1.2 like or dislike?

[LACJ]

thinking of 1.2 this time with cvt any thoughts?

 

[Henryd1981]

I can't speak for the 1.2L engine, but I have no real complaints about the CVT.

 

[droberts]

I love my GX, but I've had a problem with the liftgate intermittently locking up since I pulled the car off the lot. The liftgate will randomly refuse to open when I attempt to open it (I do NOT have a power liftgate), yet I'll get a warning light on the dash that says "Trunk Open". Yeah, when I have a cart full of groceries in the pouring rain, I really, really wish my trunk was open so I could load everything in. I've taken the car back to the dealership many times while under warranty. They've replaced the latch twice, even though I questioned the second replacement...like, if it didn't work the first time, why do it again? Now they're telling me they might need my car for up to a week to do a deeper dive and "get GM involved"...like why didn't you do that before. The car is no longer under warranty, and they're saying I'll be responsible for the cost of repair. Totally shady, imo.

If you need to ever put things in your trunk...you know, like most people do, or if you ever need to pick up relatives from the airport and can't fit said relatives WITH their luggage in the back seat, then I wouldn't recommend buying an Encore GX.

 

[HuffAZ]

Most feel the 1.2L performs well and are happy with it. However, it is an older design. The newer 1.3L has noticiably more power when passing or climbing mountain grades. I've not been a fan of CVT's. GM uses CVT's made by Jatco who are not know for reliability. The 9 speed auto transmission seems to be far more reliable.

 

[HuffAZ]

If you need to ever put things in your trunk...you know, like most people do, or if you ever need to pick up relatives from the airport and can't fit said relatives WITH their luggage in the back seat, then I wouldn't recommend buying an Encore GX.

We've taken long road trips with 3 people and a large dog in our Encore GX. Plenty of room for a weeks worth of luggage with room to spare. We don't use large suit cases though.

 

[G-721514]

We've taken long road trips with 3 people and a large dog in our Encore GX. Plenty of room for a weeks worth of luggage with room to spare. We don't use large suit cases though.

The point is that my liftgate intermittently refuses to open, rendering the trunk inaccessible.

 

[Henryd1981]

Most feel the 1.2L performs well and are happy with it. However, it is an older design. The newer 1.3L has noticiably more power when passing or climbing mountain grades. I've not been a fan of CVT's. GM uses CVT's made by Jatco who are not know for reliability. The 9 speed auto transmission seems to be far more reliable.

The CVT in the GX is not a Jatco. It's actually a GM design, the VT-40, which debuted in the 2019 Chevy Malibu. The only GM product I'm aware of that used a Jatco CVT was the Chevy Spark.

 

[HuffAZ]

The CVT in the GX is not a Jatco. It's actually a GM design, the VT-40, which debuted in the 2019 Chevy Malibu. The only GM product I'm aware of that used a Jatco CVT was the Chevy Spark.

That's true. In the late 90's GM created their own CVT but that project ended in 2004 after numerous failures in their design. They then used conventional auto's. Some time after that they parterned with Nissan to use Jatco CVT's until 2019 when they came out with the VT40. Not sure what cars had those Jatco's other than the Spark. The VT40 seems to be just as prone to failure as their earlier CVT project or the Jatco CVT's.

 

[Henryd1981]

That's true. In the late 90's GM created their own CVT but that project ended in 2004 after numerous failures in their design. They then used conventional auto's. Some time after that they parterned with Nissan to use Jatco CVT's until 2019 when they came out with the VT40. Not sure what cars had those Jatco's other than the Spark. The VT40 seems to be just as prone to failure as their earlier CVT project or the Jatco CVT's

I don't think they necessarily partnered on the with Nissan so much as they just used an outsourced transmission, kinda like how Chrysler used the Jatco CVT in the Dodge Caliber in the mid-late 2000s. I would say the original GM CVT is arguably worse than Jatco or the current GM CVT. I actually had a 2004 Saturn ION Quad Coupe with that transmission. The one thing about it was its lagging response from a stop.

My GX is a lease with a bit over two years left on it, so it'll most likely be turned in before it hits 40k miles. If I get another GX, I wouldn't mind going for the AWD model. I'm keeping my options open.

 

[G-836280]

thinking of 1.2 this time with cvt any thoughts?

I have had both, The 1,3 is much better. Not as noisey and better mileage. We have 2 now.