Compare the2023 Volvo XC60VS 2023 Buick Encore GX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC60 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 its rear seat belts.

The XC60’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Encore GX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC60 and Encore GX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC60 Plus/Ultimate/Polestar has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Encore GX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Buick doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Encore GX. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC60 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC60’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.

The XC60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Encore GX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC60 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Encore GX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC60 has standard CTA Auto 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 XC60 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 XC60 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 XC60’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 XC60 and the Encore GX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver 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 around view monitors.

The Volvo XC60 weighs 735 to 1706 pounds more than the Buick Encore GX. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Buick Encore GX:

	XC60	Encore GX
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	185
Neck Injury Risk	22%	24%
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	178	401
Neck Injury Risk	28%	29%
Neck Compression	55 lbs.	82 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	329/351 lbs.	409/383 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 Volvo XC60 is safer than the Buick Encore GX:

	XC60	Encore GX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	91
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	126 lbs.	199 lbs.
Hip Force	190 lbs.	459 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
HIC	237	337
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	410 lbs.	591 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the XC60 is 2.4% to 3.8% less likely to roll over than the Encore GX.

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 “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Encore GX is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The XC60 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-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 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 6 years and unlimited miles longer than the Encore GX’s (12/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Encore GX.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the XC60 has a standard 800-amp battery (850 T8). The Encore GX’s 760-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the XC60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the XC60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Encore GX’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

Engine

The XC60 has more powerful engines than the Encore GX:

	Horsepower	Torque
XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	247 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
XC60 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	295 HP	310 lbs.-ft.
XC60 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	455 HP	523 lbs.-ft.
Encore GX 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder	137 HP	162 lbs.-ft.
Encore GX 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder	155 HP	174 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Buick Encore GX 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder:

	XC60	Encore GX
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.5 MPH	80 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Encore GX:

			MPGe
XC60
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	66 city/60 hwy
		T8 Electric Motor	59 city/55 hwy
Encore GX
			MPG
	FWD	1.3 turbo 3-cyl.	29 city/32 hwy
		1.2 turbo 3-cyl.	29 city/31 hwy
	AWD	1.3 turbo 3-cyl.	26 city/29 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 T8 Extended Range 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Encore GX 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder AWD (28 city/28 hwy vs. 26 city/29 hwy).

The XC60 can travel with zero emissions for 19 to 36 miles (dependent on model). The Encore GX can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The XC60 has 5.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Encore GX (18.8 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Encore GX:

	XC60	XC60 Recharge Polestar Engineered	Encore GX
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	15.7 inches	11.81 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	12.6 inches	10.39 inches

The XC60’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 XC60 stops shorter than the Encore GX:

	XC60	Encore GX
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC60 has larger standard tires than the Encore GX (235/60R18 vs. 225/55R18). The XC60’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Encore GX (265/35R22 vs. 225/55R18).

The XC60’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 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 XC60 offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Encore GX’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Volvo XC60 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 XC60 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the XC60 flat and controlled during cornering. The Encore GX’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The XC60 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Encore GX’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The XC60 Ultimate has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The XC60’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Encore GX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC60’s wheelbase is 10.6 inches longer than on the Encore GX (112.8 inches vs. 102.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC60 is 4 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Encore GX.

The XC60 AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Encore GX Essence AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC60 B5 Core AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Encore GX AWD (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the XC60 w/Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Encore GX (8.3 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the XC60 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The XC60’s minimum ground clearance is 1 inch higher than on the Encore GX (8.5 vs. 7.5 inches).

Passenger Space

The XC60 has 8.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Encore GX (103 vs. 94.3).

The XC60 has .6 inches more front legroom, 4.5 inches more front hip room, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear legroom, 7.9 inches more rear hip room and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Encore GX.

Cargo Capacity

The XC60 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Encore GX with its rear seat up (24.4 vs. 23.5 cubic feet). The XC60 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Encore GX with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 50.2 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC60 easier. The XC60’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Encore GX’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC60. The Encore GX doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The XC60’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Encore GX’s (3500 vs. 1000 pounds).

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC60 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction 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.

Servicing Ease

The XC60 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.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Encore GX Essence, the XC60 Ultimate/Polestar has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The XC60’s front and rear power windows all 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 passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the XC60 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Encore GX can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The XC60 has a standard locking fuel and charge port 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 XC60’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Encore GX’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Encore GX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The XC60’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.

Consumer Reports rated the XC60’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Encore GX’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Encore GX doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC60 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Encore GX doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC60 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC60’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Encore GX offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the XC60 and the Encore GX offer optional heated front seats. The XC60 Ultimate/Recharge also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Encore GX.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the XC60 Ultimate keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Encore GX doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The XC60 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 XC60 and the Encore GX offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the XC60 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.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Encore GX has never been chosen.