Buick’s pint-sized Encore is the brand’s biggest volume generator, accounting for 44 percent of all U.S. Buick sales in the first half of 2018. While hard to imagine for those who just stepped out of the time machine from 1975 (just think if the Skylark was the model holding up the brand), it’s nonetheless a reality we have to live with. Crossovers are king, and crossovers are what’s keeping Buick alive.
The division no doubt wants to keep it that way, which is why there’s an all-new Encore coming for the 2020 model year. Here’s our first glimpse.
While the camouflage is thick with this one, the next-gen Encore carries proportions similar to its strong-selling Korean predecessor. It didn’t morph overnight into a lengthy midsizer, though its dimensions will surely see a slight increase — especially if General Motors ditches the Gamma-2 platform for upgraded bones. There’s a new platform, dubbed VSS-S, under development for front-drive, unibody crossovers, and this camouflaged model does seem a little wider than the outgoing Encore.
We can clearly see Buick’s signature grille peeking through the camo, looking much like the current, refreshed Encore’s, though a little broader. It actually comes across looking more like the Enclave’s grille.
Besides that, the Encore keeps the recipe intact. It does appear more angular than before, though until those bandages come off, we won’t know to what extent.
Beneath that short hood almost certainly resides a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder, mated to either the existing six-speed automatic or perhaps GM’s nine-speed unit. Current Encore customers willing to shell out extra dough can get their hands on the second-generation 1.4L engine, which adopts direct injection and a smidgen of extra displacement to make 153 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. That’s a considerable improvement over the standard 138 hp, 148 lb-ft motor.
It remains to be seen whether the GM kicks the first-gen engine to the curb between now and the new Encore’s debut. While one of its users, the Chevrolet Sonic, seems not long for this world, it also finds a home in the Encore’s lower-priced Trax twin. Given its status among the two subcompact crossovers, GM might see fit to add additional power to its Buick offering.
Expect to see the 2020 Encore show up at this winter’s auto show circuit, ahead of its 2019 launch.
[Images: Brian Williams/Spiedbilde]
YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
MY NEXT WHIP!!! (Well this, or maybe the Envision).
I’m going to do a Chinese Domestic Market de-badge and re-badge job right after I GET THIS QUADFECTA TUNED TO MAKE 588 HORSEPOWER/602 LBS FEET OF TORQUE!!!!!
78 mpg highway @ at a constant 120 mph/58 mpg city will never FEEL SO GOOD!!!
NORMSVTRIFECTATUNEAREA51GUANGZHOU-THAT’SNOTABRUICK ARE YOU WITH ME?!!
DeadWeight
If Hyundai/KIA and the Japanese brands didn’t suk. Buick wouldn’t be selling 100,000 Encores a year.
No, Buick is outdiscounting them. Buick has become the discount brand.
+1. I’m not sure how I got by without this obviously very creative and cutting-edge vehicle. I am just waiting with bated breath to see it.
Superdessucke
Seats 4 adults comfortably.
Enough cargo space for Costco runs.
Fits a standard sized flat screen T.V. inside.
Parking on a city street isn’t a problem.
It will be interesting if ChiDM becomes a thing like JDM has. I even saw a flicker of AuDM subculture when GM was bringing the Holden stuff over to the US.
And when people matter-of-factly and even proudly say “yeah I had to order it direct from Shanghai” about a part they need.
I hope not. I hope our great President puts them right in their place.
Buicks used to have gravitas.
Now Buicks are embracing the pissant.
Nothing embodies that more than the “Buick” Encore. If the Encore is what Buick has become, crap imported commerce w/ KMart mystique, then Buick is dead, the obtuse marketers at GM simply don’t know it yet.
The Encore led the segment over Audi Q3 until the redesign in CR rankings. There is something to be said about a nicely packaged, raised luxury box on the cheap.
Just think what the CDX could do if Honda+ would stop sitting on their hands?
It’s always 5 o’clock where DW is.
Let’s see…51% Korean and 18% Chinese content(at least for the current model). Will those numbers change much with the new one? Likely not. Still going to pass on this, as I’ve not been waiting for an Encore. I guess it’s better than the Envision, with it’s 85% Chinese parts. Sigh, Buick…where did ya go?
treeer
Where did you get the content numbers? I really want to see where the Lexus NX or the Genesis G80 get their parts.
