2014 Buick Encore Second Opinion

Posted: 22 Apr 2014 05:00 PM PDT

Mike Schlee Apr. 23, 2014 Photos by Mike Schlee and Buick

The Buick Encore is a peculiar vehicle. Based on the Chevrolet Trax already on sale in other markets, the Encore is a sub-compact crossover designed to bring luxury elements to an otherwise frugal segment. The vehicle isn't just small, it's miniscule by crossover standards. At only 168.4 inches long, the Encore is shorter than an iPhone's battery life.

FAST FACTS

Engine: A 1.4 L turbocharged four-cylinder, 138 hp, 148 lb-ft.

Transmission: The only transmission available is a six-speed automatic.

Fuel economy: Officially rated at 23 MPG city and 30 MPG on the highway We averages 22.8 MPG.

Price: The Encore starts at a base price of $25,085 after destination charges, our test vehicle with the Leather Package and moon roof option came in at $29,210.

It gives up eight inches to the BMW X1 and is even smaller than the Kia Rio sedan. However, at a height of 65.2 inches, the Encore is just as tall as the Audi Q5. This short length, high height may lead to ungainly proportions, but it also offers a high seating position in a vehicle that requires almost no space to park.

To discover whether or not Buick has succeeded in creating a premium subcompact crossover, we gave it to my wife Amanda, our everyday consumer-turned car reviewer. Even as a connoisseur of small hatchback vehicles, it was not love at first sight for her.

Honey I Shrunk the Crossover

Although the front grille and rear design are nice styling elements in her opinion, she isn't a fan of the Encore's profile. She says it looks tall and squished: this coming from the owner of a Suzuki SX4 sedan.

See Also: 2013 Buick Encore Review

Buick's little crossover carries a base price of $25,085 after destination charges, but the as-tested leather package and moon roof raise the price to $29,210. That's a lot of money for a little crossover, especially one that is still not equipped with rain sensing wipers, navigation or front and rear park assist. At this price point, the vehicle does have some nice features like leather-upholstered, heated front seats with power adjustability, a heated steering wheel and memory seat settings for the driver side.

Amanda felt the interior to be high-end and was a fan of the dashboard's overall design as well as the dark grey wood grain trim. The soft touch buttons in the center stack are easy to use and feel premium as well. However, the leather wrapping the steering wheel and seating surfaces feels disappointingly cheap.

Where's My Options?

For a vehicle flirting within the luxury car segment, some features are oddly omitted. There is no smart key entry, push button start or built-in navigation. Then again, the latter can be had as a $795 stand-alone option.

Amanda found the rearview camera could use some improvement. She found the view was not very clear and the lack of parking sensors makes it difficult to tell how close you really are to bumping into something. The steering wheel mounted audio controls can also be frustrating in the winter with gloves on. She had a hard time because they're small and difficult to press without bare hands.

Never Leaves You Out in the Cold

At the tail end of a winter that wouldn't die, the fast warming heated steering wheel and seats can seem invaluable. The remote car starter is also particularly useful on cold mornings when a pre-heated car can make all the difference.

Overall storage in the vehicle is deemed adequate, but center console space is lacking. The double glove box is nice a nice touch, but Amanda couldn't imagine using it very often. The cup holders could be a little more accommodating and are too small for larger water bottles and drink containers. Despite the Encore's pint-sized stature, rear seat passengers still have 35.7-inches of legroom and full-grown adults can fit back there without issue. Storage space suffers to make that possible, as only 18.8 cubic feet of room is available behind the rear seats. That only expands to 48.4 cubic feet when the seats are folded down. For perspective, the Honda Fit offers more cargo space with its rear seats folded if only a little.

Poor Vision, Easy Maneuverability

Sightlines are surprisingly poor for a vehicle this small. Amanda says the two pillars in the back are hard for her to see around, although the blind spot detection system makes up for that somewhat. The narrow, high-riding Encore was easy to park in tight spots for her, yet felt much larger than it was when trying to reverse in close coordinates. Once parked, the doors can be left ajar at various angles without them trying to swing back shut.

Unlike many short wheelbase vehicles, the Encore is smooth on the highway and avoids the choppy ride plaguing many subcompact vehicles. The 138-hp 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is sufficient for daily driving thanks in large part to the 148 lb-ft of torque it creates. Especially in city traffic, she finds it to be pleasantly responsive. Officially rated at 23 MPG city and 30 MPG on the highway, Amanda achieved an average of 22.8 MPG during a wintery week of driving.

The Verdict

Overall Amanda is impressed with the Buicks attempt to create a subcompact crossover with luxury features – except for the price. Thinking this vehicle listed in the low-to-mid $20,000s, she was shocked to hear as equipped it costs nearly $30,000. At that price, issues with the vehicles bad blind spots, equipment omissions, exterior design and some usability issues would prevent her purchasing one. To her, the Encore's platform mate, the Chevrolet Trax, makes much more sense.

LOVE IT

Interior design
Maneuverability
Ride comfort

LEAVE IT

Sightlines
Styling
Price
Cargo space

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel Review

Posted: 21 Apr 2014 05:00 PM PDT

Stephen Elmer Apr. 22, 2014 Photos by Jeep

The Grand Cherokee has many flavors, from a vanilla V6 up to a meaty 6.3-liter V8. For 2014 a diesel engine is joining the list adding a fuel-efficient torque laden option. The engine is shared in the Chrysler family and also serves under the hood of the Ram 1500: the 2014 AutoGuide.com Truck of the Year. And for good reason. In both the Ram and Grand Cherokee, the engine is a gem.

