History of the Buick Encore
Photo: Robert Basic from Germany via CC
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Introduced in 2012 as a 2013 model at the Detroit Auto Show, the Buick Encore is the North American version of the Opel Mokka. The Encore was Buick’s first subcompact crossover SUV and arrived after the Rendezvous, Rainier, and Enclave, making it the brand’s fourth SUV overall. The debut of the Encore came at a great time for Buick, as consumers were moving towards more family-friendly, fuel-efficient luxury vehicles.
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Early history
The first-generation Buick Encore went on sale in the U.S. at the end of 2012 and was offered in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. For its first three model years, the Encore was available at four trim levels: Base, Convenience, Leather, and Premium. A single 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine, capable of 138 horsepower, was under the hood and was paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.
In 2016, Buick introduced the Sport Touring model with a more powerful 153-horsepower engine and aesthetic upgrades like 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, fog lamps, and body-color door handles. This was also the first time the Encore was equipped with remote start. The trim levels once again changed in 2017, offering six models total: Base, Preferred, Sport Touring, Preferred II, Essence, and Premium.
The Encore also received a facelift in 2017, the first for the luxury crossover. The update saw revised headlights and bumpers as well as LED taillights on the exterior. Inside, the dash was also refreshed with a new 4.2-inch information screen behind the steering wheel, a revised center stack, and an 8-inch infotainment touch-screen display. For the next few years, not much changed on the Buick Encore before it entered its second — and current — generation in 2020.
Photo: Buick
Current generation
At the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, Buick unveiled the second-generation Encore as well as a new performance-based, larger version of the model called the Encore GX. For the standard Encore, the only major update was a new standard turbo engine. The same happened again for the latest 2022 Encore, which now has a 1.4-liter turbo that’s capable of 155 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. Inside, the new Encore also received an upgraded HVAC system as well as seat-back map pockets for both the driver and front passenger seats.
Over the years, the Buick Encore has received a variety of awards. When it first debuted, it was an IIHS Top Safety Pick winner and was the top vehicle in the 2013 J.D. Power Initial Quality Sub-Compact CUV category. Outside of the automotive market as a whole being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Buick has seen increased sales each year for the Encore, reaching 102,402 units sold by the end of 2019. However, unless more exciting updates are made to the small SUV, this trend may not continue. It’s up to Buick to determine how to best navigate this situation, considering the Encore sold just 19,267 units by the end of September 2021.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.