Buick Encore GX to Offer a Pair of Three-cylinder Engines

As you know, the all-new 2020 Buick Encore GX that was unveiled in China this spring will go on sale in Canada next year.

However, when General Motors made the announcement, it gave very few details about this fourth Buick crossover that will slot below the Envision and above the best-selling Encore.

• Also: Buick Encore GX is Coming Here in Early 2020
• Also: First Look at the Redesigned 2020 Buick Encore

We know it will ride on the automaker’s new VSS-F platform and have a longer wheelbase than the regular Encore. There will be plenty of new standard safety and driver assist features, including Front Pedestrian Braking and a Rear Camera Mirror, plus about 140 litres of extra cargo room in the trunk.

Now, courtesy of GM Authority, we can put to rest speculation about the powertrain.

Instead of carrying over the turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine, the 2020 Buick Encore GX will offer not one, but two brand-new three-cylinder units—both of them turbocharged, as well.

The base 1.2-litre engine is rated at 137 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque, while the optional 1.3-litre mill generates 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque.

We remind you that the current Buick Encore supplies 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque from its turbo-four, so the drop in displacement shouldn’t be a concern when it comes to performance.

As for transmission choices, both new engines will reportedly team up with a CVT in front-wheel drive applications, while the 1.3L-AWD combo will rely on GM’s nine-speed autobox.

The 2020 Buick Encore GX will likely make its North American auto show debut in Los Angeles this fall. We’ll have more information and pictures to share at that time.