For enhanced safety, the front and rear (child comfort guides) seat shoulder belts of the Buick Encore are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.
The Encore’s optional blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The X1 doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Encore’s optional cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The X1 doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.
Both the Encore and the X1 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, collision warning systems, lane departure warning systems and rear parking sensors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Buick Encore is safer than the BMW X1:
|
Encore |
X1 |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
122 |
328 |
Neck Injury Risk |
26% |
32% |
Neck Stress |
298 lbs. |
360 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
12 lbs. |
60 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.3 inches |
.5 inches |
Neck Stress |
122 lbs. |
175 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
249/289 lbs. |
309/268 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Encore is safer than the BMW X1:
|
Encore |
X1 |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
73 |
143 |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
.8 inches |
Abdominal Force |
120 G’s |
154 G’s |
Hip Force |
388 lbs. |
486 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
100 |
193 |
Spine Acceleration |
33 G’s |
65 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Hip Force |
707 lbs. |
815 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.