In person, the 2013 Buick Encore is noticeably compact. It has the chunky, curvy look of a Hyundai Tucson, but it's almost 5 inches shorter in length (168.5 inches) and its wheelbase is more than 3 inches shorter at 100.6 -- barely longer than the wheelbase of a Chevy Sonic (99.4). But the Encore is still larger than crossovers like the Nissan Juke and Mini Countryman.
Like the Sonic, though, the Encore is roomier inside than you think it will be. A 5-foot-10 adult (your author) climbed into the front seat today at the Detroit auto show and still left room for another average size adult to sit in back. GM's Jim Federico tells us the platform underneath this small crossover is all-new, and with 60 percent high-strength steel in the unit-body, lighter than past designs -- at 3,300 pounds with its optional all-wheel-drive system, it's about 50 pounds lighter than a Tucson.
Maybe you're wondering why Buick picked such a small platform for its compact SUV rather than looking to the Chevrolet Equinox platform architecture, and the answer seems to be that the Encore is largely driven by demand in China, where upwardly mobile consumers gravitate toward small cars with premium furnishings. Buick sold 645,537 vehicles in China in 2011 versus 177,633 in the U.S.
Like most of the cars GM builds and sells in China, the Encore is engineered in South Korea, and the plant in Bupyeong will handle assembly for the U.S., though GM President Mark Reuss was careful to leave the door open for potential North American assembly when we spoke to him today. However, he closed the door to the possibility of badge engineering.
"We're not doing Chevrolets off this platform," he said. "The last thing we want to do is put a Chevrolet alongside this and take Equinox sales away."
And while the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 (which have yet to be launched in the U.S.) look like obvious Encore rivals, Reuss says they're not direct targets.
"It's not a performance entry, it's not an Audi entry.... It's really carving out a Buick definition of size and luxury in this space," he said.
That's a fair statement, we think, given that the Encore uses a simple front strut/rear twist-beam suspension and will use a 140-hp version of GM's 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder and a six-speed automatic transmission. That's not to say these components can't work in a premium-ish crossover, as the Verano uses a similar setup and we generally like how it drives.
Notably, the Encore is the first GM vehicle to combine the 1.4-liter turbo with active noise-cancellation technology. Microphones in the car pick up assorted engine noises, which then get processed and mixed with counteracting noise that plays through the speakers. Federico tells us this engine (which in our experience, is on the shrill side) couldn't have otherwise been used in a Buick.
"With active noise control, we can bring this engine into a Buick," he said.
The Buick Encore goes on sale during the first quarter of 2013. That's a late launch for a 2013 model so don't be surprised if it rolls over to 2014.
moparbad says:
11:34 AM, 01/10/12
Verano and Cruze are on same platform.
coxwill says:
11:56 AM, 01/10/12
I like it
subytrojan says:
12:22 PM, 01/10/12
With only 140 hp, I have a feeling this thing will be painfully slow because of its power-to-weight ratio.
legacygt says:
12:36 PM, 01/10/12
I love how it looks but I have my doubts about active noise cancellation. It works on headphones where the mics, speaker and your ears are all in roughly the same place. But sounds and volumes are different all over the car. Frequencies that would cancel the sound in one part of the vehicle may not in another.
bonzjr says:
01:00 PM, 01/10/12
"With active noise control, we can bring this engine into a Buick," he said.
He might as well have added:
"People standing next to it, however, will suffer from bleeding ear drums and the heads of some sensitive dogs might explode."
Bragging about needing 'electronic aural trickery' to compensate for poor powertrain NVH engineering isn't usually seen as a good thing (and I don't excuse Honda for needing it on VCM-equipped Honda products either).
3,300 lbs for something 168" long based on a B-car platform -- even with AWD -- is not light and I'm sure that's before adding some weighty features like a moonroof. With as bloody heavy as this thing is you'd think the thing has enough sound insulation to allow for a very stabby murder to occur just outside of it without the occupants hearing the screams. To say additional help is needed to cover for a basic four-pot turbo is really saying something there.
