppy the Encore is.
I am but it might need a second powerful engine though
I just bought a Sonic for my son. Please don’t compare it to the Encore. In no way are they the same. I just came back from the auto show where I live and sat in an Encore. I got a real good look at it. Quit making comments the Sonic and Encore are the same. It is uneducated and ignorant. If you don’t like the vehicle that’s one thing, but don’t say things like go buy a Sonic. The two vehicles are built on the same frame and use the same turbo engine, but that is where the similarities end. The Encore is pure luxury inside. It really surprised me. The Sonic is a good starter vehicle and that is why I got it for my son.
Jeff, did the Encore have a center armrest? Sorry to disagree with you, but a luxury car without a center armrest is not in any way “pure luxury inside.” In fact, I would use the word uncomfortable, at least for me. I thought GM had agreed (about 10 months ago) that this should change. (I’ll have to refrain from being more specific than that.)
Many on this site felt the Encore would be underpowered with the 1.4T, and professional reviews in recent months have confirmed it. This is a car that should get the new engine. Will it? Doubtful, since it is not a sedan. I predict a surge in sales at the outset, but a quick reality check soon after.
If you’re going to base judgement on an armrest, then there is a problem. Yes, the vehicle should have a more powerful engine. However, if you have driven the 1.4L Turbo, it is OK. I am not going to say it is great. Many people said the GMC Terrain was going to fail as well. Many complained about the engine and styling and look how hot that vehicle sells. I have driven the 1.4 Turbo in the Sonic and it has decent power for the weight of the vehicle. Everybody passes judgement on the vehicle with only seeing pictures and listening to some car crtics. Those same people though the Terrain and Verano was going to be a bust. It is just like movie critics, you can’t go by what they say. You have to see it for yourself. I will test drive the Encore when it comes out, and if it has enough pick-up like the Sonic with the Turbo, I will likely get it next year.
Guys, the Encore’s biggest impediment isn’t the engine. The 1.4T is fine, especially in a Buick — which isn’t touting the Encore’s performance attributes and isn’t aiming to become an M model of BMW’s X1, for instance. Instead, Buick and the Encore is all about comfort… and the 1.4T is just fine.
But what contradicts the “comfort” selling proposition is the armrest. As Verano Hatch said, it’s not comfortable, it’s un-ergonomic, and it plain out sucks. It ruins the car because it negates Buick’s unique selling proposition (comfortable luxury). Not only is the armrest horrible for the driver, but the passenger doesn’t even get one! So much for luxury/comfort.
All in all, the armrest should be an easy fix for GM. It’s acceptable in the Sonic/Aveo, but not in the Encore. That, plus I’m not sure how big a market exists for a vehicle such as the Encore… but we will see.
Center armrest? Why in such a small car?
Possibly even between the front seats? How would the driver then operate all the controls in the center console or dashboard? Have a look at the image of the Encore inside at:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/gallery/2013-buick-encore/
I also think that the 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX (A14NET) is OK for that car (especially in the US with its general speed limits). The Opel twin of the Buick Encore is offered with two more engine choices, the 1.6l ecoFLEX with 115 HP (A16XER), and the 1.7L CDTI with 130 HP (A17DTS). I guess the latter motorization will make up the big majority of sales here.
“Center armrest? Why in such a small car?” Why not? The fact that the Encore/Mokka is small doesn’t mean it’s much smaller than other vehicles (like Cruze/Astra) when it comes to the two front seats; it’s narrower, but that shouldn’t prevent the armrest.
“How would the driver then operate all the controls in the center console or dashboard?”
In exactly the same way as it’s done in every other vehicle with an armrest… how else?
Jeff, welcome to lets play “why doesnt the Sonic and Encore have proper armrests” brought to you by VeranoHatchforUS who also gets his panties in a bunch if you bring up the topic of why GM doesnt have a hatch that he specifically would buy.., Good grief I think I sm going to have an anurism, these topics are repeated endlessly any time VeranoHatch has an opportunity to bable on about them… I would like to say I have gotten used to it, but god knight for an entire year or maybe longer…
Yaba you are about to get your wish. GM is for me out of time. I learned a lot about GM from this site over the past year. I learned that GM listens to customers, even knows when things are not right, but cannot act on that info. The armrest issue on all things Gamma II is a classic example. It was stupid, cheap to fix, and yet it persists. And for those who say Gamma II is too narrow, you would be very wrong. See the MINI Cooper.
Ford anyone? They seem to be a more closed organization. Lot’s of choice among an array of busy, over-complicated vehicles that are universally ugly. They chose some very poor themes and made them universal. Ugh! So how does a discerning buyer choose American?
Next week’s auto show in Houston will confirm my short list. I’ll test drive, and that will be it. I’ll be done here.
Yaba, you should be grateful that GM did not say something this week to spur my interest. Horray for all GMA readers weary of VeranoHatch.
Finally!! Enough about armrest.
Lets get back to important car talk.
The driver should have his hands on the steering wheel, not on some armrest.
