{"id":25968,"date":"2020-09-10T15:42:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-10T19:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=25968"},"modified":"2020-09-10T15:42:22","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T19:42:22","slug":"payne-encore-gx-st-brings-buick-manners-to-small-suvs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/payne-encore-gx-st-brings-buick-manners-to-small-suvs","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Encore GX ST brings Buick manners to small SUVs"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been on Mars for the last few years, you may be disoriented when you see what\u2019s happened to America. No, I\u2019m not talking about the coronavirus pandemic and urban riots;\u00a0I\u2019m talking about Buick\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n

America\u2019s\u00a0once-stodgy sedan brand has been transformed into a stable of hip SUVs.<\/p>\n

Buick\u2019s \u201cmistaken identity\u201d ads featuring utes like the Envision and Enclave were the most watched car ads of 2019, and \u201cThat\u2019s not a Buick!\u201d has become an American catchphrase. I\u2019m not making this up.<\/p>\n

To convince you the world has gone mad, let\u2019s unpack the name of this week\u2019s tester, the 2020 Buick Encore GX ST.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s the bigger brother of the Encore \u2014 Buick\u2019s pioneering 2013 subcompact SUV. Yes, I just used Buick and pioneering and subcompact in the same sentence. Polling rock-bottom in brand identity and desperate for attention, GM let Buick\u2019s product team off the leash to create a segment-busting, entry-level, cuddly SUV. Consumers adored the little pup.<\/p>\n

Hitting the SUV craze in full stride, Encores flew out of the pet shop, selling 102,000 copies last year. That’s more than the Honda HR-V, for goodness sake. It also brought in new buyers to the brand who could move on to Buick\u2019s other crossover offerings, the Buick Envision and three-row Enclave.<\/p>\n

Buick decided to milk the\u00a0Encore\u2019s success with the Encore GX (for Grand Crossover). In Encore\u2019s pioneering spirit, the Encore GX is one of the first subcompact-plus SUVs,\u00a0shoehorned between the subcompact and compact spaces. Yeah, I\u2019d like a new name, too, to avoid confusion. But Buick\u2019s marketers figure they have a good thing going.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Other than its surname, Encore GX shares nothing with little-bro\u00a0Encore. It\u2019s on a longer front-wheel-drive platform, offers all-wheel drive and\u00a0is more space-comparable to a compact \u2014 yet isn\u2019t as doughty-looking as the more expensive Envision.<\/p>\n

And just to remind you that it\u2019s a luxury car, the Encore GX comes complete with an alphanumeric alphabet soup designation like the ST (for Sport Touring) tacked onto the end of the name. It\u2019s right up there with the Mercedes GLA 63 GT mouthful.<\/p>\n

So successful is Buick\u2019s SUV transformation that it\u2019s quietly killed off its last remaining sedans, the Regal and Regal Tour X Wagon. They were my favorite Buicks with their hatchback utility and sleek lines. Carrying on their sex appeal, my Encore GX ST was smeared with alluring red lipstick in the grille and a peppy 155-horse turbo-3 cylinder.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not a typo. I said three-cylinder in an SUV.<\/p>\n

Engineers are doing marvelous things with three-bangers these days, and I have mourned the passing of the Ford Fiesta and its \u201cGodzilla-in-a-box\u201d 1.0-liter turbo-3. It was a joy to drive while returning 35 mpg. The Encore GX\u2019s 3 isn\u2019t so sippy (just 28 mpg), but\u00a0when mated to GM\u2019s state-of-the-art 9-speed tranny\u00a0it is plenty zippy.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Trouble is, while Buick was re-inventing itself, so was the competition. Lunging out of the subcompact-plus starting gates with the $25,095 Encore GX are two more SUVs from premium mainstream brands:\u00a0the $23,110 Kia Seltos and Mazda CX-30.<\/p>\n

Both offer even more powerful engines: the 175-horse turbo-4 in the Seltos, the 186-horse 2.5-liter 4-cylinder in the Mazda \u2014 while returning comparable\u00a027-mpg fuel economy.<\/p>\n

More important, they expose GM\u2019s persistent refusal to standardize technology (a miss most glaring in the $78,000 Chevy Silverado I recently tested that neglected adaptive-cruise control). Adaptive-cruise\u00a0and blind-spot assist \u2014 two essentials on Mrs. Payne\u2019s shopping list \u2014\u00a0are standard in both the Kia and Mazda for hundreds of dollars less than the Buick.<\/p>\n

Some buyers will balk at the Kia\u2019s eccentric styling\u00a0but not the Mazda, which (despite its lamentable wheel-arch cladding) is one of the most appealing vehicles out there. Then Mazda loads on the value.<\/p>\n

An all-wheel-drive CX-30 (with Select trim) equipped with standard adaptive-cruise control, blind-spot assist, automatic windshield wipers\u00a0and leather seating clocks in at $28,700. My front-wheel-drive Encore GX ST (in comparable Essence trim) started at $29,495 before selecting options that are standard on the CX-30.<\/p>\n

\"Fold<\/p>\n
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Escape to rural roads in the Mazda, finger the paddle shifters in manual mode\u00a0and it\u2019s a fun box with tight handling and an eager drivetrain. The GX doesn\u2019t even come with paddle shifters.<\/p>\n

Reach behind the GX\u2019s steering wheel and you can toggle …\u00a0not shift paddles, but hidden volume and radio station controls. That\u2019s where Buick makes its play. This is a ute for those who want that old feeling of Buick luxury in a new shell.<\/p>\n