Used 2017 Buick Encore Consumer Reviews
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Was a great car, had to trade in due to size
sskipp@fop.net, 04/23/2017
updated 10/26/2020
2017 Buick Encore Preferred II 4dr SUV AWD (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
81 of 85 people found this review helpful
Updated: wife has to use a mobility scooter. Would not fit in car. Had to trade in after a year. Poor resale value but no choice. Back to a RAV4. Great size, what we should have gotten instead but was trying to save $. I do miss this car for the comfort and driving. UPDATED: After 10K miles and 9 months of ownership, I have only a couple of negatives. Price, without rebates, is excessive. No passenger armrest is unforgivable. Cargo area is a bit tight and I wish it had a bit more room for things. Everything else is good or great, mostly great. Front seats have helped with my neuropathy by supporting the back of my legs. Car holds road at well over speed limit, handles great, and is like when I owned my Mini Countryman - like driving a go-kart. Shifts great. Enough power. No complaints. Everything has worked as it should and provides a good value when you consider rebates. I would recommend this car to everyone and anyone.....most don't realize it, but this is one amazing car and will fit the bill for many even if they don't know it yet. Headlights with fog lights on are simply amazing. I've never owned a car I have enjoyed so much and am so glad to have. Quiet ride. Great radio. Too many goods to mention. We purchased this about a week ago. We've logged over 500 miles and while it is a good car in lots of ways, some basic things seem to have eluded the engineers at Buick. Note, this is made in South Korea, not in the USA as would be assumed if it has the Buick name. The biggest complaint I have to start out with is the lack of a passenger armrest, and the almost completely useless one attached to the driver's seat. Come on, really, no center arm rest? We didn't realize it during our short test drive, but it is very annoying. Two adults sitting side by side in the front, are sucking up each other's oxygen. The cabin feels cramped. And that you could deal with if there were a stupid center armrest. Many things about this car are great - gas mileage is about 27 mpg with mixed driving, and a quiet ride and decent handling of bumps. Steering is easy and accurate, and easy to get into a parking spot. The A/C and heat work well. The car has a decent feel about it, not cheesy or junky. It is smaller than other SUV's, and I'd say over priced for the size and functionality of this car. BUT, we needed a less expensive car and still wanted an SUV, with AWD. This, coupled with the 16% off from GM, it turned out to be the answer for us to downsize our car payments. For the pricepoint of $25K after discounts, you get an SUV, with AWD, and a host of features that you could not get on other SUV's. So, it fits the bill. Awesome LED daytime lights, which double as parking lights and turn signals, LED tail lights and brake lights, which is really amazing. Plus, fog lights. Auto on/off lights. Navigation. Carplay (although it is buggy). Side blind spot monitors in the mirrors. Upgraded cool 18" wheels with nice tires. A real spare (mini spare, but not a can of flat fix). And the car is overall a good value for the money, compared to the SUV I have for my use. Without the 16% back, I would not have bought this as it would have been out of my price expectations. It isn't perfect, but for what it is, and what it cost, I'd say it is a decent value. You have more leg room up front than you'll need. This helps the back seat passengers, who could not fit unless the seats are slid forward. The cargo area is small, but the rear seats do fold down and that opens up alot of space. This fit our plan to shrink our car payments and provides a decent value with the 16% off sale.
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top notch
Jerry Wright, 05/04/2019
2017 Buick Encore Essence 4dr SUV (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
If you are looking for a small SUV you can't beat the Encore. Just bought my second one and did nothing except have the oil changed on my first one.
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2017 Buick Encore for sale near you
3 of 76 listings
- Preferred 4dr SUVMSRP: $18,5909 mi away
- Preferred 4dr SUVMSRP: $14,9909 mi away
- Preferred II 4dr SUVMSRP: $15,5909 mi away
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The Goldilocks compromise car
Bruce Borgerson, 02/11/2020
updated 08/11/2020
2017 Buick Encore Preferred 4dr SUV (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
Not too big, not too small. Good gas mileage but not great. Adequate performance but but strains when pushed hard. More than basic but not too fancy. Better than average reliability. In other words, the Encore has turned out to be a good -- and affordable -- compromise. In its class, it excels only in that it is blissfully quiet at highway cruising (the active noise cancellation really works). But it will growl when you floor it. We scored ours in 2019 with only 21k miles for a hair over $16,000. Overall, as happy as was Goldilocks with her porridge. One year update: An annoying steering clunk fixed under warranty. No other problems. This was a downsize for better fuel economy when our son took our 2006 CR-V, but so far -- hauling everything from furniture to landscaping gravel -- no time when we couldn't haul something that would have fit the CR-V.
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Idea for two 0ld retire people
KKF, 09/01/2018
updated 09/06/2019
2017 Buick Encore Preferred 4dr SUV (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
21 of 22 people found this review helpful
With turbo it has enough git up go for us. It is easier for my wife to get in the car. Took a 250 mile trip and got around 32 miles to gallon at about average speed 0f 80 miles per hour. Started to use ethnol free gas and have pickup performance and 4 miles per gallon around town.
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Quiet Ride But Lacks Acceleration
Sky C., 04/19/2020
updated 10/22/2020
2017 Buick Encore Preferred 4dr SUV AWD (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
I test drove all the comparably sized/priced compact SUVs (Chevy Trax, Honda CRV, Nissan Rogue), and the Buick Encore was by far the quietest running/riding in its class. While I was initially very impressed by the smooth ride and quiet cabin (Buick says they implement a sound dampening windshield and noise cancelling sound system), soon after purchasing I discovered its shortcomings. Acceleration is extremely poor, which makes passing a risky proposition. Also, because of the short wheelbase, when there are ridges or seams spaced equally apart on the highway it sets up a very unpleasant noise inside the cabin. But for city driving, it's a quiet, easily maneuvered vehicle, and by timing the purchase to enable the maximum incentives to become available (I purchased brand new in late April of the next model year, when dealer incentives were significant), I got the exact same vehicle as the next model year (no changes were made to the design and amenities whatsoever; only the addition of an auto stop/start system which I did not want in my vehicle anyway). This enabled me to get the AWD version for less than the next year's identical 2WD. Interior amenities are a little more upscale than the competition, and the sound system is quite good. Encore is a good value for the price, just be aware the most OEM replacement parts have to ship from South Korea or China, and that adds a tremendous amount of time for repairs to be completed (awaiting arrival of replacement parts). (Updated 10/21/20): After just two years (and too many situations arising where trying to merge with freeway traffic became actually dangerous due to the total absence of acceleration in this tiny “turbo” engine), I’m looking to get into a different vehicle, as this one has proven too dangerous with no available acceleration when needed above 50 mph.