Yes, the hands should be on the wheel, while the arm might be on an armrest.
If the driver’s extremities are of rubber or jelly, this is perfectly possible.
But then his driving is not really safe.
Try a well-designed ergonomic armrest (such as the adjustable units found in most VW vehicles) and its not only possible, it’s also very comfortable… especially on long trips.
Since Buick is positioning itself on comfort, the armrest oversight is ironic and sad at the same time.
“VeranoHatchForUS” asked for “center armrest”. I have never seen such a thing in any car, which would qualify for what I consider to be an armrest. A “well designed” center armrest would obstruct the access to the gearshift lever, manual brake, and all other controls in the center of the dashboard or between the seats.
But slowly comes up in my mind that you think of those covers for storage boxes between the seats, which might have some soft cover. But to serve as an armrest they do not qualify; they have to be low, not higher than the driver’s lap and short as not to obstruct the access to the controls, as described above. A proper armrest needs to be higher, but that is a safety hazard between the front seats.
What I like to do, is to put my elbow out in the window, but which is only possible at lower speeds and a more clement weather that what we have now on the northern hemisphere,
I liked your comment Yabadabadoo. The Sonic only has one arm rest as well and I have never seen this much uproar over that. You would have thought they forgot to put windshield wipers or headlights on the vehicle. I sat in the Encore and thought it was absolutely great. I was really surprised, especialy after all the negative comments on this website (and others) about this vehicle. If I didn’t have three brand new vehicles (2012 Regal, Terrain, Sonic), I would probably get it. I saw it with the gray interior and pearl white exterior. It made sense to at least have the driver’s side with the arm rest just like the Sonic. Every vehicle has something that can be improved upon, but let’s not throw out the proverbial baby out with the bath water. I think you are spot on.
Jeff, I find the Sonic’s armrest to be just fine, as its a subcompact mainstream vehicle. But an upmarket vehicle from a brand attempting to position itself in the comfort-luxury space (Buick) should have known better, and made design changes.
Overall, it’s not a deal breaker, but I don’t think it would hurt for us to expect more from GM and from Buick in this regard… as the flaws we point out here may only be corrected in the future, resulting in a better vehicle.
I think encore will have driver armrest, because opel mokka (cosmo version) has it.
The Encore/Mokka/Trax do have a driver’s armrest… but it’s quite possible the worst implementation of such an item in a vehicle… ever. Not only is it unergonomic, but it also throws a big middle finger to passengers who want to be driven in comfort.
all I got to say is that Gamma vehicles are very narrow…… now you can tell them to thin up the armrest and make it two but not sure if that would be comfortable….
I’ll give my two cents. I rented a Sonic HB, base engine, and found it peppy and actually quite enjoyable to drive (in some respects, better than my ’12 SRX); I’ve rented a Regal with the base engine, and also found it peppy, though a tad underpowered in passing situations. The seats were exceedingly comfortable. The armrest did strike me as being positioned a bit too high. I have sat in, but have not driven, the Verano, and did not notice the armrests being uncomfortable.
With respect to the Encore, I do really want to like it, and as my wife and I have no kids, is a possibility for us, although it may just be a tad too small traveling if the backseat is reserved for the dog. I am concerned about the power, but am withholding judgment. My concern is that especially for the AWD version, I believe it’s 50% heavier than the Sonic.
I am surprised that GM chose to market this, as opposed to something X3 or X5-sized for Buick, which I think Buick sorely needs (I find the Enclave just too big). Some other cost-cutting decisions I find curious: for both the Verano and the Encore, there should just be power seats, period, at least as an option. And push-button ignition with comfort access, again at least as an option. I can overlook the latter, but the former, well, I can’t recall the last time I owned a car that didn’t have power seats!
Interestingly, I like the Buick and Chevy MyLink setups much better than CUE — which in its current iteration is a reason why we didn’t trade in our 12 SRX for a 13 (I sorely want adaptive cruise like my old 10 STS had). The lagginess is a concern. I’m hoping that version two will be better — hell, just throw a faster processor in there!
Other GM decisions continue to perplex me, but I figure they know what they’re doing. As an example, my SRX is built in Mexico. The vehicle it’s loosely based on, the Equinox, is built in Canada. I happened to receive a tour of Stratford Canada from the plant manager of the Equinox plant who volunteers on the side giving tours, and they’ve talked about this, too, apparently. I would think from a quality perspective and from a cost perspective, the Equinox should be built in Mexico and the SRX in Canada. (On a side note, I also wish the SRX had the sliding rear seats like the Equinox does — we rented an Equinox for a month while on vacation, and that’s pure genius: when we needed lots of luggage space for me and my wife, we pushed the seat forward, and when we had passengers going to dinner, pushed them all the way back for limo-like legroom — and, with the dog, I prefer having the seat pushed all the way forward so that he doesn’t fall down if I had to make a quick stop.)
I will get off my soapbox now.
