Compare the2023 Honda CR-VVS 2023 Buick Encore GX

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Buick Encore GX doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Encore GX’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CR-V has a standard Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Encore GX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The CR-V 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. 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 CR-V has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Buick charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Encore GX.

The CR-V’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 CR-V 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, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CR-V its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Encore GX last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

The CR-V’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Encore GX’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the CR-V for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Encore GX.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the CR-V’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.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the CR-V’s reliability 15 points higher than the Encore GX.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 6 places higher in reliability than Buick.

The CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 53 more horsepower (190 vs. 137) and 17 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 162) than the Encore GX’s standard 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (190 vs. 155) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 174) than the Encore GX’s optional 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda CR-V is faster than the Buick Encore GX 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the Encore GX:

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

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Encore GX (235/60R18 vs. 225/55R18).

For superior ride and handling, the Honda CR-V 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 CR-V has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the CR-V 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 CR-V’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the Encore GX (106.3 inches vs. 102.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is 2.2 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Encore GX.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Encore GX AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CR-V has 9.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Encore GX (103.5 vs. 94.3).

The CR-V has .4 inches more front legroom, 3.7 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 4.4 inches more rear legroom, 2 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Encore GX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the CR-V’s rear seats recline. The Encore GX’s rear seats don’t recline.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Encore GX with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 23.5 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Encore GX with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 50.2 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CR-V easier. The CR-V’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Encore GX’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

The CR-V’s cargo area is larger than the Encore GX’s in every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the CR-V. The Encore GX doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The CR-V’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Encore GX’s (1500 vs. 1000 pounds).

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Encore GX uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The CR-V’s standard front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Encore GX’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically. The CR-V EX-L’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

On a hot day the CR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Encore GX can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CR-V has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Encore GX doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The CR-V’s 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 CR-V’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Encore GX’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

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 CR-V’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Encore GX’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

The CR-V 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 CR-V and the Encore GX offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the CR-V 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.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda CR-V and the Buick Encore GX, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Encore GX has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Buick Encore by over five to one during 2022.