Review: 2022 Buick Encore GX Essence FWD

The first generation Buick Encore made its North America debut at the January 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. At the time, it was Buick's first subcompact crossover SUV and fourth SUV overall. The Encore GX I'm writing about today is the slightly bigger sibling to the original Encore. The GX recently released in 2019 is considered to be a super-size subcompact-plus and will slot in between the subcompact Encore and the compact Envision. It will share the front-wheel drive VSS-F platform with the Chevrolet Trailblazer.

For a decade now, the Encore has been a great size vehicle for young families with car seats. The super-sized GX platform, however, gives Buick loyalists an opportunity to stretch their legs and move up in size as their family becomes more active and they begin driving for purposes that span from weekly extracurricular activities for the kids to weekend adventures exploring the great outdoors.

The GX might be closer to an entry level vehicle for the Buick brand; but once you sit in the GX, you will quickly realize it offers a similar cabin experience that Buick owners at the higher end have come to expect. It has premium materials throughout, leather-appointed seats, a heated steering wheel, and an ionizing air filter. The GX also offers Buick's signature QuietTuning design that significantly minimizes road noise inside the vehicle for a pleasing ride.

When the GX was first released, it offered two separate drive packages that allowed the buyer to customize the vehicle to their daily driving needs. The first option was a front-wheel CVT that has an inline 1.2-liter, turbocharged 3-cylinder engine that produces an impressive 137 horsepower and 166 lb-ft of torque. The second drive package is an all-wheel-drive model with a 9-speed automatic transmission that also has an inline, but it is a 1.3-liter, turbocharged 3-cylinder engine that will produce 155 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque. For 2022, there is another option for the front-wheel CVT buyer—my press loan for the week was the inline 1.3L ECOTEC Turbo that is rated to produce 155 horsepower and 147 lb-ft of torque.

I had the honor of returning a serviceman to his base after the holidays because his original flight had been canceled due to the east coast snowstorms which caused him to miss his shuttle bus back to the base. It was roughly 11:30 p.m. when I picked him up at the airport and headed off on the two-hour drive to his base in West Texas. By the time we made the round trip and arrived back home, it was a tick after 4:00 a.m. The 5-hour round trip went as smooth as one would hope, and honestly I could have easily driven another 2-3 hours in the Buick GX.

I attribute my freshness at 4:00 a.m. as the direct result of a couple of factors attributed to the GX engineers. The first was the way the Buick engineers designed the driver's cockpit, as it allowed for a driving posture that seemed to not contribute to fatigue during the drive. At almost 6'2", it can be a bit challenging for me to find a comfortable zone in a sub-compact SUV. Also, the leather-appointed seats provided the correct support. The second factor as to why I believe I was fresh from the trip is that the Buick GX comes with an ionizing air filtration system. This well-experimented and proven science provides an electrical charge that ionizes particles in the air, attracting them to a filter. This allows the occupants in the vehicle to consistently breathe fresh and clean air even with the windows up.

I'm sure there are a number of people who are not sure about a 3-cylinder engine and may think it sounds unnatural. I would be concerned as well; but when you do a little research, you will find out the GX and GM Trailblazer both have the same inline engines. The inline engine has almost a century's worth of data dating back to the 1930's to show that these engines can provide all the torque a sub-compact, super-sized sub-compact, or even a compact would typically need. When you add a turbo for top-end speed, you have a winning combination that gets tremendous gas mileage. And that's exactly what happened for us—great power and great gas mileage on a five-hour trip. If you are looking for a super-sized sub-compact, do yourself a favor and test drive the Buick Encore GX. With a starting price of $29,000 MSRP, you are getting a steal. My press loan was 'loaded,' and it's MSRP was $33,845. Again, a great deal for what you are getting.

For more information or to test drive the 2022 Buick Encore for yourself, stop by a local dealer or visit online at:
Buick | Encore