2025 Buick Encore Price, Review, Release Date

2025 Buick Encore Price, Review, Release Date   –  It almost never fails. People see the key fob on a table somewhere at a group gathering, and the response is brisk: “Who’s driving the dad car?” And I always know who they’re talking about: It’s me, because I’m driving the Buick and that’s kind of what Buicks have become.

Here’s the thing, though. Take the 2025 Buick Encore compact crossover you see here. It’s about as far from your traditional Buick as you can get: It’s not a sedan, it’s not beige, and it’s actually a representative of a body style that’s been successful in Europe for quite some time and has only just started making inroads in North America over the last handful of years. Plus, I am a dad, and I feel like I’m kind of cool.

2025 Buick Encore Redesign and Update Plan

Exterior and Interior

From the outside, the Encore looks like it has a tall roof an when sat in the front seat, that rings true even with the moonroof. Headroom is good, and while the pedals are a little too upright for my liking, the legroom is fine – once you adjust the six-way power seat, of course.

Trouble is, once I got that seat adjusted properly, it left the passenger behind me with precious little legroom, an issue that’s compounded by the snug headroom – the pocket into which the moon roof retracts is very noticeable in back, to the point where I know I wouldn’t last long – shorter occupants wouldn’t have as much as an issue of course, but that high roof isn’t entirely reflected in rear-seat headroom. And it’s not that small crossovers like this can’t do back seats with at least a modicum of comfort; see the Honda HR-V for how it can and should be done. That’s without commenting on the seat belt buckle, too, which managed to disappear into its pocket a number of times during out test. Frustrating. 2025 Buick Encore Price

Automatic dual-zone climate control comes as standard on the Essence trim, and I was happy to find that A/C was quick to react as my test occurred during a hot summer week. The vent shape and alignment are a step up on older Encore models, which had two vertical vents either side of the centre console that never quite got the job done. The more traditional horizontal vents are a better solution.

2025 Buick Encore Specs

Being the top “Essence” trim, my tester had pretty much everything you can get on the Encore, save for a few exterior bits like a roof rack or trailer hitch. Active safety systems include lane-keep assist, forward collision alert, and blind-spot alert. However, no adaptive cruise control is included, nor is it offered as a standalone option or as part of any package. That’s disappointing, and I can see it costing Buick sales against competitors like the Volvo XC40 or Lexus UX.

Engine and Performance

To put it simply: Don’t expect sports-car-like acceleration from your Encore. Mine was AWD, which is good but it does add a little weight, which matters considering the moderate power output. Power that is eclipsed, meanwhile, by the likes of the Jeep Renegade, Lexus UX, and Volvo XC40.

Power is fed through a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual option, although the way you change gears – by pressing a button mounted atop the shift lever – is not the most practical or ergonomic choice, and I really didn’t use the feature all that much. There’s not enough power to inspire me to do so, and while it was fine to shift my own gears during steep climbs, it didn’t make much of a difference – the Encore struggled either way. At least the engine goes about its business relatively smoothly, which dovetails well with the quasi-luxury image of the Encore. 2025 Buick Encore Price

2025 Buick Encore Fuel Economy

I spent most of my time in city driving during my test, when I saw a return of 11 L/100 km. I would have liked to see a number below 10 L/100 km for such a small vehicle, but I allowed for a margin of error due to the fact I was running high A/C during most of my test. It’s also nice that it runs on 87 octane fuel.  2025 Buick Encore Price

2025 Buick Encore Safety Features

As mentioned before, other than adaptive cruise, the Encore has pretty much everything you’d expect safety-wise for a car that starts around 35 grand. The forward-braking warning is notable, however, in that it’s one of the most noticeable systems I’ve seen. A set of bright flashing red squares is reflected off the windshield once it activates – which happens a little sooner than you might expect, and is no bad thing.  2025 Buick Encore Price

2025 Buick Encore Price and Release Date

This is a toughy for the Encore. Sure, it comes pretty well-equipped, but for all intents and purposes, this is a compact CUV with a few luxury airs – not quite enough to garner a near-$40,000 price tag, which is where my tester sat after adding just over $3,500 in options. Much of that cost came from the Experience Buick Plus package, which adds many of the safety features I spoke of earlier. I wouldn’t mind so much if there was more of a return on the driving side of things, but it’s not quite there either, sitting somewhere in between a sporty and luxurious tall hatch. 2025 Buick Encore Price