Barely there makeover for the 2017 Buick Encore
With a name like that, it’s fitting that the new compact SUV left us feeling like we’d seen it before
NEW YORK— Encountering the 2017 Buick Encore at its reveal this week was like bumping into a friend after they’ve been working out for a few months: They’re more ripped and maybe their teeth have been whitened, too, but they’re really the same underneath.
As they say in French, “Encore la même chose.”
In the first design refresh since Buick launched the Encore in 2013, the body does appear to have been to the gym, offering a sleeker, less-rounded form, with new front and rear headlight designs and grille treatment.
The SUV also has a revised interior. The all-new centre stack has lost the protruding central display screen in favour of an elegantly integrated 8-inch touchscreen. It’s quite posh.
New standard equipment will include keyless entry, push-button start and the next-generation Intellilink interface, supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Other subtle updates include a chrome exhaust outlet, body-colour heated outside mirrors, a new 18-inch wheel design and three new metallic exterior colours. The top trims will benefit from full LED headlamps.
The reluctance to mess with a good thing is understandable, given that Encore was Buick’s bestselling vehicle in North America in 2015, accounting for nearly a third of overall sales.
In Canada, Encore’s success translated to 4,891 units sold in the 2015 model year, accounting for 35 per cent of all Buick sales.
Overall, SUVs now account for about 55 per cent of Buick retail sales in Canada, up from 35 per cent before the larger Enclave was introduced in 2007.
In the first two months of 2016, Encore sales climbed 34 per cent, extending a yearover-year sales increase streak to 26 months.
“The Buick Encore created the premium small SUV segment,” said Mike Speranzini, brand director for Buick and GMC in Canada. “In one of Canada’s rapidly evolving segments, the Encore continues to lead with smart, purposeful updates and a new level of technology-infused elegance and refinement.”
In other words, these are updates that Buick hopes won’t alter the appeal of a vehicle that currently boasts more female and more conquest buyers than any other Buick, according to Duncan Aldred, vicepresident of Buick sales, service and marketing.
The five-passenger Encore has a 1.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, with a sixspeed automatic powertrain rated at an estimated 9.5 L/100 km city and 7.2 L/100 km highway.
It will be offered in five trim levels: Encore, Encore Sport Touring, Encore Convenience, Encore Leather and Encore Premium. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive available.
Although pricing won’t be available until closer to the fall arrival date, it should be close to the current $30,305.
The Encore is the fourth all-new or updated Buick coming in 2016, joining the Cascada convertible (only in the U.S.), Envision compact SUV and LaCrosse sedan. Freelance writer Emily Atkins is a frequent contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. For this story, her travel and other expenses were paid for by the manufacturer. To reach her, email wheels@thestar.ca and put her name in the subject line.