Well, I was looking for comparative info for the Encore because it’s new and different. I was thinking, “what is like the Encore”? I did some looking around and found some info. It seems that the most closely related competitors of the Encore are Volvo XC60, Cadillac SRX, Lexus RX 350, Lincoln MKX, and Audi Q5 according to Car and Driver. The most mentioned competitors were the BMW X1 and Mini Countryman. (I did lots of googling to come up with that).

Before I get to the funner parts of this little quest, let me tell you the MPG for the Encore is 25/33 which beat all the competition except for the manual shift Countryman which had an MPG  of 25/30. (I know it’s close but 25 is 25.) Most of the vehicles mentioned are V6 though which gives more power, but you have to pay for it in gas too.

The Encore is a five door, five passenger, 4 cylinder, front or all wheel drive crossover utility vehicle starting at 24,950 well equipped. As in OnStar, cruise control, ice-blue ambient interior lighting, premium cloth upholstery with leatherette accents, heated outside mirrors, six-way power driver’s seat with lumbar adjustment, and power windows/door locks with remote, an AM/FM/CD/XM audio system with seven-inch color display/USB port/Bluetooth connectivity, leather-wrapped steering wheel, color-keyed carpeted floor mats, rear cargo cover, roof luggage rails, two gloveboxes, a theft-deterrent system, 18-inch painted cast-aluminum wheels, and a compact spare tire with jack well equipped.

None of the other competitors come this well equipped standard, and another positive is that the asking price is a lot better. Even at $34,700 the BMW X1 still lacks many features that come standard on the Encore. The average standard equipped price of the competition named by Car and Driver is $36,890. That’s the average Starting price! Although the Mini Countryman has a starting price of $22, 700 it comes equipped with pretty much nothing. (Standard features include 17-inch alloy wheels, cloth or vinyl upholstery, ambient lighting, HD Radio, and power accessories.) Even automatic transmission will cost ya! I did one of those  price finder things on Car Connection. It gave me a price of $30,950 for a similarly equipped vehicle to the Encore’s Convenience package. It has rear park distance control instead of the rear vision camera. The Encore’s convenience package includes, of course, all the features of the base package plus  Remote Start, Rearview Camera System, voice-activated IntelliLink audio system, a 120 volt outlet among other extras starting at $25,760. And Encore has a Premium package packed full of luxury from $28,190. The premium package equipped Encore is still coming in under the price of the base model of all it’s major competitors.

Do some looking around…when you see how much some of the prices are for these vehicles then see how much luxury and awesomeness you are getting for so much less from the Encore…you’re gonna want it!

When we test drove the Encore it didn’t seem small to me at all. It feels much bigger inside than it looks. It might be worth mentioning that I’m a small one, but I did read as many reviews as possible and it seemed as if those folks had a similar opinion as I do. I had fun videoing our test drive around Fort Smith…you’ll have to check it out. Here’s the link. My favorite things about the Encore are it’s cute, it’s got all the best…Buick makes you feel like a million bucks, and I love the backup camera, and the quietness. I’m a music lover and when the car noise is pretty much nil I can enjoy my music a lot better. When I ride in something other than a Buick now I always think there’s a window cracked, and then I realize I’m just spoiled.  I can’t wait til we get one with brown leather because if it’s half as good as the pictures make it look it will be Awesome! Since I have kiddos, I have to worry about safety and warranty and all the mom stuff too.  Buick has you covered well on those fronts.  Check out our inventory of Buick Encore and don’t forget, if you have the perfect one in mind and don’t see it here we can order you the exact Encore you want anytime.

As always,  if you have questions just contact me via any of these channels. You can also text or call Alyssa at 479-629-2705.