2024 Buick Encore GX Sport Touring AWD
Price: $37,609 CAD
Colour: Cinnabar Metallic



There is a generally accepted correlation between engine size and fuel economy. I think it was in the 70’s during the oil crisis when we were first presented with the idea that you didn’t need a 3 or 4 liter (or bigger) engine in your car when you could achieve the same results with a powerplant featuring a displacement that began with a “1”. The features and benefits of smaller displacement engines have been rammed down our throats ever since. For years now the 4-cylinder was the backbone of this ideology and when you think about fuel efficient cars, this is what your pictured in your mind. However, in recent years we’ve seen a move to something new, something even smaller… the 3-cylinder engine. I guess if the 6 cylinder is better than the 8 and the 4 is better than the 6 then the 3 should be better than the 4. This makes logical sense, but is it true? Does this compute in the real world? What are these little 3-cylinder engines really like? More importantly, do they deliver on their promises? Do we get better economy at a lower price?



When I had the chance to drive the 2024 Buick Encore GX it was my opportunity to test this hypothesis. I have encountered a 3-cylinder offering before. A few years back Nissan switched the Rogue over to a 3-cylinder power plant. It made all the same claims that had been made before about smaller engines and was heralded as the birth of something new and revolutionary. I was under whelmed by that car for lots of reasons, not the least of which was how hard that little 3-cylinder had to work to move a proper mid-sized SUV. The Encore GX is smaller than the Rogue and perhaps better suited to a 3-cylinder offering. Would this be the car to convince me of the benefits of tiny displacement cars? No, no it wouldn’t.
The 2024 Buick Encore GX is offered with a 1.3L turbocharged engine. It delivers 155hp and 174 lb/ft of torque. The numbers are right where they should be for a vehicle like this. It drives okay as well. It’s not good, I can’t say that in all honesty, but it drives okay. It’s set up better for city driving and you feel that when you hop on the highway and this thing tops out real quick. The 9-speed automatic is constantly shifting and while it’s better than most CVT’s, it fights hard to be in the right gear. All of this is what I would consider acceptable for a vehicle of this type. The problem comes when you analyze the results as a whole. I would expect that if I’m going to buy a car with an engine like this one it’s going to return incredible fuel economy. If it doesn’t do that there is no point. The Encore GX gave me economy similar to it’s rated numbers of 8.8-9.4L/100 kms. This is a fine number, no arguing that. However, while fine it may be, it’s not good. Not even close. The case is worse when you consider something like the Toyota Corolla Cross which, for the same money, can be had with a hybrid powertrain. This comes with a tried and true 4-cylinder and hybrid system that beats these numbers handily and provides a smoother driving experience as that hybrid assist provides valuable torque fill.



Perhaps then the 2024 Buick Encore GX makes up for its performance shortfalls with a premium interior that provides real value for money… no, not it does not. The interior is, like the rest of this car, acceptable. It’s got all the equipment you might expect and said equipment is fine. Just fine. It’s not good and other carmakers offer more for the same or less money. You can feel the budget at work here and, like the drivetrain, it falls short of the promises offered.






The 2024 Buick Encore GX is a disappointment then. If it was cheaper, that would help. If the 3-cylinder engine was better, that would help as well. If the interior was premium or even a bit upscale, that would help also. Combine all these things and you realize that the Encore GX is packaged as an affordable value option based on a false set of principals. For those customers who simply accept what carmakers tell them this will be fine. They’ll buy the car and probably like it. If, like me, you do research and compare other vehicles for similar money, you’ll quickly realize just what a disappointment this thing is. It does nothing to confirm that the 3-cylinder engine is anything we should invest in and only confirms that other offerings provide better value. Try harder Buick.