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The reason they were zippy with 90 horsepower was that they were made of paper they were so light. Get in an accident, and they wouldn't bother extracting you. They'd just send the whole wreck to the junkyard and have you turned into a cube of steel and bury you that way. Say what you will about the Encore and the Sonic on which it was based, they are incredibly safe vehicles. The whole platform was one of the safest GM ever built. But that's why the Encore, shorter than any of the cars you listed, clocks in at 3,358 lbs .. probably 1,300 lbs more than most of those cars.

It's a much deeper philosophical debate, but I side with @oldshurst442 on this one. People are too caught up in the rat race of just trying to keep their heads above water financially in this economy (everything since 1980, not just the last few years).

I kinda like it. I see it as the natural evolution of the original Encore that I and Albert both liked. Our only issue with the Encore was the size and the power. There are times, while I'm wheeling an Avalanche through suburbia, that I really miss the Encore. For a one or two-person travel car, it was fantastically comfortable for what it was. For someone who had to do a lot of driving travel by himself, the Encore was a great solution. I haven't driven the current-gen Encore GX, but I suspect if they kept the weight in check, the increase in horsepower plus the 9-speed auto probably makes this tolerable. Not fast, just tolerable. That said, I bought my Encore as a 2013 in 2012, and it was as top-shelf loaded as you could get without getting chrome wheels... and 11 years later, the Avenir model is slightly less money MSRP. (Mine was $34,9 for a Premium AWD) So they definitely kept prices in check.

True, much of this philosophical debate circles around financial keeping up with the jones versus living within ones means and enjoying to the maximum what one can afford and live with. While yes you are correct my friend that none of mine are CUVs, they are SUVs and are fun to drive. I do believe there are some CUVs that are fun to drive, but off the top of my head I cannot think after just finishing up a long day of writing a new Hands On Lab for our Trade Show in May in Vegas, so I think I would have to say that some of the German Performance CUVs might just be a hoot to drive even for the segment they are. Overall, the driving for the pure joy of driving is lost on the majority of Lemmings who get a license. AKA Prius owners, or heck just about any one who buys any auto and then farts along in the left lane at 40, 20 under the posted 60 MPH speed limit here and to make matters worse, we seem to have gotten a group of new idiot drivers who think driving in the left lane, 20 under with their hazards on is safe driving. ? At this point, my bottle of wine is calling me and a movie. Good night all, check in tomorrow. ?

It’s about step in height. Old people have a hard time getting in and out of sedans so they like these crossovers with a seat height that is same to their hips. And I guess there must still be some old people around that want a Buick. This brand is almost pointless now in North America otherwise.

I never told you to buy those. But...that is STILL not a CUV... THAT is still a fun, joyfilled vehicle. And its probably got the LEAST horsepower and is slower than the slowest car I posted... And... THAT is eons away from what an Encore represents... In essence, you agree with me.

@David Yet...of all your personal vehicles you just posted...NONE are CUVs!!! NOT the Trailblazer SS. NOT the Yukon. NOT the 'Slade. The ONE criteria you have, which is to fit, not ONE CUV past or present that you could fit in. Of ALL the econocars I posted....NONE are performance cars...

There's nothing fun about driving most of the time anymore.... that's probably why. What's the point of some high-powered coupe when you're just going to be stuck behind some semi-truck or a dolt in a Corolla in the left lane with their blinker on? I have gotten pretty aggressive of late of high-beaming people who park in the left lane at slow speeds. The driving skills have really dropped, especially since covid started.

Largely why we upgraded from the Encore to the 300C. We needed the space for hauling his elderly parents around and the Encore couldn't cut it in that department. I am glad we went back to a sedan. Ironically, we didn't take any hit in fuel economy. We got 17ish/30ish in the Encore and we get 17ish/30ish in the 300C. Still, the size of the Encore was a nice convenience for zipping around the city.

Ill answer you both (@David and @Drew Dowdell) with a song and picture like I did previously. For humour. About cars being dead one or two decades ago and about choosing the right tool for the job. Same answer for both. Buying one of these: Tell me you are alive and kickin' without telling me you are alive and kickin'! I aint disagreeing with what both of you are sayin'. But its quite sad that we once had these vehicles at our disposal to only have lifeless, joyless pods to roam around in. Its just a render...BUT look at all the fun the FWD sedan could bring us.

It's about picking the right tool for the job. When one is driving Pittsburgh -> Philly -> NY -> Connecticut -> Rhode Island -> Maryland -> Charlotte -> Pittsburgh in the matter of a week and a half like I was regularly doing, an "exciting" vehicle gets tedious to deal with. That kind of mileage, through that kind of traffic, on that kind of schedule, it's all about comfort and economy. Sure, I was getting mileage reimbursements, but that meant I wanted to keep my MPGs high, and I'd make a profit off of it. Rolling that same route in an Avalanche I'd lose money. At the time we bought it, I was making those long-distance trips often. Albert had a 60-mile r/t commute. We wanted quiet comfort. Same reason we have the 300C now. I buy things with 2 wheels for the thrills.

Its a CUV.... Regardless if its a Buick or a Toyota. Buying a CUV pretty much tells ME that YOU are an amoeba rather than a hot blooded, full of life, energy and emotions human being. But that is just me. It could be just about any other CUV...but since this is about I feel numb! EXACTLY!!! Numb and dumb!

Buick's quiet tuning is a real and noticeable thing. The Encore and Encore GX have active noise cancelation that really works. Buick was the first in their respective classes to offer it and Toyota and Chevy don't. It makes the OG Encore a calm place to be.

Pretty generic with no power, if you want a Korean SUV just get a Hyundai or Kia which make pretty good ones.

Decent appliance for generic consumers that want something to go from point a to point b. Decent interior. The styling is so generic it could be badged as one of many brands. It serves it's purpose in GM's brand ladder--a bit fancier than an equivalent Chevy, less truckular than GMCs, cheaper and less flashy than Cadillac.

The production version looks normalized, with only the front end similar to the concept.