2024 Buick Encore GX Review and Test Drive
A fresh face heralds good value.
Tim Stevens
QuickTakes:
Few brands have seen a recent reinvention of the scope that Buick has been powering through. Evolving from a legacy of stodgy U.S. luxury sedans to its present state of premium-positioned crossover SUVs has not been easy. Along the way, some changes have left loyal fans of the brand scratching their heads, and sales were rarely impressive.
After spending a week with the refreshed 2024 Buick Encore GX, however, I'm convinced those transitional pains have been worth it. The updated 2024 Encore drives well, has sharp lines, and offers tremendous value to anyone looking for a budget-friendly crossover SUV that doesn't look like a budget-friendly crossover SUV.
Tim Stevens
Prices and Configuration Options for the 2024 Buick Encore GX
Buick's Encore GX is one of two small crossover SUVs in the company lineup, along with the Envista. At the start of the 2024 model year, the Encore GX is available for a starting price in the mid-$20,000s for the Preferred trim, with the top-shelf Avenir trim priced in the mid-$30,000s. Those estimates include the destination charge.
The test vehicle I drove, provided by Buick for a one-week loan with a full tank of gas, was a mid-tier Sport Touring model with a starting price north of $28,000. However, the final manufacturer's suggested retail price on this Encore GX was $35,025. That included $5,330 in options and a $1,295 destination charge to ship the vehicle to the United States from the South Korean plant where it's built by General Motors, Buick's parent company.
Tim Stevens
A Fresh Face Makes All the Difference
In silhouette, the 2024 Buick Encore GX has that generic crossover shape that's virtually omnipresent across brands. Of course, we don't look at vehicles in silhouettes. We look at the details, and it's the details that make the Encore surprisingly fetching, especially with its 2024 refresh.
Though the tall grille and narrow headlights give it a squinting face, the Encore has a distinctive front end that is modern through and through. From the side, a pair of subtle lines low on the doors, plus a section of black trim on the bottom, help make the SUV look less tall. Sharp creases on the rear fenders add a bit of sporty flair that the Encore GX doesn't deliver in terms of performance. Still, it does at least add some visual intrigue.
The highlight, though, is the test model's color. Buick calls it Copper Ice, but I'd have called it Metallic Peach. It looks good in any lighting conditions and creates a bright, friendly air that suits the Encore GX's personality well.
Tim Stevens
The 2024 Buick Encore GX Interior Is Depressingly Black or Brightly Beige
I only wish that aesthetic carried over to the test vehicle's interior. Despite some compelling lines the Ebony leather interior is dark, dark, and more dark. Fortunately, Buick offers an available Whisper Beige to brighten things up.
Regardless of color choice, black plastic abounds, much of it of the harsh variety. One strip of matte plastic beneath the infotainment display is particularly absorbent of skin oils. I constantly left smudges there while resting my hands between touchscreen taps, and those smudges were a challenge to clean.
The rubberized, soft-touch portions are more receptive to touch, but Buick molds many of those surfaces to try and look like leather, with what I found to be unconvincing results.
The seats are likewise covered in artificial leather, though the upholstery does a reasonably good job of imitating the real stuff, perforated as it is. Decorative piping and stitching add a bit of contrast, but the colors of those highlights aren't much different from the seats themselves, meaning it all blends together.
Only a sliver of patterned silver plastic running the dashboard's width, plus a few bits of chrome here and there, brightened up my test vehicle's interior. Given the light, bright, and fun exterior, I found it all a bit disappointing.
Tim Stevens
A Comfortable Cabin in a Small Space
Beyond the aesthetics, there's a lot to like in the interior. Seating front and rear is comfortable, with heated, power-adjustable seats up front. There is no adjustment in the back, but I found the position comfortable enough, with decent legroom and plenty of headroom in both rows. Seating five passengers should be fine, at least for short hauls.
The rear armrest is generous, and a pair of USB ports, one A and one C, will help ensure back-seat passengers' phones are topped up before the ride is over.
Another pair of USB ports tuck in at the bottom of the dashboard up front, plus there is a wireless charging pad just below climate controls of a decidedly old-school variety. On the left, you have a temperature knob that goes from blue to red. On the right, there's a fan speed knob that goes from slow to fast.
And that's it. There's no Auto mode or dynamic climate modes to suit the weather or your mood — just traditional manual knobs with plenty of button blanks in between. If the Encore weren't such a bargain of an SUV, you might question the decision to save a few bucks by not putting a little more tech in here. However, given the number of complaints I hear about automatic in-car climate systems that never provide the right temperature, I wonder if many buyers will actually mind.
Drivers and passengers will certainly appreciate the panoramic glass roof above. While it doesn't quite reach back to the rear seats, it's still plenty long, and feels like a premium touch for this budget machine. It's paired with a full-length, powered sun shade that deploys or hides at the touch of a button. You can also retract the front portion to get a little fresh air.
