In search for a perfect urban family vehicle, Part VI: The Winner is Buick Encore

[gluzd]

This post is my first impressions and will have updates.  My first Encore test drive review.  We've finally selected a 2-year lease special offered by Buick and picked it up on Thursday, February 7, 2013.

Lease pros:

• Lower monthly payments than purchasing (we are paying $365/month with $2,500 down) for the Leather Group package
• You are forced to change the car every so often - a good thing for me personally.
• A relatively safe experiment with a US brand (potential reliability issues), since we are only committed for the first two years.

Lease cons:

• Unknown cost of repairs when returning the car.

Why Encore?

1. Form factor: tall and relatively roomy.  I wish they made this price range and class in boxes.  Unfortunately, boxes are either too economy (can't get memory seats, noisy, etc.) or too large and expensive (Land Rover).  Buick is basically the only company who dared to bring the mini-SUV form factor to the US at this time, other than Mini (who naturally specialize in everything mini).  Audi, Fiat, and others are to follow.
2. Easier to park than anything else in this class.  With 169" in length, this is the shortest new SUV on the US market, if you don't count Mini Countryman (162").  Standard rear view camera is a relevant compensation for limited backward visibility.
3. Availability of memory seats.  This is a super-useful option for urban environment where people have one car per family and switch all the time.  Believe it or not, but you can't get it on Sonic Hatch, Golf, Soul, xB, Mazda 5, C-Max, Countryman, Prius C, or ANY OTHER urban-friendly car on the US market.
4. Quiet.  Buick put a lot of design effort to minimize road noise.  The gearing makes the engine pretty quiet too (example: 3000 RPM at 90 MPH, 2600 RPM at 80 MPH).

What I hate about Buick so far:

1. One and only thing: bling.  All Leather Group Encores that were available right now had chrome wheels and you can't change it.  This is an addition of $1,000 to the total car price that was forced down my throat by some schlub on Buick's payroll who decided that's what the first batch of Leather Group Encores should have.  This looks like an attempt to attract the audience that can't afford this car anyway.  There are other decorative, non functional "design" elements that I am learning to tolerate.  Fake plastic hood vents are not cool, despite what the hoodlums are saying.

I don't get Buick designers.  They mix great useful things with bijouterie all in one package.  Since the overall package meets the family needs, I had to sacrifice my deign requirements.  Overall, the design feels like "more is better" was their main motto.  "Has to feel rich" or something along those lines.  Both interior and exterior are too busy, with too much detail, which is an inadequate approach for the ADD generation.

Speaking of family vehicles, there's a severe lack of competition to Mazda 5 on the US market.  Currently, it's the ONLY urban-ish minivan.  GM could be a real hero if it brought in Opel Combo to the US.  A 7-seater that's only 172" long would be a winner for people who have to park in cities like New York and Philadelphia.

Background: this was an emergency upgrade form a 2006 Scion xB.