2024 Buick Encore Preferred on 2040-cars

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Buick Envision CUV displays full-frontal nudity

Earlier this month, Shanghai GM gave us a glimpse of the production version of the Buick Envision concept revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show back in 2011. And now it's released the first unveiled shot and initial details of the crossover to slot in the considerable gap between the Encore and Enclave.
The new Envision is set later this year to reach Chinese showrooms, where it will be called the Ang Ke Wei, after which we're expecting it to arrive Stateside. The production-ready Envision is about the size of the Chevrolet Equinox or GMC Terrain, but is differentiated by a more upscale treatment and Buick's signature waterfall grille, flanked by Xenon headlamps and LED running lights and riding on 19-inch wheels.
Power comes from GM's familiar 2.0-liter turbo four with direct injection and stop/start ignition, driving 256 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. That's about all that GM's Chinese operation has announced at this point - it's not even clear what platform the vehicle is on - but you can check out the press release for yourself below.

2020 Buick Encore GX First Drive | Bringing serenity to the subcompact market

With Buick seeing sales success in our crossover-crazed world, it’s no wonder the company is adding to its crossover lineup with the 2020 Buick Encore GX. It sits just above the existing Encore, and it offers more space and new turbocharged engines for just a bit more money. In fact, as it starts at just $900 more than the existing Encore and offers more power, space and fuel economy, itÂ’s unquestionably the Encore version to get when heading to your Buick dealer. But compared with other crossovers, the BuickÂ’s only real advantage is in its quietness, refined powertrain and upmarket badge. Otherwise it's a fine but unexceptional crossover. Powering the Encore GX is your choice of small turbocharged three-cylinder engines. The standard engine, available with every trim, is a 1.2-liter unit making 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. ItÂ’s only able to be paired with a CVT and front-wheel drive. ItÂ’s also not the most efficient powertrain offering, returning 28 mpg in town, 31 on the highway, and 29 combined. The optional engine, available only on the upper two trims Select and Essence, is a 1.3-liter example making 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. This engine can be paired with a CVT and front-wheel drive, or a nine-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel-drive. Also, because of efficiency boosters such as an offset crankshaft, electric oil pump, electric brake booster and electric turbo wastegate, itÂ’s the most efficient choice. With the CVT and front-wheel drive, the Encore GX manages 30 mpg in the city, 32 on the highway, and 31 combined. The all-wheel-drive version only gets 26 mpg in town, 29 on the highway and 28 combined. Our test car was an Encore GX with the 1.3-liter engine and the CVT, and on paper, itÂ’s the engine to go with. ItÂ’s more power with less fuel use. And while itÂ’s not the most powerful car in its segment, its torque is accessible throughout the rev band, so it never feels slow. Buick has done an excellent job keeping the engine quiet, either through powertrain refinement or through extensive sound deadening. YouÂ’ll never hear more than a faint growl from under the hood. The CVT is absolutely the transmission to choose, too. ItÂ’s amazingly smooth and unobtrusive. The revs are always kept low and thereÂ’s just enough variance in them that it doesnÂ’t feel like a rubber band. It responds fast to your right foot, too, so you arenÂ’t waiting for more rpm when needing to accelerate faster.

Buick takes top spot in 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study

People, economies, and supply chains weren't the only things continuing to get sick over the past year. The 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) is out, showing the average rate of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the first 90 days of ownership increased overall. The average figure for the 32 ranked manufacturers in 2020 was about 166 problems per 100 vehicles. In the 2021 IQS, that dropped to an average of 162. This year, the average jumps to 180 problems. J.D. Power says that figure is a record high over the 36-year history of the study. Buick leapt to the top of the rankings this year with the fewest issues, at 139 problems per 100 vehicles in the first 100 days of ownership. After Dodge became the first American automaker to lead the IQS in 2020, followed by Ram in 2021, this year marks a three-peat for U.S. carmakers. Dodge took second this year at 143 PP100, Chevrolet third with 147 PP100, Genesis the first luxury maker on the chart in fourth with 156 PP100. Between February and May, this year's study gathered responses to 223 questions from more than 84,000 new 2022-model-year car owners and lessees. The questions are designed to zero in on real-world problems new owners encounter with nine categories of vehicle features: Infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; powertrain; seats; driving experience; and climate. As has been the case in the past few year, infotainment has proved to be the most problematic bugbear making scores worse. Considering features individually, six of 10 of the worst problem areas dealt with infotainment, causing infotainment's score of 45 PP100 to be 19.5 PP100 worse than the second-placed feature. Consumers ranked getting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to connect reliably as the most troublesome.  GM didn't just score with Buick, which was one of only nine of the 33 ranked brands to show improvement this year. The conglomerate earned first place with the fewest PP100 among all the automaker groups, and scored the most model-level awards with nine, ahead of BMW with eight and Hyundai Group with three.  This year's study again showed a gap between luxury and mass-market makers, thought to be down to the amount of tech in luxury vehicles that consumers aren't properly informed about or that doesn't act as expected — that latter issue exacerbated by the chip shortage.