Mike — I completely agree with the assessment that Buick needed a compact or a midsize crossover before a subcompact that is the Encore. The irony is that the bulk of the crossover market exists in the compact (X3) /midsize (X5/Lexus RX) segments — not in the subcompact (Encore) or full-size (Enclave). Luckily, a compact and/or midsize CUVs seems to be on the way in the form of the Envision and Enspire:
Enspire:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/09/general-motors-receives-rights-to-use-enspire-trademark/
Envision:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/01/exclusive-gm-files-for-envision-trademark-will-be-name-of-upcoming-buick-crossover/
Outside of all that, it also baffles me that a “luxury vehicle” like the Encore lacks even the most basic niceties that have become part and parcel of luxury vehicles, like power seats/steering column, keyless access and push-button start. But hey, at least it has auto headlights…
Lastly, I also see the irony that the mainstream (non-luxury) CUVs are built in Canada, while the luxury SRX is built in Mexico… and that the top-of-the-line Theta offering lacks the sliding rear seats feature.
Ultimately, however, I expect most, if not all of these issues, to be fixed with the next-gen variants of each vehicle (especially the SRX). As we like to say on here… only time will tell 🙂
If GM’s worldwide development would be decided by the US-Buick brand manager, then a compact or a midsize crossover would be offered before a subcompact that is the Encore.
But the platform to produce the next generation Opel Antara to get the Buick twin from that, is not yet ready.
One more comment: would love love love to see a Verano hatchback sold here based on the Cruze HB sold in Europe, but I get that decision — don’t understand why Americans don’t buy HBs, but that’s not GM’s fault. I’d getting a Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake in a heartbeat if they offered it here, but I guess the demand’s just not there.
For the Verano hatchback, it would be a twin of the Opel Astra/Buick Excelle hatchback.
Buick China sells this as the Excelle XT (the sedan version = Verano as Excelle GT):
http://gmauthority.com/blog/gallery/2011-buick-excelle-xt-chinese-market/
I work in dealership in Russia. I can tell about mokka, same car as encore. It’s a shame not a car. You just cant change a wipers without scrap a hood. Trunk is small, I can understand, it is compact suv. But there is not enough space for rear seat, and that is what I cant understand. But people like it (there are no free in stock, you just can order and wait 4 month), despite price over 30000$ here
When the Mokka is to small for you, take an Antara.
Antara is not such big as you think. Antara also has problems, especially after restyling. For example – you can’t pulling a car without unmount left part of front bumper (otherwise you cant screw towing hook ). And to do it you need car hoist.
How can you know what I think, @scplayer?
The Antara is as big or small as it is, and that is larger than the Mokka/Encore.
That’s all.
As to the towing hook in the front bumper which you are writing about, that is for being pulled, not for pulling another car, isn’t it? Your words were not so clear to me.
Anyway, that is a feature which many current cars do have.
Hi All – I just wanted to add to the armrest debate. I had a Saturn Astra and it didn’t have armrests either. Honestly you don’t even notice. You’ve got this think called your lap that your arm naturally rests in or your arms are extending with your hands on the wheels.
I loved my Astra and don’t remember missing armrests at all.
There are armrest in astra, but it’s an option, or it can be in cosmo version
Jeff/VeranoHatch Awsome I will definately consider an Encore for my wife. I wish VeranoHatch didnt take things so personaly also, I think we all enjoy discussing the ins and outs of GM vehicles. I also forgot to mention the roof rack issue with VeranoHatch. I have no idea how not having a passenger armrest effects things, I do agree with VeranoHatch in that I think a Buick should have the proper creature comforts including a passenger armrest. I wish VeranoHatch the best and I hope he finds the vehicle best suited for his needs… It is to bad there is not a hatch Cruze or Verano to choose from… And not every one will want to fork out the cash for the Encore, not that its expensive. They maye find they can get a focus or mazda 3 hatch for less…
No Arm Rest! Really!? ? ? ? This has to be the biggest automotive joke I’ve ever heard. At almost $$$40Grand total, how can any company even suggest luxury, and then not have an arm-rest for the passenger (when there is plenty of room for two?)!? Lots of vehicles even have armrests for the rear passengers! Oh … it is a deal-breaker for sure, my wife held the veto!, and off to another dealership we went … Zoom … laughing all the way! But the look on the salesman’s face when I said the arm-rest must have fell off … he checked under the seat! Then other sales people came out for the scavenger hunt. They checked in the rear compartment, glove-box, just everywhere. Even asked the mechanic what he did with it? Ha Ha! LUXURY = 2 ARMRESTS. This begs .. what else is missing, and even more troubling? .. what is missing at GM Headquarters? Oh, and the driver’s armrest … looks like last-night’s dried chicken-wing. Will we have to wait one, or maybe two years to get this fixed? Come-On … this is most disappointing! for the vehicle, the consumer, and the Company! We expected better.
Do you try to sound satirical?
I have a encore and love it the only thing I wish was different is the arm rest for only the driver need one for passengers side. Other than that Love it