All the help is necessary I guess because the owner is going to have that gerbel-wheel-motor going at wide-open-throttle full-time with just 140 horses on tap to move this boat anchor. I can't wait to be stuck behind travelling to the 'Senior Center' for the daily card game and nap.
bonzjr says:
01:10 PM, 01/10/12
Gah, have to append again (darn lack of an edit button)...
I keep forgetting to add (did it earlier too) that it is rather attractive looking though and the fit-finish/feature content appear first rate for what it is.
It's not a bad idea. It's just not a good execution.
half_ton says:
01:13 PM, 01/10/12
On paper 140 horses is very unimpressive espically when you read that the ATS will have three engine choices. I think the mid grade engine for that car would be a better fit for this but we'll see what happens when the testing is complete.
Semi-unrelated side note: I was hoping that GM would make an announcement that they had a 7 or 8 speed auto that would soon be standard in at least the Cadillac division. I guess we'll have to continue waiting for that also.
sniperruff says:
01:25 PM, 01/10/12
Now I can cross "shiny wheels" off my new year's wish list. Thanks GM!
And that interior reminds me of Richard Hammond's M3 he bought for the challenge.
mk40 says:
04:08 PM, 01/10/12
In these pics it's actually not that bad in terms of size.. it seems to have at least adequate space. Maybe it's like a Nissan Juke in to terms of size. Easy to park in an urban setting. I do think the 1.6T minimum would have been better since it's offered with AWD... a bit too much for the 1.4T
I remember spy pics of of a Chevy CUV on this platform a while back... I guess they either scrapped that or it was for another market.
xorbe says:
04:50 PM, 01/10/12
I approve, which means the rest of America will hate it probably, heh.
ohdriver1 says:
04:56 PM, 01/10/12
I'm definitely younger that what Buick is aiming for (27), but this thing is ugly inside and out. I've liked recent Buick redesigns, but not this one. Too much Saturn Vue, but that wasn't a bad thing a few years ago.
cr_driver says:
06:10 PM, 01/10/12
3300lbs and 140 horses? No good, not at all. And for how much?
barresa62 says:
06:41 PM, 01/10/12
Too much like the 2am coupling of an Aztec and a Murano. The Murano tried to sneak out in the AM w/o waking the Aztec but lost an "arm" in the process.
Like someone said earlier; not a bad idea, just a bad execution. I agree and "executing" it now would do Buick a favor, not to mention the public. Let China have it and give us something a bit larger.
Breathless in Seattle,
Stephen
barresa62 says:
06:42 PM, 01/10/12
Too much like the 2am coupling of an Aztec and a Murano. The Murano tried to sneak out in the AM w/o waking the Aztec but lost an "arm" in the process.
Like someone said earlier; not a bad idea, just a bad execution. I agree and "executing" it now would do Buick a favor, not to mention the public. Let China have it and give us something a bit larger.
Breathless in Seattle,
Stephen
gregbird says:
07:08 PM, 01/10/12
I'm in the camp for a better engine, rather than the noise cancelling mumbo-jumbo. Our current dealer car is a 2010 Equinox with the 4 cyl. That's a bigger engine than this, but I think it ruins the car. Having driven both the 4 and V6, I see no reason for the smaller engine. It's loud - even with the noise canceling, - slow, and drinks fuel just like the V6s did whether the "eco" mode is on or not. And for the people who would say they don't need the V6, they're the type who would be able to coax every extra MPG out of it. I would rather have the power when I need it, than not at all. Plus, with the six, it doesn't sound like a diesel; it actually sounds good enough that it made me want to redo the exhaust on my own car.
I will give a little on the mileage, though, since I live in the Texas "Hill Country," but I see the same situation happening with this Buick. I realize the engine choices will be not be like the Nox, but I cannot imagine that little turbo four pulling around anything bigger than a Cruise. Personally, I don't think it is big enough for the Cruise in the first place, but that may be all those hills I was talking about.
