2024 Buick Encore GX First Test Review: New Look, Same Flavor

Don't let appearances deceive you, though. Peel back the wrapper of the Encore GX, and you'll find the same spud Buick has been selling for the past four years. The original GX was troubled by a jittery ride and a surly engine, and much of the running gear carries over to the 2024 model unchanged.

Despite the mechanical similarities, we had reason to expect a more polished Encore GX. The new Avenir trim is billed as "the highest expression of Buick luxury" and priced accordingly. The all-wheel-drive Encore GX Avenir we tested for this review stickered at $38,980, a steep $12,085 hike over the GX's base price.

But "Buick luxury" doesn't make the same impression as, say, Lexus luxury or even Mazda luxury. The Avenir seems to be built around the idea that luxury is measured with a list of features rather than the complete driving experience. Buick points to the 19-inch wheels, clear taillamp lenses, black grille, and partial leather seats with contrast piping and stitching and the requisite embroidered headrests as proof of the Avenir's opulence. The execution is not especially sophisticated.

Even on feature count alone, the Avenir fails to impress. Compared to lower trims, the top Encore GX adds power front seats and a heated steering wheel—conveniences so common these days that we wouldn't call them luxuries—yet niceties like a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, a wireless phone charger, and rear parking sensors cost extra.

Although it doesn't ooze luxury, this is an easy SUV to live with. In any trim, the interior is now dominated by a single sweep of glass that makes the 8.0-inch digital cluster and 11.0-inch touchscreen appear larger than they are. The infotainment system's clean and clear graphics are intuitive to navigate, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the model line for those who prefer to use a more familiar interface. Refreshingly, the climate system is still controlled by familiar knobs and buttons.

The seats are comfortable on long commutes, and there's a surprising amount of room inside considering how small this subcompact SUV is on the outside. It's possible for four adults to ride in comfort, and the cargo hold has enough room for the bulky contraptions you tote around when you're a chauffeur for tiny humans. That said, you can also buy a lot more space for $38,000 if you skip the Avenir's luxury pretenses and sink your money into a compact SUV from a mainstream brand.

Every all-wheel-drive Encore GX is powered by the slightly larger, slightly more powerful of two available three-cylinder engines. The 155-hp engine is energetic around town, helped by the nine-speed transmission that smartly shuffles gears to keep the turbocharger pumping air into the engine and beefing up the torque curve. It's only when you stand on the accelerator that you realize the little 1.3-liter three-cylinder has been giving almost everything it has just to keep pace with traffic. At 8.9 seconds to 60 mph, the 2024 Encore GX is objectively not quick, yet it manages to feel punchy as long as you're not staring down a long, empty on-ramp.

Unfortunately, the three-cylinder still feels and sounds as if the crankcase has been filled with sand rather than oil. The Avenir includes active noise cancellation to muffle certain frequencies, but the gritty vibrations and gruff engine note buzz and bristle under acceleration and while cruising at highway speeds.

It's also bewildering that the epitome of Buick luxury requires the driver to push a button to activate AWD, as if it's 1999 and not 2023. Other automakers use on-demand AWD systems that automatically engage the rear axle, either preemptively based on weather and driver inputs or in reaction to wheelslip. In the Encore GX (and several other GM SUVs), it's on you to figure out when AWD is warranted. As far as we can tell, Encore GX buyers don't benefit from a system that defaults to front-wheel drive until the driver decides otherwise. In EPA testing and in the real world, the Encore GX's fuel economy is unremarkable. Competitors like the Kia Seltos and the Mazda CX-30 top 30 mpg with their official highway ratings, while the Encore GX Avenir AWD only achieves 28 mpg.

June is construction season in Michigan, and driving any distance in metro Detroit this time of year means you're inevitably forced off the usual crumbling roads onto crumbling shoulders and patched-together temporary traffic lanes. In these unforgiving conditions, the Encore GX surprised us by scooting over suburban streets and highways with impressive composure. The suspension cushions sharp impacts and keeps body motions in check with none of the jitters we complained about back in 2020.

The Buick Encore GX is no flagship—it's the cheapest model in the lineup for the moment—but it represents something arguably more important than a halo car ever could. As the bestselling Buick since 2020, the Encore GX defines the core of the brand.

That core is built around delivering both value and luxury in a combination that seems like an unattainable oxymoron. With the 2024 Encore GX Avenir AWD, Buick asks a tall price for a small SUV that, even in this top-trim spec, doesn't rise to our definition of a premium vehicle. Whether your top priorities are value, efficiency, practicality, or luxury, there are better options out there.