Tim Stevens
Limited Cargo Space and Storage
The Encore's rear seats fold down in a 60/40-split design. Buick's small crossover provides 23.5 cubic-feet of cargo space with the seats up. Fold them down and that figure more than doubles, up to 50.2 cu-ft. Both figures measure more than the similarly premium Mazda CX-30 but less than the Volkswagen Taos.
The seat-folding process is awkward because it requires you to reach the buttons on the tops of either seatback. You'll likely have to run around to the side if you're trying to load something in from the rear. The available folding front passenger's seat makes up for it, though, helping the Encore easily accommodate long items.
Storage in the cabin itself is limited. Each door panel has a generous pocket for water bottles or devices. There's a small compartment beneath the armrest and another small one right in front of it, plus a pair of cupholders in the center console, but that's about it. You won't find large cubbies or trays for purses or packages hiding in here.
Tim Stevens
Experiencing the 2024 Buick Encore GX's Premium Infotainment
Buick advertises the Encore GX as a "tech-forward SUV," a curious label given how spartan the tech offerings are here. The Encore GX lacks in-dash navigation, for example, and an integrated voice assistant is likewise absent.
Still, the Encore GX has the features its buyers will likely demand. Most are available through the 11.0-inch infotainment screen and the slightly smaller 8.0-inch digital gauge cluster. Unfortunately, I didn't find the effect nearly as seamless as other fused-display systems, such as those found in the latest Hyundai Kona and Kia Seltos models.
Software is the latest Buick Premium Infotainment system, which is basic but responsive. Dual-device Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and SiriusXM satellite radio are present and accounted for. In addition, Buick provides connected services through OnStar. Choose Avenir trim and you get complimentary plans to OnStar, including a three-year data plan for the Wi-Fi hot spot.
Buick knows most buyers will pair their phones and use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, so it's hard to fault the Encore GX for its lack of in-dash navigation, apps, and features. Pairing a device is as easy as can be, and the Encore GX quickly and reliably reconnected every time it powered on.
Otherwise, the infotainment system offers a bare-bones, basic experience with a few pages of gauges and settings and little else. The Bose sound system, seven speakers worth, is in keeping with the rest of this Buick: It's basic and won't wow anyone but offers acceptable sound.
Tim Stevens
Thoughts on the Buick Driver Confidence Safety System
The Encore GX's collection of active safety systems is comprehensive for this class, if not exemplary. Forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert all come standard. The automatic high-beam headlights work well, and a 360-degree surround-view camera system is part of an Advanced Technology Package.
That package also adds adaptive cruise control, which works well to modulate speed in traffic, whether on or off the highway. The lane-keeping assist applies steering correction should you stray over a line, but it won't help you to stay centered within the lane.
Tim Stevens
High Safety Ratings for the 2024 Buick Encore GX
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the 2024 Buick Encore GX earns an overall safety rating of five stars. As of publication, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has yet to rate the restyled 2024 Encore GX. Check the
Tim Stevens
Small and Smaller Engines Supply Modest Performance
Buick offers the Encore GX with two different engines, transmissions, and drive systems. When you get the optional all-wheel drive (AWD), the Encore includes a larger and more powerful engine, a nine-speed automatic instead of the front driver's continuously variable transmission (CVT), and an independent rear suspension in place of a torsion-beam setup.
Since my Encore GX test vehicle had AWD, it also had a 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine providing 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. That's modest, to say the least, but is more oomph than you'll get from the front-wheel-drive model's 1.2-liter turbo three and CVT. My AWD test vehicle's official EPA fuel economy ratings are 26/28/27 mpg city/highway/combined.
Surprisingly, Buick rates the Encore GX for towing. Add the optional trailer hitch, and the Buick can pull up to 1,000 pounds.
Tim Stevens
For a Good Time, Take Your Time
As those power figures attest, this is a frugal, budget-friendly machine. That nine-speed transmission shifts slowly but smoothly, helped by a power delivery focused more on low-rev torque than high-rev power.
There are no drive modes to speak of, nor any sport settings to modify. If you want to go faster, just step harder on the accelerator. Beyond making things louder, however, there's little effect on the acceleration. This is not an SUV to be rushed.
It's also not an SUV to lean hard on in the corners. Body roll is prodigious, the Encore GX leaning left and right through roundabouts in a way that might threaten the stomach tolerance of sensitive riders in the rear seats. The brake pedal feel is on the soft side, too, and the steering is decidedly muted. There's not much in the way of driver feedback in the SUV, but again, that's all the more reason to slow down and take it easy.
You'll get better fuel economy that way, too. That said, on my standard test loop, which included a mix of highway and rural use, I only saw a disappointing 25.8 mpg.
Tim Stevens
Value and Comfort Packaged Well
At the end of my one-week loan, I liked the 2024 Buick Encore GX far more than I thought I would. It looks odd in photos, but in the flesh, especially in this color, the style quickly grew on me. The visual refresh is mild but makes a huge difference.
Likewise, while there's little I found truly thrilling when it comes to driving character, the Encore GX has a simplicity about everything it does that is not without its charm. Charm in a crossover SUV that's this practical and priced this affordably is rare.