If it was me building it, I would take the drive-train choices from the Regal. That 2.4 may still be a little pokey, but it would suffice for those who didn't opt for the 2.0L Turbo, and there wouldn't be as much noise for the sound system to have to "cancel out."
throwback says:
07:10 AM, 01/11/12
Kudos to GM for doing something different. People like CUVs/SUVs the world over (yes even in europe) and a B segment Buick CUV only has a Countryman to compete with. I'm not sure 140hp will be enough though. I would like to see a more powerful 1.4T, say about 165hp.
wikiwiki says:
09:03 AM, 01/11/12
I am sure they will love it in China.
ac12311 says:
12:25 PM, 01/11/12
It definitely looks better in the monochromatic color scheme like in the photo on the screen in the 4th picture... don't know why they went with gray cladding
badbaritone says:
12:21 PM, 01/13/12
Plastic AND chrome on the exterior? Interesting.
jscion says:
02:56 PM, 01/13/12
It's a beautiful idea for a new Buick and I love it! The only problem I have is with the engine. The 1.4T is too small of an engine for our market for a car this heavy. As a Buick, it surely will priced from the low $20,000's. It needs at least another 40-50hp to play in this game.
illoxyill says:
05:42 AM, 01/15/12
Can we please loose the plastic on the lower body as show in the teaser photo? The plastic just cheapens the entire look...
rluck says:
08:33 AM, 01/15/12
moparbad, it is actually on the same platform as the Sonic, not the Cruze and Verano.
Also ,I don't think it is going to be quick by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think it is going to be super slow either. In FWD form it weighs 3190 and in AWD form it weighs 3309 (according to GM's web site). So I think it will be as quick as a Cruze, maybe a little quicker.
I like the looks of it, but as some have said, not a fan of the lower plastic cladding. Plus it is just to small for my tastes. I like my vehicles a little bigger, the Cruze/Verano is about as small of a car as I will drive.
sdtundra858 says:
09:21 AM, 01/15/12
It reminds me of the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport which everyone criticized the power to weight ratio. 148hp at 3090lbs for FWD and that is available with a manual or CVT. I would think a fully loaded Outlander Sport will be cheaper than the Buick offering and offer a longer warranty.
Depending on pricing, I think buyers in the small crossover market will go for the cheaper of the 2 with the longer warranty and some people may not like the idea of a turbo just because of their perception of needing premium fuel and more maintenance.
wideturnone says:
11:02 AM, 01/16/12
GM needs help. Unless they are just making cars (or CUV) like this just for China, I'm not sure how they think they can attract the small cuv buyers currently shopping Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Honda or Mitsubishi with a Buick. It's certainly not going to appeal to their current Buick demographic (read as 55++). And the idea that a Buick quiet car, which to my mind says funeral home - where most Buick buyers are on their way to for their own funeral, is even something that those shopping the competition are looking for is crazy.
GM is hoping to change how people think about Buick in order to reduce the median age of their current buyer. I say they're doing it all wrong - that if they want to attract new younger buyers, they need to speak to how their cars and suv's/cuv's compare to the competition in meaningful ways. This cuv in particular seems to be going after the low-end mini suv category currently occupied by small Korean and Japanese brands, which again seems to go against where GM is trying to take Buick.
This shows such a lack of understanding of what your market is and how you're controlling your brand that whoever in GM is making decisions like this should be fired and never re-hired by another consumer product company. I'd be embarrassed if I had my name attached to Buick right now, and even those in power at GM are not doing their jobs.
I'd be perfectly happy if they simply admitted who their customer base is - call it like it is and stop trying to sell the younger generation on a brand that is for seniors who drive 5-20 miles under the limit in the wrong lane and stop short of the line each and every time.
Growing up as I did originally supporting the big 3, then buying Japanese and now owning a European marque, there is no way I would ever think that getting a Buick was buying "up". I really like some of the Opel rebrands in terms of looks, and would even seriously consider buying one if it was an Opel, but I will not ever consider Buick because there is just too much negative history with the brand.
It's not a whole lot different than equating AOL to Google. AOL might have been a leading brand in the early days of the internet, but today I consider those with AOL email accounts to be stuck in the 80's - and this is not a positive comment (and I'm not necessarily a Google fan either). When I was younger, the only Buick I would have considered, was the GNX - given it was really just a rebadged Monte Carlo with the most powerful GM car engine of the day. Today, if I were to be looking to upgrade from Honda for example, I'd be way more likely to shop BMW, MB or even VW on the low end.