New Buick Engine Powering New Buick Encore Around It

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

General Motors announced Monday a new trim for the 2016 Buick Encore that will use a new 1.4-liter turbocharged four, which will be the first application of a new global-engine platform. The car will go on sale this fall.

According to GM, the new mill produces 153 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque — an 11 percent gain in power and 20 percent gain in twist over the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine currently doing duty in the cute ute. The two engines share only similar displacements. The current mill is rated at 138 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque.

There’s also a new Encore trim called Encore Sport Touring and it has a spoiler and 18-inch wheels and body-colored door handles and back to the engine.

The aluminum block has been specifically built to reduce friction and increase cooling, GM said in a statement announcing the Buick Encore Sport Touring.

In addition to its aluminum block and heads, GM said low-friction piston rings, camshaft drive and a low-friction oil pump will boost efficiency. A steel crankshaft was used to reduce engine vibration, and steel connecting rods used with aluminum-alloy pistons with low-tension rings will cut weight without sacrificing durability.

The small engine will also use a variable-flow oiling system that matches oil supply with engine load, removing excessive oil pumping. Oil jets will help cool pistons to increase efficiency.

At the other end, the cylinder head has a water-cooled exhaust manifold integrated with its aluminum casting to speed engine warm-up, and gasket seals around the exhaust ports have been removed. GM says both measures will help efficiency and durability, as well as offer “under-hood packaging advantages.”

Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

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  • Denx57 Denx57 on Jul 20, 2015

    All these fabulous specs. Reminds me of another GM debut.. the 1970 Vega with that high tech aluminum engine.

  • Shaker Shaker on Jul 21, 2015

    The thing that I HATE about CUV's: Plastic "Off-Road" cladding all around the bottom of the car to "protect" it from -- having to be waxed, as it looks like crap if you get wax on it. 5 years, and the sun-fade sets in, and you're applying "back-to-black" as often as some poor souls apply Preparation H...

    • See 1 previous
    • Shaker Shaker on Jul 21, 2015

      @RideHeight I am a "salt-belter" (PA), and I'm happy to say that the rockers on my 2013 Malibu are painted with color-matched "stone-chip" paint - the rear valance *is* the black plastic, but is small and subtle.

  • RideHeight RideHeight on Jul 21, 2015

    >>color-matched “stone-chip” paint Interesting option I knew nothing about. Did you or the dealer apply it and what if any warranty implications? Given the vastly better anti-corrosion treatments for sheet metal these days I guess you can assume only a surface chip in the paint surface will start the rot-out. So different from days of yore when every new car came with tin-worn larvae.

    • Shaker Shaker on Jul 22, 2015

      AFAIK, it's a factory-applied paint, on the bottom 2" or so of the rocker panel. It could be a thick "clearcoat" layer over the base color. Also, it could be part of the "Crystal Red Tintcoat" color, which was an extra-cost paint option. Now, I'm going to get caught in my parking lot at work, kneeling next to rental Maliboos to see if it's part of the standard paint colors... :-)

  • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Jul 22, 2015

    "which will be the first application of a new global-engine platform" AKA "Do not buy this particular GM vehicle."

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