2021 Buick Encore GX Review

Name: 2021 Buick Encore GX Review
Brand: Buick

Price Range: $14,980 - $23,998

2021 Buick Encore GX Select 4dr SUV Exterior

Buick Encore GX Essence 4dr SUV Exterior

Buick Encore GX Essence 4dr SUV Exterior. Sport Touring Package Shown.

+170

The 2021 Buick Encore GX took us by surprise with sprightly acceleration and competent handling. Buick's hallmarks, including a comfortable ride, an upscale interior and a robust list of tech features, are also included. That said, you do pay a (literal) price for these qualities since the Encore GX is expensive relative to its primary competition.

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2021 Buick Encore GX Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility
Satellite radio now standard
Part of the first Encore GX generation introduced for 2020

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Buick Encore GX Preferred 4dr SUV (1.2L 3cyl Turbo CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.05 per gallon for regular unleaded in Connecticut.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Connecticut

$130/mo

$165/mo

Avg. Compact SUV

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Buick Encore GX Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.0

57 reviews

5(56%)

4(12%)

3(12%)

2(11%)

1(9%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Long term owner

Colorado Rural Dan, 08/05/2021

2021 Buick Encore GX Preferred 4dr SUV AWD (1.3L 3cyl Turbo 9A)

Know that this vehicle is better than the "professional" reviewers give it credit for. Incredible room up front. Very easy for this large Colorado, hat wearing cowboy, to get in and out of. My wife and I have no children at home so we are not concerned about back seat layout so I will not comment on that. Controls are intuitive, easy to use. Setting up my wife's apple and my android … phone was a snap. The car comes with it's own hotspot which is really nice in Colorado where we often had no cell reception while driving. Though we repeatedly saw that mileage on the highway would be at best 30mpg out real life experience, so far, is 36mpg. We live very rural and so do little to no "city" driving. Was not looking to buy a new SUV when we found this but could not refuse the deal Buick offered. Our good fortune. It is NOT underpowered. The EncoreGX gets the job done! If you are in the market for a new small SUV, look at the EncoreGX. Ours is in "preferred" trim 4wd, and truly cannot see why I would spend the extra to go up a model. This has everything that we could want. Update: I have now had this vehicle for 10 months. The 4wd has worked well for this winter. Handling has been excellent I did replace the all seasons with snow tires. The hot spot was ok but did not work as well as I initially thought so did not pay for the subscription and let it lapse. The paint seems to chip easier than I think it should so I now have a bottle of touch up to use so that it does not become a problem. Would still rate this 4.5 stars. Would recommend and would buy again in the same situation. Update: Have now had for 1 year. Still love it. Now I see a reason for the upgrade and wish I had, as by now the extra money spent would seem inconsequential. I have the cloth seats, white. Would be much easier to keep clean if they were leather. I miss that it does not have the adaptive cruise control that keeps you spaced from the car ahead. I would still recommend to anyone wanting a small SUV. By the way, up here at 8,000 plus feet it gets over 40 mpg. I know it would not do that down at near sea level but is a nice thing anyway. 22000 miles now, year and a half in. Would still buy again, would recommend to a friend. Thought about upgrading to a 2023, however the Buick does not hold its value like my Subarus do so cancelled that idea. Update: Have now had for 38000 miles. No problems. As it has a turbo engine I change oil every 5000 miles to make sure the turbo charger is always running on clean oil. Has worked so far. If interest rates become reasonable again I will trade in for a new one. Would stick with the GX as I really like the way it handles in these mountain snows and I find it very comfortable to drive. Update: Still running strong. 34,000 miles plus. No major problems. Still like this vehicle a lot. Highly recommend. My model has the 6 year transmission with awd capability. Cannot speak to the 2wd models with the CVTs.

To Me It's Best Sub Compact SUV For The Price

Zolman, 12/08/2020

2021 Buick Encore GX Essence 4dr SUV AWD (1.3L 3cyl Turbo 9A)

I've test driven all the sub compact SUV under $50,000. The Encore GX didn't have the raw power of some of the other brands BUT it had all I needed plus much better gas mileage. We just got done with a 650 mile road trip and averaged 38MPG. That's much better than the rating and all we did was drive speed limit. It's got enough power to merge into traffic and pass slow traffic on two …

I love my GX

Happy Owner, 11/15/2020

2021 Buick Encore GX Select 4dr SUV AWD (1.3L 3cyl Turbo 9A)

So I am not an automotive aficionado, I am an average middle-class consumer. I have read reports of “sloppy steering”, awkward displays, etc., and I have experienced none of that. It’s a great looking little SUV that you can park almost anywhere. I have the 1.3 liter turbo and it’s a lot peppier than my previous Encore’s 1.4L engine. For the price, I just don’t know how you can beat it. …

This car is NOT slow (with 1.3L)

Peter, 12/17/2020

2021 Buick Encore GX Essence 4dr SUV AWD (1.3L 3cyl Turbo 9A)

Purchased a 2021 Encore GX Essence and it is a fantastic car. Let’s address the elephant in the room first; SO many reviews of this car are positive until they get to the engine and then it all falls apart with comments pertaining to it being very slow and loud. Mine is FWD and most reviews are with AWD which may be part of the problem. My experience with the 1.3L has been instantaneous …

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2021 Buick Encore GX video

Top Subcompact SUVs for 2021-2022 | Extra-Small & Easy to Drive – What's Not to Like?

Subcompact SUVs have been gaining in popularity over the last few years. For people who don't need or want the space of a midsize SUV or for those who just want to save a few bucks, a subcompact SUV is a smart and economical choice. These extra-small SUVs maintain that elevated ride height and utility of their larger counterparts, but their smaller size means easier…

2021 Encore GX Highlights

Trim:

Preferred

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$24,200
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	29 MPG
Cost to Drive	$130/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	23.5 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the Encore GX models:

Teen Driver: Monitors teen driver use of a vehicle, providing a driving report card to parents after the teen returns home.
Buick Driver Confidence: Bundles a collection of driving aids including forward collision warning, pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking.
OnStar and Buick Connected Services: Provides automatic collision notifications and other connected safety services through OnStar.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover18.5%

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2021 Buick Encore GX Review

Price & Payment

2021 Buick Encore GX Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Buick Encore GX Preferred 4dr SUV (1.2L 3cyl Turbo CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.05 per gallon for regular unleaded in Connecticut.}

Buick Encore GX Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Long term owner

To Me It's Best Sub Compact SUV For The Price

I love my GX

This car is NOT slow (with 1.3L)

2021 Buick Encore GX video

Top Subcompact SUVs for 2021-2022 | Extra-Small & Easy to Drive – What's Not to Like?

2021 Encore GX Highlights

Safety

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2021 Buick Encore GX Review

Price & Payment

2021 Buick Encore GX Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Buick Encore GX Preferred 4dr SUV (1.2L 3cyl Turbo CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.05 per gallon for regular unleaded in Connecticut.

Buick Encore GX Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Long term owner

To Me It's Best Sub Compact SUV For The Price

I love my GX

This car is NOT slow (with 1.3L)

2021 Buick Encore GX video

Top Subcompact SUVs for 2021-2022 | Extra-Small & Easy to Drive – What's Not to Like?

2021 Encore GX Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2021 Buick Encore GX info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Buick

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Your Privacy

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Buick Encore GX Preferred 4dr SUV (1.2L 3cyl Turbo CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.05 per gallon for regular unleaded in Connecticut.}