The market for hot hatches in America is basically dead. With a few exceptions, there are very few buyers who want to pony up for a fast five-door. That said, American’s will buy crossovers, and we are starting to see some sporty versions of those. Models like the new Mercedes GLA45 AMG, Nissan Juke Nismo, and Mini Cooper Countryman JCW are all proving that sporty compact crossovers are an untapped market. Now GM wants a piece of the pie and they are charging onto the scene with the new 2016 Buick Encore Sport Touring.
Based on the small Encore CUV, the new Sport Touring comes with a new turbocharged engine, full body kit upgrade, and some new standard equipment. No word on any suspension tuning though, which could be bad news for anyone interested in this. The motor is a 1.4-liter turbo unit, but according to GM it’s an “exclusive, all-new” unit, meaning it is not the same motor found in the Chevy Sonic RS. This new engine is good for 153 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, which is a healthy 11-percent more power and 20-percent more torque than the standard Encore engine. Standard transmission is a six-speed automatic.
The new car does come with some nice features like start/stop, OnStar with 4G LTE wifi, ten airbags, and a smattering of active safety equipment.
The new car will be on sale this fall, and we expect to hear more about it closer to the on-sale date.
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