What kind of car is the 2022 Buick Encore GX? What does it compare to?
The Encore GX five-seat crossover blends hatchback utility, crossover-SUV traction, and a layer of premium trim that’s more than a thin veneer. It’s bigger and better than the Encore still sold in Buick showrooms, but trust us: The GX is the Encore you want to sit through. Rivals include the Audi Q3, Volvo XC40, and the Lexus UX.
Is the 2022 Buick Encore GX a good car?
Review continues below
Sold in Preferred, Select, and Essence editions, the 2022 Encore GX scores a TCC Rating of 6.0 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2022 Buick Encore GX?
Just some paint colors. Otherwise, the Encore GX still sits at the nexus between small crossover-SUV and hatchback, wearing a handsome body styled with better proportions and more slimming body trim than its outdated namesake. It’s attractive on the inside, too, with a wing-like dash and upholstered dash trim that surround an 8.0-inch touchscreen.
Buick fits a 1.2-liter turbo-3 to the base Encore GX, but for a few hundred dollars more it installs a slightly more powerful 155-hp, 1.3-liter turbo-3. Pick it with front-wheel drive and a CVT, and the Encore GX scoots through traffic with the right mix of energy and refinement. Select all-wheel drive and traction improves, while a 9-speed automatic takes over shifting duties. You won’t be going off-road very far in it, but the Encore GX handles rocky and dusty city streets well, and can handle a curve or two to boot.
Rated a five-seater, we’d peg the Encore GX at four adults and their stuff. It’s good for more than 50 cubic feet of cargo with just two people on board, and can tote eight-foot-long objects (a ladder, a garden trellis, flat-pack bookcases) with a folded-down front passenger seat. It can stop short of an accident, too, thanks to standard automatic emergency braking—but if the worst should happen, the NHTSA says its crash protection earns five stars.
How much does the 2022 Buick Encore GX cost?
Pricing for 2022 isn’t out yet, but it won’t veer far from last year’s base of about $26,000. Spend a little more on the turbo-3 engine and the Select trim and you’ll get 18-inch wheels, a power driver seat, blind-spot monitors, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The top-end Essence rises to more than $37,000; that’s too much.
Where is the 2022 Buick Encore GX made?
In South Korea.