Buick will reportedly further thicken the
line between the Encore and Encore GX by phasing out the upper grades of the
former. The 2021 model year Encore will make do without the Sport
Touring and Essence specs, and should be sold only in the Base and Preferred
trim levels.
Citing a dealer order guide, CarsDirect
has revealed that with the demise of the aforementioned grades, the amenities
offered by them, including the leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, LED
headlamps, auto-dimming rearview mirror and so on, will no longer be available
for the Encore and those who want them will have to upgrade to the Encore GX
instead.
While the current Encore lineup ranges
between US$ 24,195 and US$ 31,795, including destination, the 2021 iteration will
continue to start at US$ 24,195, but will go up to only US$ 26,215 in the new
Preferred range-topper with all-wheel drive.
The 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
engine will soldier on with no changes whatsoever, producing 138 HP at 4,900 rpm and 201 Nm of torque at 1,850 rpm. Average
fuel economy is 28 mpg (8.4 l/100 km) in the current front-wheel drive model
and 26 mpg (9.1 l/100 km) in the AWD variant.
Meanwhile, the 2021 Encore GX is
understood to launch from $25,195, with the range-topper being available from US$ 31,595. The 1.2- and 1.3-liter turbocharged engines are believed to be
retained, pumping out 137 HP at 5,000 rpm and 220
Nm at 2,500 rpm in the former, and 155 HP at 5,600 rpm and 236 Nm at 1,600 rpm in the latter.