FAST FACTS

Engine: 3.0-liter diesel with 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque.

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic.

Towing: V8 and diesel 4x2 models can tow up to 7,400 lbs or 7,200 lbs for the 4x4.

Fuel Economy: 21 mpg city, 28 highway and 24 combined for 4x4 models.

Price: $29,395 to start, EcoDiesel models start at $41,890 including destination fees.

Delightful Diesel

Excessive noise, vibrations and bad smells, often associated with diesel engines, are mostly absent here. There is more noticeable unwanted engine noise than with the V6 or even the V8 HEMI-powered Grand Cherokee, but it isn't overly intrusive. Starting up after sitting outside through a cold winter night, the engine clatter is the loudest, but that mostly fades away once it warms up. It's also worth mentioning that we faced average temperatures between 14 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the engine never took longer than three or four seconds to start in the morning.

Low-end grunt is the most noticeable trait of this engine. Torque is a strong-point for any diesel, and Chrysler's 3.0-liter is no exception. Even at highways speeds, the motor always seems to have accessible power.

An eight-speed automatic transmission makes sure that all the power is used effectively and the gearing setup never misses a beat when it comes to shifts. Fuel economy benefits too. The EPA pegs the Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel at 24 mpg combined for four-wheel drive models, and our time with this Jeep returned an average of 23 mpg.

Tricks-a-Plenty

An air suspension system is another trick up the Grand Cherokee's sleeve. Not only does it allow the driver to choose from a range of suspension settings and heights, but the system will also lower the vehicle to improve aerodynamics at higher speeds. The drop is not noticeable and the system works well in the background while providing a solid suspension feel that allows the Grand Cherokee to offer reasonable handling and a comfortable ride.

The GC diesel is rated to tow 7,400 lbs in rear-wheel drive form and 7,200 lbs for the all-wheel drive model, and is fitted with a 3.45:1 rear-end axle. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to pull anything with this vehicle, but we have had a chance to pull a large amount of weight behind the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. In that application with a 3.55:1 rear end, the motor handled the task with ease. Towing won't feel the same in a unibody crossover as it does in a body-on-frame truck of course, but the engine power will remain strong.

To help tackle the elements, this top-trim Grand Cherokee is fitted with that air suspension system that we mentioned earlier, but it also gets a proper transfer case that allows the first-gear crawl ratio to come in at 44.1:1.

And we needed it. Setting the Selec-Terrain system to "Snow," we tackled a solid two feet of the white stuff in some spots along with some shallow water crossings. Throttle calibration is controlled well, allowing you to crawl along at a slow and steady speed, while the torque of the transfer case combined with the diesel engine feels strong enough to uproot a tree.

We did eventually get stuck, which exposed a weakness in the air suspension. Once immobile, we switched it out of snow mode to try and get more top-end power into the wheels. The issue is, when the wheels are freely spinning in the stuck snow, the air suspension decides to drop out of its off-road height setting, which meant that the body of the GC was now sitting on the snow.

This lead to another discovery: the lack of tow hooks on the Summit-trim GC. Granted, this is the most luxurious version of the Grand Cherokee which will probably spend most of its time on pavement, but any vehicle equipped with drive modes like "Snow" and "Mud" should include easy to access recovery hooks. We ended up hooking the tow strap to a part of the axle, which meant crawling underneath, in the freezing snow, to hook it up. Eventually, we yanked it out.

Mature Beyond its Price Tag

As other AutoGuide.com reviews have agreed, the interior of the Grand Cherokee is luxurious beyond its price point with as much style as vehicles twice its price. Our tester was outfitted in Summit trim, which includes a seven-inch LCD gauge cluster, wood accents and comfortable stitched leather that covers just about every surface, including much of the dashboard.

The center console is laid out sensibly and simply, while the 8.4-inch touchscreen found there runs Chrysler's fantastic UConnect infotainment system. It is intuitive and the graphics make it simple to understand. Likewise, the seven-inch screen in the LCD gauge cluster is intuitive and makes pertinent information easy to access.

The one and only problem with the interior ergonomics that we found is the operation of the gear shifter. It is a finicky controller that can have you putting the vehicle in park while looking for reverse and it requires acclimation. Chrysler should consider installing the shift knob that it uses in many of its other vehicles, which is clear and easy to use.

Pricing Peril

Things to complain about on the diesel-powered GC are few and far between, until it comes to the price. The diesel engine is only available with the Limited, Overland and Summit trimmed Grand Cherokee, which means that the cheapest diesel-equipped model you can starts at $41,890. Just to get the oil-burner, you have to drop an extra $4,500 over a V6-powered Grand Cherokee, or $1,305 over the V8 HEMI motor.

The Verdict

The decision to purchase really comes down to how you will use this vehicle. Frankly, the V6 is a fantastic motor when hooked up to the eight-speed, and will return comparable fuel economy and a pleasurable drive experience. But if torque and fuel economy are absolute priorities, then the diesel-powered Grand Cherokee is the only choice.

LOVE IT

Elegant Interior
Loads of torque
Fuel Economy

LEAVE IT

Gear selector
Air suspension susceptible to wheel spin
Lack of tow hooks on Summit trim

Car Reviews

Wednesday 23 April 2014