2021 Encore GX ... AWD or FWD

[TCerebus]

I've decided upon the purchase of a 2021 Encore GX in Select trim. But I'm having difficulty in deciding between AWD or FWD. I live in Pennsylvania, so AWD would be preferred during the winter ... but my current car is a FWD sedan and I've been OK with that. I presume the FWD has less weight and therefore better performance year round. But a significant performance difference? Undecided.

 

[mshultz]

AWD on the Select adds 220 pounds. Here are the EPA ratings:
FWD 1.2L: 28 City 31 Hwy
FWD 1.3L: 30 City 32 Hwy
AWD 1.3L: 26 City 29 Hwy

The optional engine and 9-speed auto rather than CVT are compelling reasons all by themselves to get the AWD version. I have a 2019 Encore with the optional direct injection engine and 6-speed auto. It has about the same output as the 1.3L Encore GX engine. The AWD allows it to just go, not only in snow, but also on wet, muddy, or gravel roads. I'll never go back to FWD, even if I moved to the deep South. I live in Wooster, Ohio, so I have to put up with snow and hills, especially my driveway, which slopes down to the basement garage.

Here's a Truck King test of the Buick Encore GX where they compared acceleration on snow in both FWD & AWD. The difference is substantial:

 

[TCerebus]

AWD on the Select adds 220 pounds. Here are the EPA ratings:
FWD 1.2L: 28 City 31 Hwy
FWD 1.3L: 30 City 32 Hwy
AWD 1.3L: 26 City 29 Hwy

The optional engine and 9-speed auto rather than CVT are compelling reasons all by themselves to get the AWD version. I have a 2019 Encore with the optional direct injection engine and 6-speed auto. It has about the same output as the 1.3L Encore GX engine. The AWD allows it to just go, not only in snow, but also on wet, muddy, or gravel roads. I'll never go back to FWD, even if I moved to the deep South. I live in Wooster, Ohio, so I have to put up with snow and hills, especially my driveway, which slopes down to the basement garage.

Here's a Truck King test of the Buick Encore GX where they compared acceleration on snow in both FWD & AWD. The difference is substantial:

Thanks for the comments and link to the video. This really helped me decide that I want the AWD. My friendly neighborhood Buick dealer has no AWD Encore GX's in stock right now, just FWD. They also claim that they aren't getting new inventory for "a while". So I could expand my search for the purchase, or wait it out. I'll see how this plays out.

 

[Smoothsailer717]

GM may be using the same cvt as Nissan again.. Its probably a decent unit... The tech should be decent by now especially for this little light weight car... The DVD would be a better driver I would think.. 9 gears is too many... Test drive a cvt

 

[TCerebus]

A friend identified to me that GM has made a series of political contributions to "entities" that I don't support. I did a little research and verified this to be true. So I will not be buying a Buick after all. We can end this topic.

 

[Henryd1981]

GM may be using the same cvt as Nissan again.. Its probably a decent unit... The tech should be decent by now especially for this little light weight car... The DVD would be a better driver I would think.. 9 gears is too many... Test drive a cvt

Actually, the CVT that's in the GX is, thankfully, not a Nissan (Jatco) design. The CVT in the GX is a GM transmission. It's designated the VT-40, and, IMO, it's not only better than any Jatco CVT, it's also much better than the VT-25, which was a disaster of a transmission used by Saturn for a few years in the ION and the VUE.