Buick Encore or Honda HRV

[EncoreEncore]

I'm very undecided.
Encore: much better looking car, especially the front grill and the interior. The dashboard of the Honda is painful to look at, there's no comparison.
HRV: 10 % better mileage and a MSRP that is $ 3K or $ 4K lower than the Encore.

Encore, made in South Korea, and apparently a quite reliable car after already 3 years on the market. And it seems the reliability of the Buick brand in general is on the rise.
HRV, made in Mexico, and from what I read from early owners, there's a lot of little problems due to poor manufacturing quality.

What's your experience with the Encore?

Thank you.

 

[lparsons21]

My experience with the Encore and with the modern day Buicks in general is that they are among the most reliable of vehicles. And that literally goes back quite a few years, just look around and see how many older Buicks are still on the road.

The HRV looks to be a fine vehicle from Honda, which is a respected brands. But other than in ads on TV, I've not seen one. In the ads it appears that it is smaller and lower than the Encore. I believe it has a CVT transmission which have had a fair share of problems across the Honda line. As to being cheaper, well they can be if you want less dressing up, but when I take an HR=V EX-L model and dress it as close to the same as an Encore with the Convenience level, it is very close in actual selling prices. And to take the HRV to a higher level of equipment just isn't possible as it isn't offered.

 

[Foursoors]

You pay a little more $$ and you get a much nicer vehicle. Really love our Encore and I don't really think the HRV is in the same class. From what I'm reading in reviews, the Encore is just so much nicer every way you look at it -- exterior, interior, ride quality, quietness. But the main thing is for you to drive them both and see which one you really like better. Do remember that there is a lot of negotiation room on the Encore and I would assume very little on the HR-V. Buicks traditionally have good reliability and so far this seems to be the case with the Encore as well. My second car is a Honda and I am in general more of a Honda type person but in this case I think the Buick has the edge.

 

[EncoreEncore]

just look around and see how many older Buicks are still on the road.

Yes, but that is very true for Honda, too.

The HRV looks to be a fine vehicle from Honda, which is a respected brands. But other than in ads on TV, I've not seen one. In the ads it appears that it is smaller and lower than the Encore.

The HRV and the Encore have almost identical length and width (the HRV is less than one inch longer).
However, the Encore is 2 inches taller (which I like).
I saw a HRV last week and it does NOT looks as nice as the Encore. Of course, that's just my humble opinion.

I believe it has a CVT transmission which have had a fair share of problems across the Honda line.

Can you elaborate on this? What I heard about the HRV 1.8 CVT is just that it's quite a boring engine. But that is probably true for the 1.4 L turbo of the Encore, too... right?

- - - Updated - - -

- - - Updated - - -

Do remember that there is a lot of negotiation room on the Encore and I would assume very little on the HR-V. Buicks traditionally have good reliability and so far this seems to be the case with the Encore as well. My second car is a Honda and I am in general more of a Honda type person but in this case I think the Buick has the edge.

Thanks. Can you tell me, what negotiation room is there (on the Encore), in your opinion?
On the Honda, you are right. The selling price is MSRP now, they are selling like hotcakes and no dealer accepts to bargain.

 

[Foursoors]

You should be able to get an Encore close to invoice --UNLESS you are in an area that is short of them. They do sell well and some dealers can't stock enough of them. There are often dealer cash incentives on the Encore and those are rare with Honda.
As to the CVT in the Honda -- nothing wrong with that. My Accord has the CVT and it's a wonderful transmission when matched to an engine with enough horsepower. Unfortunately that's not the case with the HRV. Both the Encore and the HRV are 138 HP I believe. But the turbo does a fine job of getting the Encore up to speed without a lot of noise. It's a very quiet vehicle. I personally like the seat height and taller stance of the Encore, but that's subjective.

