General Motors has been open about the fact it’s allocating more resources to its electric-car future—the company plans for its lineup to be entirely electric by 2030. Internal combustion vehicles like the 2025 Buick Encore GX are getting just enough love to keep them competitive.
2025 Buick Encore GX Review
The Encore GX might not be the most profitable, but it’s Buick’s North American bestseller and must be tended to. To that end, the 2025 Buick Encore GX gets an Avenir top trim like the rest of the Buick family. Product planners also created a new ST trim level based on the Sport Touring package.
The new Encore GX prudently stays on the same platform, is the same overall size as before, and retains the same powertrains. The frugal refresh budget went to some cosmetic changes and a better infotainment system, enough updates to get this global vehicle through the rest of its life cycle as a subcompact SUV with an internal combustion engine.
The 2025 Encore GX becomes the first production model to adopt some of the styling cues of the Buick Wildcat EV concept unveiled last year, a luscious 2+2 coupe that telegraphed Buick’s future design direction. The Encore GX also becomes the first Buick to wear the new tri-colored and illuminated tri-shield logo, the emblem’s first significant change since 1990.
The front end is new, with a low mouth, high-mounted LED headlights, and a forward-leaning shark nose. The tri-shield leaves the grille and is now body-mounted on the front fascia. Look for the Easter egg: the logo etched into the front LEDs. The taillights are now full LEDs on all trim levels, and the back end features a new Buick wordmark.
The new Encore Avenir trim boasts body-color moldings and mirror caps, and the chrome mesh grille is more jeweled. The standard 19-inch wheels have an exclusive pearl-nickel finish. Look closely, and you see the taillights are smoked slightly to appear darker and richer than those in the ST, whose lights sport red coverings to make them brighter. The first Avenir model was the 2018 Buick Enclave, followed by the Buick Envision luxury midsize SUV. Today, roughly 28 percent of Buick’s sales are of the Avenir trim, making it an attractive business model now applied to the Encore GX.
Meanwhile, the Encore GX ST has its own set of 18- and 19-inch blacked-out wheels, gloss black bumpers, an optional black roof package, and a flat-bottom steering wheel. For 2025, the Encore range overall introduces a new hue, Ocean Blue, headlining a selection of youthful colors.
Engine
The carryover engines are the standard 127-hp, 162-lb-ft 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder, and the Avenir’s and ST’s 155-hp, 174-lb-ft 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder. Indeed, horsepower and torque are unchanged from before. The front-wheel-drive models use a CVT while the all-wheel-drive versions have a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The powertrains have been tuned to improve fuel economy slightly. The front-drive Encore GX will get an estimated 31/29/30 mpg city/highway/combined, while the AWD will likely get 29/26/27 mpg.
Interior
Encore interior updates won’t blow you away, either, but the ambiance gets a bump from a new quilting pattern on the seats. The big deal: The new Virtual Cockpit System gives the driver an 8.0-inch display and an 11.0-inch center screen, both under a single piece of glass in a new instrument panel. It replaces the old setup with physical gauges and two separate screens. The new system is configurable, allowing you to select your desired view and the information you want displayed.
You can also move trip info, tire pressure, and other pieces of data to the center screen. The system was designed for the Buick lineup going forward, starting with the Encore GX. Other brands will get a different version of the new cockpit, including the Chevrolet Trailblazer which has also been remodeled for the 2025 model year. The two share the same platform.
Another welcome update: wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—the outgoing model needed a cord to access those features. GM smartly retains a physical volume knob for the audio system. Besides sporting revised styling inside and out, the Encore GX will offer an Avenir variant for the first time. The luxurious trim has been embraced by more than 25% of Enclave and Envision buyers, and it’s now promising to make the brand’s entry-level crossover even more appealing.
While luxury is the name of the game, the Encore GX Avenir is distinguished by a unique grille, chrome accents, and exclusive 19-inch alloy wheels. Designers also gave the crossover unique taillights and black carbon metallic flourishes. Stepping inside, buyers will find an exclusive two-tone cabin with Whisper Beige leather seats that contrast with Jet Black components. That’s only part of what makes the Avenir special as the model comes equipped with a heated steering wheel, embroidered headrests, and an air ionizer. Customers will also find power front seats and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.
2025 Buick Encore GX Release Date & Price
Pricing for the new 2025 Buick Encore GX starts at $26,895, $300 less than the outgoing model—a nod to the fact this is Buick’s new entry-level vehicle thanks to the decision to discontinue the Encore. The expectation is Encore buyers will migrate up to the Encore GX if it remains affordable in a world where fewer choices are costing less than $30,000. The 2025 Buick Encore ST starts at $28,095, and the Avenir is $33,195.
Though most of the actual content carries over, GM attempted to repackage some features and make more amenities standard to simplify ordering. Built-in Korea, production begins in March; the first vehicles should reach North America at the end of May. Of all GM brands, Buick is the one most aggressively marketed to female buyers. It has proven successful: Women account for 55 percent of Buick buyers, and that percentage rises to 58 percent for the Encore GX. The brand will continue to target the demographic.
Buick will also continue to update its gas-powered lineup; the Encore GX is one of three reveals planned for this year. Another one is likely a similar midcycle update to the Buick Envision to adopt Wildcat styling, and the other is the addition of a new nameplate. Buick next year will launch its first pure electric SUV, followed by a second electric crossover SUV in 2025 for a total of five new vehicle launches in the next 18 months.