2014 Buick Encore

THIS CROSSOVER GAVE ME THE KEYS TO THE CITY.

Words and pictures by Wayne Tindall

I’ve got to be perfectly honest... I’ve only ever wanted to own compact cars and sport sedans. The reason is simple: I’m a city boy... born and bred. In my book, SUVs and crossovers are for the ‘burbs and open roads. City driving requires a sleek and nimble ride to get me in and out of tight places and to deal with traffic, the unexpected and more traffic.

When asked to test drive the 2014 Buick Encore Premium Package with All Wheel- Drive on the busy streets of Toronto, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to prove my point.

But it wouldn’t take long for me to realize that perhaps I might have gotten it all wrong.

Standing out front of the dealership, I watched as my Buick Encore was brought round and parked beside its bigger brother. Next to the larger Enclave, there was no mistaking Encore’s compact urban size. It was obvious that it had been designed to fit comfortably into modern city living. 

First impression... Encore belongs to the city

Against the grey November sky, the sophistication of the contoured Encore was striking. When my wife hopped in, she was immediately impressed with the luxurious interior with its black, supple leather and detailed stitching, saying, “this would be perfect for our opera nights” (yes, we’re season subscribers to the opera, but more about music later). I liked the unobstructed view of the instrument panel and the feel of the leather-wrapped steering wheel with its easy to access stereo settings, cruise control, and Bluetooth^®. And I was particularly interested in the Driver Information Centre. This convenient technology gave me the freedom to choose which of the vehicle’s functions to monitor while on the road. Who’d have thought watching tire pressure would be so captivating?

But what I really enjoyed was the indulgence of having a heated steering wheel at the mere touch of button (did I mention this was a chilly November?).

My wife was starting to grow impatient while I continued exploring Encore’s technological features, especially the SiriusXM™ Satellite Radio. Didn’t take long to have my six favourite stations selected and locked in... Bach to Beatles to basketball all at my command. I looked at her and said, “Fasten your seatbelt and let’s go to town.”

New meets old

My wife suggested we make our way to the Distillery District to get a head start on our holiday shopping list. I didn’t even know we had a list. Heading along Lakeshore Boulevard into the city’s core, we encountered road construction and traffic was just crawling. We were detoured and funnelled down a narrow lane bordered on either side with concrete barriers. I got a bit nervous that this was going to be a rather tight squeeze for the Encore but was amazed at how much room I had on either side. With such a spacious interior, you can easily forget just how compact Encore really is.

Once at our destination, I spotted the lone empty parking spot and backed in using the (standard equipment) Rear Vision camera to easily guide me. The beeps from the Ultrasonic Parking Assist alerted me that I was a wee bit too close to the car on my left. A slight adjustment and we were parked and ready to hit the stores, artists’ boutiques and restaurants located in the wonderfully restored old buildings that make up the historic Distillery District (with some buildings dating as far back as 1832). This world-acclaimed pedestrian-only village is right in the heart of Toronto, making it ideal for family outings, shopping, dining and the arts. 

Now more than the city warms my heart

The sun was sinking low and so was my bank account, so we headed to one of our favourite restaurants down along the lake to recoup. With the drop in temperature, we both appreciated our heated seats with three settings. They heated up quickly and in no time we were both feeling nice and toasty. And the Dual Climate Controls let my wife set her side a few degrees shy of a steam bath. To avoid the earlier road construction, I decided to take a shortcut. This led us to a road closure near St. Lawrence Market and the Flatiron Building. With little room to manoeuvre, I was able to take advantage of Encore’s tight turning circle to make a U-turn and get us quickly on our way. City driving at its dipsy-doodling best... and in a crossover.

After a great meal, we came out of the restaurant to be greeted by a magnificent view of the city all lit up against the night sky and reflected magically in Humber Bay. Seeing the skyline twinkling and the CN Tower casting a colourful beacon of light, I was reminded of just how spectacular Toronto’s skyline is.

Storage space strikes a major chord

On Tuesday I got an unexpected call from a long-time friend and drummer inviting me to play my guitar in a session he was putting together. Just one catch: could I also bring along my keyboard and an extra amp? That would be three guitars, a keyboard, a keyboard stand, two amplifiers, and my “gig” bag full of cables and pedals. That much gear wouldn't fit in my car’s trunk, but it was no problem for Encore. I simply folded down the 60/40 rear seat backs to increase the cargo space and I was able to fit all my equipment in with room to spare. It was a great evening of smokin’ hot music and catching up with some old band mates. While packing up, my buddy handed me a memory stick loaded with a recording of our session.

As I backed out of the narrow alleyway behind the rehearsal space (I was really starting to like the rear view camera) and started to drive through this deserted industrial part of town, I remembered the memory stick. At the first opportunity I slipped it into the USB port. Soon I was listening to our session with the wonderful sound of the Bose^® 7-speaker audio system pointing out each and every one of my mistakes with glorious clarity.

Posh tea, lightning and feeling safe

That Saturday my wife and I were off for high tea at one of Yorkville’s most exclusive hotels. Along the way, the Buick IntelliLink™ system displayed a weather warning on the 7-inch full-colour LED screen. With a simple touch of the screen we were alerted to a nasty weather system coming our way (did I bring my umbrella?). Parked around the corner from the hotel, Encore with its sophisticated chrome accents and wheels, stylish lines, and elegant curves was certainly a natural in this fashionable part of town.

Driving home and the front wipers seemed to just come on by themselves. The Rainsense™ wipers had detected moisture and automatically began to clear the windshield. Soon it was raining hard, fuelled by a gusting and biting wind (remember that weather warning). Despite the sheets of rain coming down, the wipers kept both front and back windows clear and the traction control kept us firmly planted on the road. With such poor visibility, I was glad the Encore came equipped with available Side Blind Zone Alert to warn me of traffic coming up from behind in other lanes. It was also comforting to know that we were surrounded by 10 standard airbags.

Thanks to the Driver Information Centre, I learned that during the week-long test-drive I travelled 326.8 kilometres, used a little over half a tank of gas, the engine logged 28 hours, and averaged 8.1L/100km combined (mainly) city and highway driving.

Test-driving the Encore gave me a great excuse to re-discover many exciting areas ofmy city. Bloor West Village, the Annex, Queen Street West, and the Esplanade never looked better. And, from grocery shopping to making the Yorkville scene, I truly believe that the versatile 2014 Buick Encore is more than capable of taking on the streets of Toronto... all the while looking oh so urban-chic.

Wayne Tindall, a 3^rd generation Torontonian, is a freelance writer, photographer and wannabe rock musician.

original article here: http://www.gm.ca/gm/english/owner_centre/buick/features/article/1395763876866