A small luxury SUV made by Toyota at their Miyawaka, Fukuoka plant. I’d say most of the parts where made in, oh I don’t know; Japan? The Genesis G80 made by Hyundai in Ulsan. I’d say most of the parts where made in, oh I don’t know; South Korea? It’s not really where the parts came from; it’s the engineering behind them and superior assembly techniques that make vehicles stand out. Huge, monstrous hint: bragging about Kelly Blue Book and J.D. Power awards on your website are not,repeat NOT the signs of automotive excellence. https://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling/jd-power-ratings3.htm https://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-the-latest/best-buy-awards-program-2017/2100001434/ not a Buick to be found. I gotta give Chevy credit where credit is due; but Oh No Mr. Bill! Buick didn’t make this (and a lot of other) cut(s).https://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-the-latest/most-awarded-brands-2018/2100005645/
@el scotto
So you are OK with Japanese and Korean companies sourcing a large percentage of their parts from China.
@el scotto
So you are OK with Japanese and Korean companies sourcing a large percentage of their parts from China.
The Encore stated and leads it’s segment since 2013. Many of the survey companies didnt have the data or just made it up like CR does.
Each of them have their merit if you can see the hard data.
Peter, pulled the content right from a window sticker.
With the rest of GGM!
A wider Encore would be great; the current one feels far too narrow.
The Envision is narrow too. But it compliments the handling well. I’d like to see a slightly longer wheel on the new Encore.
Brake Stops.
Gravity Kills.
Adults Lie.
For liability purposes, it is the landing that will kill you, not me.
Your truly,
Gravity
Most importantly, will old folks like it?
Lie2me
So why do you think people that have owned more vehicles than anyone else are buying Buicks?
Mine was a serious question, I know why older people like small crossovers, I just hope Buick does and plays to their market
Why even bother to camo it? It’s not like its a new Corvette or something.
Lol, really, how different can they look that they don’t want to spoil the surprise?
No, no, no; the cladding is Buick’s newest and greatest safety feature! If you get up to five miles an hour under the speed limit; all the cladding flies off causing bright sunlight to shine in and music not heard on 8-track tapes or cassettes to be played in Delphi stereophonic sound. I did hear a crack Chinese-South Korean engineering team is developing extra-large, easy to pull knobs for the Astro-Ventilation for a new millennium.
@el Scotto
Cutting down Buick will not make whatever piece of sh t you drive any better.
I suggest you take a good long look at your vehicle needs. Make a list of every vehicle in your price range that meets those needs. Then widdle down the list relying on facts and your own first hand opinion. Until you find the vehicle thats right for you.
Peter Gazis, does GM (Guangzhou-Guadalajara Motors) pay you to defend their sh*thole company and sh*thole divisions by the post?
Buick is one lame a$$ brand, bro.
Buick is lame compared to what you drive?
I’ve done my share of hating on this car, but I recently got one as a rental loaner and unexpectedly had to lay on a last-minute 1,000-mile road trip (long story that began with a s**tload of hail damage to my daily driver in Denver and a family emergency in St. Louis). And lo and behold…it’s actually a darn nice little car to drive. It knocked out the outbound journey at 85-90 mph, returned about 27 mpg doing it, and it was comfortable and quiet the entire way. Seating, in particular, is first-rate. It could use a few more horsepower and (more relevantly) a couple of higher gears for the Interstate, but it proved to be a pretty legit little highway cruiser.
I still hate the styling, but the Encore earned my respect. At a bare minimum, it’s about 2,112% better than the Ecosport I reviewed a while back, and I see why Buick sells so many of these.
Thanks for the actual driver review, Freed. It seems like it performed well and above most expectations. You really can’t ask for much more.
Now tell el scotto how well the Encore is to live with.
I get that there’s a lot of residual anger due to the Great Financial Crisis and years of brand debasement, but the vehicle stands on it’s own merits, as modest as they may be. However, there’s a certain undertone of derision with folks who most likely have only ever seen one of the cars, much less actually driven or owned one for any length of time. Everyone is entitled to their opinion; it’s a semi-free country. I get it.
But there’s a reason why I don’t consider the “Best and Brightest” moniker a compliment, and it’s comments sections like the above that prove my point. The usual suspects, spouting the usual drivel accompanying the usual snark. Much heat, but no light.
I don’t expect a Family Feud-style “Good Answer!” kind of mindless agreement with the post, but man, some of this stuff gets old.
How did a model called the “Encore” not start on at least its 2nd generation?
…there is one in every crowd.