Buick Encore or Honda HRV

[The Pool Man]

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

Took my wife to sit in the HRV. (I know. So obsessed, right? But since she helped pay for the car she has the right to know if we made the right choice.) Anyway, that WAY smaller feeling came over me again... but this time... I believed the roof was lower. That is: my head was closer to it. My wife measured two fingers between my head and the roof. When we got back to the Encore, she managed two fingers PLUS her entire hand again. Her hand upwards, as in a handshake. That's a significant difference.

In the car she liked -- for some reason -- there were three lateral airvents in front of her. But she noticed the armrest didn't really work for her... despite their being one where the Encore doesn't have a passenger armrest at all. She does that thing where she uses the back of mine, a move we do in her Nissan Cube.

She didn't have the same problem I had with the center console, but she did notice she (the passenger) had more room than the driver somehow. And that my legs looked cramped.

 

[The Pool Man]

I sat inside the Fiat 500x. It and the Honda HRV are close rivals to the Trax/Encore. I found the Fiat negated any interest in the HRV. The Encore and Fiat understand the need for the driver to have right knee and headroom -- whereas the HRV doesn't get it.

Also the Encore and Fiat understand style. I prefer the younger style of the Fiat over the Encore, but the interior isn't so much better as to make me feel disappointed with the Encore. I'll bet the Fiat will steal younger buyers from Encore, Encore steal older buyers from Fiat. Buick could steal those customers back by offering one off variants of the Encore each year. Meaning an Encore in a cool color with modern interior.

I know Fiats aren't considered so reliable. But if this 500x ever became known as reliable -- I think the HRV will be dead in the water. Even the Trax is more exciting than the HRV.

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

Honda is notorious for not having leg room in it's subcompact models. The Fit (from which the HR-V is based) has never had enough leg room for me. I would place my feet on the floor under the pedals and still want more legroom even with the seat all the way back.

I can see where a more youthful color palette could benefit the Encore as an additional offering(s), but I don't really see the 500X interior as more "modern" other than colors. The Encore is the only one that feels to me like a mini-SUV than a hopped-up hatchback.

I think the vehicle would need to be wider for two armrests to work in the middle.

 

[Foursoors]

Looks like the Encore is holding its own quite well regarding the HRV in July sales. Since Honda has a buyer base predisposed to like their products (I'm one of them) that's good news for Buick.