2024 Buick Encore GX takes aim at the small luxury crossover market

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After three years on sale, Buick’s top-selling Encore GX arrives for 2024 with a new look, new screens, and the same diminutive powertrain. More importantly, it lands with a new top trim that brings it apace with the brand’s entire range and nudges the model toward its entry-level luxury aims. 

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The Buick Encore GX is Buick’s mid-range compact crossover. Slotting between the new entry-level Envista crossover and the compact Envision SUV, the updated model is targeted toward a younger generation than the brand has historically been associated with. Shoppers should note that the non-GX Encore nameplate has been retired. The non-GX Encore was another size smaller than the GX, so think of the Envista as a replacement for the original Encore, and the Buick lineup from smallest and cheapest to largest and most expensive will be: Envista, Encore GX, Envision, Enclave. Looking at other brands, the Buick Encore GX competes with other mid-compact (in between traditional compact and subcompact crossovers) models like the Hyundai Kona, Subaru Crosstrek, and Mazda CX-30.

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The 2024 Buick Encore GX is based on the same platform as the Chevrolet Trailblazer. The two models are built together in Korea, while the Envista is built with the Chevy Trax in China. Both are particularly important to GM’s Asian market, where the Buick brand has proven a runaway success. 

What’s new for 2024?

The big news from this facelift is the revision of the Encore GX’s infotainment experience. Drivers now interface through an 11-inch central infotainment display, along with a new eight-inch digital cluster. Graphics are sharp and clean, and response from both systems is prompt. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard, and wireless device charging is available on higher trims. Standard 18-inch wheels give the GX a good curbside presence, and still with enough sidewall to ensure a respectable ride. 

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Surrounding this revised interface is a dash finished in soft-touch finishes. Hard plastics remain at several touch points, however, reminding drivers of the model’s low-cost platform. Shoppers should note that what Buick advertises as ‘QuietTuning’ technology largely encompasses industry-standard noise-management techniques such as foam sound deadening in key areas. It pads brochures nicely, but you’ll still hear typical road, wind, and tire noise. This isn’t a Cadillac Lyriq, after all.

Standard and optional features

Back on substance, standard driver-assistance safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, and a useful follow-distance indicator which shows how many seconds you are behind a leading vehicle. Optional extras include 360-degree camera view, park-assist sensors, blind-spot indicators, adaptive cruise control, and a selectable digital display embedded in the rearview mirror. Encore GX ST and Avenir models include LED taillamps, and all Encore GX models now come standard with LED headlamps. 

Also new to the 2024 GX is the addition of Buick‘s Avenir flagship trim. Priced from $38,079 in Canada, this package upgrades the Encore GX with leather, eight-way power-adjustable front seats with two-way lumbar support, a heated steering wheel, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. The Avenir further distinguishes itself with trim-specific styling, including more colours, chrome and trim flourishes, and 19-inch wheels. Though the lacklustre carryover powertrain will make this top trim a tricky value proposition for the most discerning shoppers, the Avenir’s showroom presence will likely serve the lineup well. 

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Pint-sized powertrain and fuel efficiency

The powertrain, however, is the same 1.3L turbocharged three-cylinder engine as before. So equipped, the Encore GX pulls itself to speed with 155 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque in a frenzied buzz. Turbocharging brings power early in the rev range, providing enough torque early on that light-footed drivers can keep revs down and quiet in easy cruising. Press harder on the pedal, however, and the 1.3’s unbalanced rattle betrays the character of those Chevy Trailblazer underpinnings. 

The GX’s small engine comes connected to two transmissions: an efficient but uninspired continuously variable transmission (CVT) in front-wheel-drive base models, or a nine-speed automatic transmission in all-wheel-drive ST and Avenir trims. NRCan-reported economy figures for the FWD CVT stand at 8.0 L/100 km city, 7.6 highway, and 7.8 combined; the AWD nine-speed autos clock 9.1 city, 8.4 highway, and 8.8 L/100 km combined. Not stellar figures, but respectable enough to help GM’s fleet emissions figures.

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Buick Encore GX driving impressions

Whichever transmission a buyer equips, the Encore GX stands out as an easy vehicle to drive. The crossover’s compact footprint makes it significantly easier to maneuver through urban centres than the larger, thirstier SUVs that some shoppers might be downsizing from. Electric power steering is light and quick, and pedals respond more predictably than some competing models on the market (namely: hybrids with touchy brakes). Suspension is firmer than it is soft, but not harsh or punishing; asphalt drivers should feel no major qualms.

When equipped with GM’s more advanced driver assistance technologies, the Buick Encore GX becomes easier still to pilot. Brought up to speed along coarse stretches of Detroit-area freeway, the loaded Avenir’s lane-keeping significantly reduces driver fatigue and follows road markings as effectively as comparable systems from Honda and Toyota. Adaptive cruise is commensurately smooth, maintaining user-selected follow distances without the jerky, reactive character seen in earlier products. The GX’s short wheelbase, which contributes to that in-town accessibility, does not negatively impact stability at highway speeds.

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It’s no thrill ride, then, but as a commuter the 2024 Buick Encore GX delivers respectable economy, up-to-date technology, and projects a mature, respectable image. Occasional rear passengers will find accommodations slightly cramped with 12.4 fewer centimetres’ legroom than up front, so drivers who frequently haul more than one adult passenger may be better served by the longer Envista, which compromises rear headroom and cargo capacity but leaves more space for legs.

2024 Buick Encore GX Canadian Pricing

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More vehicles of interest

Shoppers considering the 2024 Buick Encore GX may also be interested in the Mazda CX-30. Mazda has been on a roll lately with strong interiors, and this model has tested particularly well with Driving contributors. 

Also noteworthy in the Canadian market is the Subaru Crosstrek. Though this model does not make the same efforts at luxury presentation, it wears its ruggedness with honesty. 

The Kia Seltos is another strong entry at the moment. Kia has stood strong in recent quality indices, and the Seltos is aggressively positioned with above-average feature content at a competitive price. 

Compare the 2024 Buick Encore GX and other compact crossovers with the Driving.ca research and compare tools.