Compare the2022 Mitsubishi OutlanderVS 2022 Buick Encore GX

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Outlander have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Buick Encore GX doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

The Outlander has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Encore GX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outlander has standard Rear Automatic Emergency Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Encore GX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Outlander has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Encore GX’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Outlander has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Encore GX.

The Outlander’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Encore GX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Outlander and the Encore GX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outlander its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Encore GX is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

The Outlander comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Encore GX’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Mitsubishi’s powertrain warranty covers the Outlander 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Encore GX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Encore GX ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Outlander’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Encore GX’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Outlander’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Encore GX’s camshafts. If the Encore GX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mitsubishi vehicles are better in initial quality than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mitsubishi third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked 12th.

The Outlander’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 44 more horsepower (181 vs. 137) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (181 vs. 162) than the Encore GX’s standard 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The Outlander’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 26 more horsepower (181 vs. 155) and 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (181 vs. 174) than the Encore GX’s optional 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mitsubishi Outlander is faster than the Buick Encore GX 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder:

The Outlander has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Encore GX (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Outlander’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Encore GX:

The Outlander’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Encore GX are solid, not vented.

The Outlander stops shorter than the Encore GX:

For better traction, the Outlander has larger standard tires than the Encore GX (235/60R18 vs. 225/55R18). The Outlander’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Encore GX (255/45R20 vs. 225/55R18).

The Outlander’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Encore GX’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Outlander offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Encore GX’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For superior ride and handling, the Mitsubishi Outlander has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Buick Encore GX has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Outlander has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Outlander flat and controlled during cornering. The Encore GX’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Outlander’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Encore GX (106.5 inches vs. 102.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Outlander is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Encore GX.

The Outlander SEL AWC handles at .85 G’s, while the Encore GX Essence AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Outlander SEL AWC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Encore GX AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Outlander’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Encore GX’s (36.1 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outlander ES has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Encore GX (8.3 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Outlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outlander SE/SEL’s minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the Encore GX (8.4 vs. 7.5 inches).

The Outlander has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Encore GX can only carry 5.

The Outlander has 31.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Encore GX (125.5 vs. 94.3).

The Outlander has .9 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 3.9 inches more rear legroom, 5.8 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Encore GX.

The Outlander’s cargo area provides more volume than the Encore GX.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Outlander’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Encore GX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Outlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Encore GX’s (2000 vs. 1000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Outlander uses the Active Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Encore GX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Outlander SE/SEL’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The Encore GX’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

The Outlander ES’ standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Encore GX’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Outlander’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Encore GX’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Outlander S-AWC has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Encore GX doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outlander to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Encore GX doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Outlander and the Encore GX offer available heated front seats. The Outlander SEL also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Encore GX.

The Outlander has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Encore GX Select/Essence.

Both the Outlander and the Encore GX offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Outlander has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Encore GX doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.