2024 Buick Encore GX Redesign, AWD, Release Date – Subcompact crossover SUVs are a competitive segment, with established players like the Lexus UX and Toyota C-HR. However, the 2024 Buick Encore GX stands apart from the crowd. This compact crossover isn’t as luxurious as others, but it makes up for its affordable price and impressive functionality. In 2024, just a turbocharged 1.3-liter three-cylinder powerplant will be available, sending power to the front of all four wheels and producing 155 hp and 174 lb-ft. The Encore GX has an excellent price-to-feature ratio, and its easy-to-use infotainment system is a big plus. However, the vehicle’s underwhelming engine and unremarkable cabin make it hard to tell it apart from the competition.
The 137-hp 1.2-liter inline-three engine will no longer be available for the 2024 model year, and the 155-hp 1.3-liter inline-three will be standard across the board. The 2024 color scheme also has four new metallic hues: rosewood (a new wood tone), cinnabar (a warm red), sunset glow (a cool blue), and sapphire (a cool purple). We used to provide nine different colors, but now there are just eight since five of them have been removed. Beyond this, though, little else has changed.
2024 Buick Encore GX Redesign
The Encore GX is an adorable little SUV that shares some DNA with the base Encore. On the other hand, the GX has some more assertive aesthetic touches. The base trim, the Preferred, comes standard with amenities such as auto on/off halogen headlights, deep-tinted windows, LED daytime running lights, and heated power outside mirrors. The wheels are 18 inches and are coated in bright silver. The Select and Essence trims are the range’s top two, and they have roof-mounted side rails and a few different wheel options. LED headlights and taillights, chrome-accented bumpers, and black carbon metallic bodyside moldings are just a few of the high-end additions made to the standard model by the Essence package.
Buick offers the crossover Encore GX in several beautiful exterior paint colors that showcase the vehicle’s diminutive size; there are also some more mature alternatives for an older audience. Among the eight available hues, only Summit White is available at no additional cost. Metallic paint jobs, including Ebony Twilight and Satin Steel, are open to new buyers for an additional $495. This year’s metallic paint colors, Cinnabar, Sapphire, Sunset Glow, and Rosewood, are new. An additional $1,095 is needed for the White Frost Tricoat. We’d go with Sunset Glow or Sapphire. Deep Azure, Black Currant, Burnished Bronze, Chili Red, and Dark Moon Blue are all colors that have been taken off the market.
Interior
The Buick is priced similarly to the base versions of competitors like the Nissan Kicks and Subaru Crosstrek. Still, it lacks the premium trimmings and high-quality materials seen in the Audi, BMW, and Volvo models. Leather upholstery, heated seats, and extra room for passengers distinguish the quiet interior of the Encore GX from that of the standard Encore. The Encore GX’s back baggage capacity is expected to be more spacious than the more petite Encore, and the front passenger seat folds flat to make room for longer things. There is room for five bags behind the GX’s back seats and sixteen with the rear seats folded, just a few less than the somewhat bigger Cadillac XT4.
It has standard amenities like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, and a massive integrated touchscreen for its infotainment system. GM’s newest infotainment software interface is used in the Encore GX, and it’s quick to respond to and easy to navigate. A high-definition 360-degree camera system is on the table, and customers may choose a head-up display.
Engine
A pair of turbocharged three-cylinder engines provide propulsion for the Encore GX. A 1.2-liter engine producing 137 hp is standard, with a 1.3-liter engine producing 155 hp as an upgrade. The former is combined with FWD and a CVT. Each Encore GX with all-wheel drive comes standard with the more potent engine that can be had on more expensive front-drive variants. The somewhat larger engine is also mated exclusively to a nine-speed auto. The all-wheel-drive Encore GX with the nine-speed automatic and the bigger 1.3-liter four-cylinder took 9.3 seconds to reach 60 mph on our test course. Unlike the Encore GX, luxury brand competitors such as the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and Volvo XC40 have more potent engines and quicker acceleration times. The Encore GX’s on-road performance is more impressive than its acceleration numbers indicate, especially in the city, where the car’s little turbo engine shines with its low-end solid thrust. The Buick provides a comfortable and well-managed ride but lacks exciting handling.
Interestingly, the EPA gives the bigger of the two three-cylinder engines the best fuel efficiency ratings. The EPA estimates that the bigger engine, all-wheel drive, and nine-speed automatic in the Encore GX will get you 29 mpg on the Interstate, but we got 30 mpg in our testing. If you go for the lesser 1.2-liter engine, you’ll only get 30 mpg, and if you opt for the 1.3-liter with all-wheel drive and the nine-speed automatic, you’ll only get 29 mpg. It is claimed that the turbocharged 1.3-liter may get up to 32 mpg on the Interstate when paired with the front-wheel-drive CVT. View the Encore GX’s EPA fuel efficiency ratings here.
2024 Buick Encore GX Release Date and Price
The debut of the Buick Encore in America is planned for the summer of 2023. Pricing for the Encore Preferred FWD begins at $24,600, with the Preferred AWD listed at $25,220. That’s $495 more than the base price for a metallic paint job and another $495 for the bare minimum of safety features—the $1,195 destination fee that is not included in these Buick rates. But there’s better to the tale than that. To make it worthwhile, you need to have a few extras.