 

[lparsons21]

I thought the Encore was taller, probably means the seating is taller too. That was a big selling point to me as getting into these low slung sedans of the day and even worse, getting out of one, just isn't good for my older body.
The Encore's are usually available around here for less than the fictitious 'invoice' pricing. Frankly I can't remember the last time I paid as much as invoice on any car and that includes a few of the Japanese brands too.
The CVT is fine as long as it works. The mfgs have now got them to the point that they are pretty much trouble free until the warranty runs out according to what I've read. To Honda's credit they seem to have gotten the most bugs out of theirs.

 

[Foursoors]

Any transmission is fine as long as it works. People say that about turbo-charging too. Both are a proven technology by now. It does improve fuel economy. For me the quieter growl of the turbo is worth the trade off. And I'm getting better fuel economy than the EPA numbers.

 

[EncoreEncore]

You should be able to get an Encore close to invoice --UNLESS you are in an area that is short of them. They do sell well and some dealers can't stock enough of them. Both the Encore and the HRV are 138 HP I believe. But the turbo does a fine job of getting the Encore up to speed without a lot of noise. It's a very quiet vehicle. I personally like the seat height and taller stance of the Encore, but that's subjective.

HRV gets 3 extra HP (141) and is less than 1 inch longer than the Encore; the Encore is 2 inches taller.
Here (NYC metro area) the dealer says they don't have enough stock to supply demand. But, what do I know.

I'm leaning toward the Encore. Also the Honda's name sounds too similar to HPV

 

[longislander]

HRV gets 3 extra HP (141) and is less than 1 inch longer than the Encore, but Encore is 2 full inches taller.
Here (NYC metro area) the dealer says they don't have enough stock to supply demand. But, what do I know.
I'm leaning toward the Encore. Also the Honda's name sound too similar to HPV

Do you have a specific dealer in mind? My friend is the manager of a dealer in The Bronx. We went there from LI to get it from him. If you want the info PM me.
Good luck and you will LOVE the Encore!!

 

[CarbonBlackCXS]

Do your homework. It's your money. All things considered buy the vehicle YOU like the best. Cost of ownership goes well beyond the price you paid for the car.

 

[The Pool Man]

Do remember that there is a lot of negotiation room on the Encore and I would assume very little on the HR-V. Buicks traditionally have good reliability and so far this seems to be the case with the Encore as well. My second car is a Honda and I am in general more of a Honda type person but in this case I think the Buick has the edge.

I went to a Honda Dealer and asked when the HR-V was arriving. They gave me that annoying look -- which means, shoot, I can't sell you a car this moment because the HR-V isn't here yet. I hate that look -- where you are punished for showing interest in a car that isn't presently on the lot.

So the guys says, "Probably in the next few weeks. But know we'll be charging sticker." And I said, "Nice way to blow the sale" and walked. It was that moment that made me commit to the Encore.

 

[The Pool Man]

I run mildly claustrophobic while simultaneously liking small cars. So basically I want a small sized car that's still roomy inside. In this way I don't love the backseat of the Encore. But since I will never be in and love the front seat, I don't care.

I sat in the HRV and despised the center console thing. It makes the car feel WAY smaller than the Encore.



That's the Indonesian wheel on the right version of the HRV. But see how that central thing is almost at the height of the door arm rest? Yuck. I suppose the plus is that it provides an arm rest of the passenger, but I think it's simply too ugly. Your taste my vary.

Oh, and anyone that would submitted this obscured jack situation at Apple would have fired on the spot by Steve Jobs. Atrociously poor design.

 

[Foursoors]

We first sat in the Encore in February and it was about 15 degrees so we were both wearing big puffy coats, and we had plenty of room! I couldn't believe it. I also think the seat height makes it feel more spacious. We like ours better every day.

 

[lparsons21]

I went to a Honda Dealer and asked when the HR-V was arriving. They gave me that annoying look -- which means, shoot, I can't sell you a car this moment because the HR-V isn't here yet. I hate that look -- where you are punished for showing interest in a car that isn't presently on the lot.

So the guys says, "Probably in the next few weeks. But know we'll be charging sticker." And I said, "Nice way to blow the sale" and walked. It was that moment that made me commit to the Encore.

