2014 Buick Encore vs 2014 BMW X1

It may seem a matter of course that anything wearing the blue-and-white propeller ought to trump any machine bearing the Buick triple-shield.

Not necessarily so; the 2014 Buick Encore certainly gives the 2014 BMW X1 a run for its money. Consider first the $6000 that you’ll save based on their respective sticker prices. Even with the lower price, you’re receiving more cargo space, a vehicle that better accommodates gentlemen above the 6-foot mark, and not losing a whole lot in the process.

The 2014 Buick Encore, at 138 HP, may only have around half the horsepower of the BMW depending on your choice of engine, but how important is top speed and straight-line acceleration in what is meant to be a practical transport?

The Buick Encore has the edge in one other area, as well: sound isolation. The 2014 Buick Encore features a nearly silent cabin, thanks to expending a substantial amount of effort into material selection and application, and employing an active noise cancellation system from Bose.

With its superior cargo space and headroom, not to mention cutting-edge sound cancellation to combat the extra noise inherent in such a short wheelbase crossover, the 2014 Buick Encore proves definitively that one needn’t go with the German premium marque to get premium comforts.

Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.

Aaron Brzozowski

Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.

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  • BMW has a better finish quality. buick buick regal like to update the dashboard or envison. but the encore is definitely the cheapest class machine, and all of this is forgivable and understandable.

    • The two are in the same class: subcompact luxury crossovers. That's about where the similarities end.

      The Bimmer is much more sporty, with significantly better capability and driving dynamics furnished by its rear wheel drive base and longitudinal engine layout. It is pretty much a shrunken 3 series! That's not to say that the Encore isn't good... but outside of being roughly the same size and in the same class, the two are radically different. It's like comparing an SRX to an X5 or ML.

  • But the thing is that x1 is basically a 3series wagon. And encore/trax is a taller sonic hatchback. So it's kinda different unless you're comparing to the ats based crossover. But if you say compare to the NX then that's a different story

  • Personally, I'd first be a bit concerned about the Buick's motor, as 138 HP is quite anemic in any 3,000+lb vehicle...and I'll bet that it doesn't get 40mpg to make up for it. Next up would be how its chassis is tuned, and how insensitive the controls are ... I just had a Chevy Cruze this past week as a rental, and its lack of feedback was utterly unacceptable. Sorry GM.

    OTOH, the BMW X1 has runflat tires, which is why BMW's the #1 "Seen disabled along the highway shoulder" Marqee in the NY/NY/CT region. Adding insult to injury, there's also no spare tire wheel well in the X1 (or 3 Series) for those consumers who want to switch back to more reliable conventional tires. Plus if the X1's controls are similar to the 328 that I did a test drive in, the steering's okay, but the brakes and throttle were copied from GM, unfortunately. No sale here, either.

    -hh

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