Still, the ride is comfortable despite the short wheelbase, and the electric power steering is light yet accurate. Throw in safety features like our tester's optional all-wheel-drive system, Lane Departure Warning, Front Collision Alert and front and rear park assist, and the Encore looks on paper like a bonafide luxury ride. If, say, my steering became erratic, if I clawed at controls awkwardly, if I failed to signal lane changes, the Attention Assist stood ready to sound a startling beep and flash a bright warning in the speedometer's center. Because of the Encore's slim dimensions, though, the center console is too narrow to accommodate such hardware, with only room enough between the seats for a pair of cupholders in single-file. The front seats are supportive and comfortable, though the driver-seat-mounted armrest is a little chintzy and the footwell is narrow enough that one's right knee often rests, or really bangs, up against the hard plastic of the center console.
The matte plastic used in the center stack feels high quality at your fingertips, but displays fingerprints as clearly as the seven-inch screen above it displays your favorite tracks. It’s available with either a standard roof or high roof and as a cargo van or 12-seat passenger hauler. That said, there are many features available on the Encore - and standard on our top-trim Premium tester - that we think upwardly mobile buyers are seeking: heated seats, a heated steering wheel, Bose audio system, memory settings, a 120-volt three-prong outlet for rear seat passengers, rain-sensing windshield wipers and a rearview camera. There are many features available we think upwardly mobile buyers are seeking. Buick must think this two-tone treatment is important, as there is no option to have the lowers come in the same color as the body. What helps the Encore's crossover cred the most, however, are the body panels painted a darker color that surround the vehicle's lower extremities.
Not only do they look like they're there to guard the precious paint from scratching, but the dark color is an old designer's trick that helps reduce visual height and fools the eye into thinking there's more ground clearance than what's really there. It has a high roof option that expands the interior height to 6 feet 6 inches, which means most people can stand upright inside. The MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension does a fine job flattening the road ahead and making minor potholes disappear, but the Encore's height means body roll is unavoidable. The job application has not been completed and requires further action. The Encore also features the brand's well-marketed QuietTuning, including the first application of Bose Active Noise Cancellation Technology in its vehicles. Price4Limo has over 12,000 vehicles in our inventory with photos and prices for you to choose for your transportation needs. For 1973, Mercedes acknowledged the obvious and changed the names of America's R107 to 450SL and 450SLC, but carried them over otherwise virtually unchanged. And while the latest version of Buick's Intellilink infotainment system is full-featured enough to be class competitive with systems in other luxury crossovers, its location and input method is stilted.
Buick's little crossover that can, however, is also conspicuously missing some features one might expect in a premium offering and can find elsewhere. No one knows where the truth stands, but maybe it would be better for the Formula 1 to separate from FIA and become an independent auhority. It gets better gas mileage than its competitors and handles corners and small roads like a dream. To be frank, we weren't wild about the Saddle color scheme of this particular interior, nor the plasticky look of the wood trim, but there are many other combinations available that look better and feel just as nice. Right off the lot there wasn't even a working horn. Still, while a fully loaded Nissan Versa Note may have many of this Encore's features, and some it doesn't even offer (pushbutton start, 360-degree bird's-eye monitor, etc.), all-wheel drive is off the table and it still feels like a relatively cheap economy car to drive by comparison.