I've seen that attitude in both the Honda and Toyota dealerships. Since Honda really doesn't have anything to appeal to me I don't care what they think they will charge. The Toyota dealer tried that stunt on me a number of years ago, so I said fine, I don't dicker either here's the price I'll pay for your van. He diddled around, talked to either the coffee guy or sales manager, who knows, and sold me the van for the price I told him I'd pay.

I'm have the attitude that what you are selling has a specific value to me, if you agree you get the sale. If you want to hold to your price I have and will continue to go elsewhere.

Now back to the description of the HR-V. Given the description given here I think Honda is stretching a point quite a bit. At the size, especially the height, is isn't a 'crossover' it is just another hatchback with a fancy description!! 🙂

 

[longislander]

We like ours better every day.

+1!!

 

[EncoreEncore]

I went to a Honda Dealer ....

So the guys says, "Probably in the next few weeks. But know we'll be charging sticker." .

That was a very bad salesman. 😀

- - - Updated - - -

Agree on the interior. Absolutely NO comparison with the elegant, sleek, perfectly executed interior of the Encore.

And yeah, those hidden jacks require to pull over (Ok we shouldn't get distracted and plug things in while driving, but....)

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

Oh, and anyone that would submitted this obscured jack situation at Apple would have fired on the spot by Steve Jobs. Atrociously poor design.

View attachment 7919

I am going to disagree that the ports are a poor design. While I am not a real fan of the floating console motif, the jack location and the rubberized tray allow you to keep the devices out of the way and preventing them and the cords from cluttering up the interior. I like the Enclave's top dash bin even better. The Regal's design is far worse placing them in a little cubby under the armrest which is too small for adult hands and fingers to use.

 

[NormT]

HR-V on the highway was painfully slow.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests...015_2016_subcompact_crossovers/?fullsite=true

 

[KSDeputy]

I bought a 2013 convenience Encore. As I am disabled I was having problems sliding across the cloth seat to get in, though I loved the SUV. In 2014 I traded it for a Premium Encore with leather seats. Now I have no problems getting in and out and I love the car. It gets 29.6 - 29.8 mpg, and as I use premium gas it is pretty snappy for such a small engine. I appreciate the higher ground clearance, too. In 2016 Buick is coming out with a larger midsize SUV that uses the same engine as my wife's Malibu. The Malibu engine is more powerful, and the mileage is said to be 27 mpg. I will look at it, but my Encore fits me just fine. My best friend drives nothing but Honda, other than that I know very little about them. I did look at the Chevrolet Trax, and it made me glad I bought a Buick. The Trax looked much cheaper inside. One more thing, slam the door on each, as I did on the Trax, and listen. You can easily tell which is a well made vehicle. Does the Honda have 10 airbags? The Encore does. In an SUV this small safety is paramount if you are to survive a crash.

 

[SE Mass Encore 14]

I bought a 2013 convenience Encore. As I am disabled I was having problems sliding across the cloth seat to get in, though I loved the SUV. In 2014 I traded it for a Premium Encore with leather seats. Now I have no problems getting in and out and I love the car. It gets 29.6 - 29.8 mpg, and as I use premium gas it is pretty snappy for such a small engine. I appreciate the higher ground clearance, too. In 2016 Buick is coming out with a larger midsize SUV that uses the same engine as my wife's Malibu. The Malibu engine is more powerful, and the mileage is said to be 27 mpg. I will look at it, but my Encore fits me just fine. My best friend drives nothing but Honda, other than that I know very little about them. I did look at the Chevrolet Trax, and it made me glad I bought a Buick. The Trax looked much cheaper inside. One more thing, slam the door on each, as I did on the Trax, and listen. You can easily tell which is a well made vehicle. Does the Honda have 10 airbags? The Encore does. In an SUV this small safety is paramount if you are to survive a crash.

I buzzed by one of those HRV's this week on the highway.... Our 14 Awd encore is a really good vehicle .. We are loving this thing...... Gm made a good call getting this in the states earlier than a bunch of the competition.... .