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2021 Buick Encore GX 1.2L Gets Slight Fuel Economy Gain From 2020 Model

The 2021 Buick Encore GX with the base turbocharged GM 1.2L LIH three-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive will be slightly more efficient than the equivalent 2020 model.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, the 2021 Buick Encore GX with the 1.2L engine and FWD is rated at 28 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined.

By comparison, the equivalent 2020 model-year Encore GX was rated at 26 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 28 mpg combined. It’s not clear how General Motors achieved this minor improvement in fuel economy, but these EPA ratings can sometimes change year-to-year as automakers implement various minor powertrain and drivetrain improvements and software tweaks.

2021 Buick Encore GX Fuel Economy Ratings
Engine Driving Type 2021 MY MPG 2020 MY MPG + / – 2021
Buick Encore GX 1.2L LIH I-3 FWD City 28 26 +2
Highway 31 30 +1
Combined 29 28 +1
Buick Encore GX 1.3L L3T I-3 FWD City 30 30 -
Highway 32 32 -
Combined 31 31 -
Buick Encore GX 1.3L L3T I-3 AWD City 26 26 -
Highway 29 29 -
Combined 28 28 -

The GM 1.2L LIH inline-three is the base-level motor in the 2021 Buick Encore GX. It’s rated at 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque and comes paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

In addition to the 1.2L engine, the 2021 Buick Encore GX is also offered with a more powerful turbocharged 1.3L L3T I-3, which produces 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. This engine trades the CVT for a GM nine-speed automatic. These 1.3L-equipped models are also available with all-wheel-drive, whereas the 1.2L engine is offered with FWD only.

GM applied some very minor changes to the Encore GX for the 2021 model year. Some of the more notable revisions include new standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration and the addition of SiriusXM satellite radio as standard equipment. The 2020 Encore GX featured versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that required a physical connection from the car to the phone, but this can now be done via Bluetooth. SiriusXM radio, meanwhile, was only standard on the Preferred trim and up, and not on the entry-level 1SV.

The 2021 Buick Encore GX is built at the GM Bupyeong Assembly plant in South Korea.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. although all your stupid intelligent ideas this is under powered

    Reply
    1. They should have put the LE2 engine from the Cruze in this ..

      Reply
  2. Big deal and no improvement in the AWD model. It needs more power too because working these little engines like they get actually decreases efficiency.

    Reply

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