2013 BUICK ENCORE FULL

It's not vague, and it feels heavier with some with speed, but we never quite got used it. The rear cushions, when folded down, poke up a couple inches above the flat surface, but anyone who drove a PT Cruiser or Chevy HHR knows how handy this feature is in a small vehicle.ĭriver's Grievance: The electric-assist power steering operates a fixed-ratio gear and feels too light at center, especially around town. There's 48.4 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the front seats (and more if you fold the passenger front), 18.8 behind the rear bench. Handling reminds us more of your great-aunt's Century than the latest Regal GS, but roll is well-controlled, while plenty of traction and stability aids kept us out of trouble when our cornering ambitions proved larger than the available tire grip.įavorite Detail: The split rear seat folds flat, as does the front passenger bucket, so you can load long cargo if need be. Ride was excellent for a vehicle this size, with only a little fore-aft bobble betraying the short wheelbase, and that with three people and a load of luggage on board. Giving each of the Encore's horsepower 23 pounds to drag around (24 in the heavier AWD version) makes for sluggish performance-we're estimating 0-60 mph times will come in around 10 seconds, at best. But the hum went away on smoother pavement. On some coarse highway surfaces around Atlanta, we heard enough tire noise to make us wonder why Buick didn't tune the noise cancellation to counter that as well.

Standard Bose Active Noise Cancellation tunes out any thrash from the hard-working little engine, with isolation enhanced by an acoustically treated headliner, acoustic-laminated glass, careful aero-tuning, and strategically placed seals and insulation. It delivers luxury-car quiet in a handsomely-designed cabin. The coupler is rear-mounted for packaging reasons (allowing more front-seat legroom), which means the driveshaft to the rear spins whenever the car is in gear.ĭriving Character: It may be small and come from Korea, but the Encore doesn't feel cheap or cheesy.

It's smooth enough that we never felt it in operation, though we tried.

2013 BUICK ENCORE FULL

If the system detects no slip after starting from a full stop, then it starts slipping that clutch at 2 to 4 mph, moving torque forward gradually into full front-drive operation at 37 mph. That magnetic actuation allows for rear-wheel engagement not only whenever slip is detected, but on every launch. Developed with BorgWarner, it's a smaller version of the system Buick uses on the Enclave, electronically actuated and using a magnetic charge to operate a ball-ramp mechanism to engage a clutch. Tech Tidbit: The 'Active On-Demand' AWD employs a new rear-axle engagement clutch design mounted just ahead of the rear differential.

2013 buick encore