The 2021 Buick Encore GX has been recognized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) with a Top Safety Pick rating.
In terms of crashworthiness, the 2021 Buick Encore GX scored a top “Good” rating in all IIHS tests, including the passenger-side small overlap front, driver-side small overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint test. The 2021 Buick Encore GX also scored a top “Superior” rating in both the IIHS front crash prevention vehicle-to-vehicle test and the IIHS front crash prevention vehicle-to-pedestrian test.
Unfortunately, the 2021 Buick Encore GX missed out on qualifying for the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating, which is only awarded to those vehicles with either a “Good” or “Acceptable” rating for equipped headlights across all available trim levels. Instead, the Encore GX headlights scored “Average” and “Marginal,” depending on the trim level selected. The IIHS also rated the child seat anchor latch ease of use as “Acceptable.”
Notably, the mechanically related 2022 Chevy Trailblazer crossover was awarded with the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating, posting crashworthiness test results identical to those posted by Buick Encore GX. What’s more, the Chevy Trailblazer posted a “Superior” rating for the front crash prevention vehicle-to-vehicle test and an “Advanced” rating for the front crash prevention vehicle-to-pedestrian test, as well as an “Acceptable” and “Good” rating for the two headlight systems on offer.
As GM Authority covered previously, the 2021 Buick Encore GX earned a top five-star crash rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), whereas previously, the 2020 model-year crossover was evaluated with a four-star crash rating. The greater crashworthiness rating followed new product changes in 2020, which included both hardware and software updates, improving the Encore GX’s performance in frontal and side moving deformable barrier NCAP crash tests.
The 2021 Buick Encore GX arrives as the second model year for the first-generation Encore GX nameplate, once again slotting between the subcompact Encore and compact Envision. Riding on the GM VSS-F vehicle set, the Encore GX offers two engine options, namely the turbocharged 1.2L I3 LIH, rated at 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque, and the turbocharged 1.3L I3 L3T, rated at 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. Transmission options include either a CVT or a nine-speed automatic, with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive available.
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