For many families with "old on top and small on the bottom", the 7-seat SUV is undoubtedly the choice they just need to buy a car, especially the joint venture models in the price range of about 300,000, which not only meets the commuting needs of the entire family in space, but also brings better car experience in terms of quality, configuration, and power.
Speaking of which, I believe that many people first think of GAC Toyota Highlander, after all, it has always been a benchmark model in the seven-seat SUV market, but its endless price increase behavior and ultra-long car lifting cycle have brought consumers a very bad car purchase experience. So is there any better option besides Highlander?
Yes! Buick Encore Flag is a good choice, its positioning and specifications are higher than Highlander, but the price is similar to Highlander, coupled with Buick's consistent excellent quality and market reputation, Encore Banner is also worth looking forward to. Let's analyze it and see who is the entry point for luxury in Encore Flag and Highlander.
On the aura and space, The Encore banner has a more sense of face
Although the family car is first and foremost about practicality, if the vehicle can still bring a sense of face to itself, then why not enjoy it? Especially for a 7-seat SUV, the aura is also very important. In this regard, there is no doubt that the Encore banner is more suitable for domestic consumers. Although both models are complemented by a large mid-mesh supplemented by a large number of chrome decorations to highlight the sense of luxury, the overall shape of the Highlander has become more rounded and soft after the replacement, compared to the atmospheric toughness of the Encore Flag, which is obviously worse in the aura.
In addition, the presentation of the sense of face is not only the shape, but also the space, in addition to bringing a more comfortable riding experience, the spacious space can also allow the passengers in the third row to sit with dignity, and also let you get praise. Encore Flag is a medium and large SUV with a 4981/1953/1732mm circumference and a wheelbase of 2863mm; after the upgrade, the Body Size and Wheelbase of the Highlander have been improved compared to the previous generation model, with a length, width and height of 4965/1930/1750mm, and a wheelbase of 2850mm, but it is still the body of a medium-sized SUV. From the data, it can be seen that whether it is in length, width, or in the wheelbase that has the greatest impact on space, Encore Flag is ahead of Highlander, which also lays the foundation for its spacious space.
At the same time, both models use a 2+3+2 seat layout, and the two rows of seats can be moved forward and backward, but thanks to the 4981mm length and 2863mm wheelbase, the second row of unco flag seats have a sliding distance of 140mm, in addition to providing convenience for the third row of passengers to get on and off, but also more freely distribute the second and third rows of space, and the encore flag is also equipped with the rear seat electric reclining this rare configuration of the same level, greatly improving the convenience of daily use of the car. Although the new Highlander has not performed well in space after being enlarged, it has obviously no advantage in space compared to the Larger Circle Ofco Banner.
In terms of configuration performance, the Encore flag is luxurious
Nowadays, consumers also pay more attention to quality when buying cars, the space is large enough and spacious is only basic, spending the same money, consumers want to get more, such as higher configuration, better materials. Taking today's compared models as an example, they are priced at similar prices, but although the 299,900-strong Encore 652T front-drive premium model is an entry-level car, compared with the 318,800 new Highlander 2.5HEV two-wheel drive premium version that already belongs to the mid-sized car model, it is not inferior in configuration and materials, and even better.
First of all, in terms of seats that consumers often contact, the entry-level model of Encore Flag uses leather materials, and in addition to supporting the ventilation, heating, and driver's seat memory functions of the front seats, the passenger seat also provides electric high and low adjustment, waist support function, and the Highlander 2.5HEV two-wheel drive premium version uses imitation leather + leather material, the front seat only has a heating function, and the passenger seat can only electrically adjust the backrest and move forward and backward, whether it is material or ride comfort. Obviously, Encore Banner is more thoughtful and caring for users.
Secondly, in terms of the intelligent interconnection that consumers are most concerned about at present, although the size of the central control screen of Highlander is larger, its car machine system is still at the level of usability in terms of display effect, reaction speed or functionality, and the Buick eConnect interconnection technology equipped with Anko Banner has a large gap, especially in terms of human-computer interaction experience, which feels different for several generations. In addition, it is puzzling that highland models have actually cancelled the mobile phone interconnection function, coupled with the car machine navigation that is not very easy to use, the overall interconnection experience is very general. In contrast, Anco Flag supports Carplay/Carlife to provide users with more choices, and the addition of OnStar also makes the use of cars more secure.
In addition, in some humanized configurations, the performance of Encore Flag is also intimate enough, compared to the Highlander 2.5HEV two-wheel drive premium version only provides the PM2.5 filter device in the car, and the Encore Flag 652T front-drive premium version also has the blessing of car air purifier and negative ion generator. In addition, The Encore Flag also pays special attention to tranquility, it is equipped with a front row of multi-layer soundproof glass, ANC active noise reduction technology, and a large area of high-performance acoustic materials wrapped in the interior of the car, which is not available to Highlander, so the Encore Flag has a better performance in terms of driving quality.
In terms of materials and workmanship, the entry-level model of Encore Banner also has a strong sense of luxury, with a wrap-around interior layout with a large area of leather wrapping, with a decorative board with piano paint, the sense of luxury is very prominent. In contrast, Highlander's interior materials do not have too many highlights, the plastic flavor of low-end models is very strong, only in the middle and high-end models to apply a large area of leather, luxury and delicacy and Encore flag compared with the gap is relatively large.
In terms of power control, The Overall Performance of The Encore Banner is better
As a 7-seat SUV, the power performance is also very important, if the vehicle is not powered enough, it is easy to give people a small horse-drawn cart feeling when full. The power performance of Encore Banner can be said to be the existence of benchmarks in this level, it is equipped with the power combination of the new Ecotec 2.0T variable cylinder turbo engine and the 9-speed HYDRO-MATIC intelligent transmission, and adds a 48V light hybrid power system, the maximum power is 174kW, the peak torque is 350N·m, even if the full power performance does not pull the crotch.
And the 2.0T engine of Encore Banner also has advanced technologies such as Tripower variable valve management, which makes this medium and large SUV also have low fuel consumption performance, 7.5L/100km fuel consumption at this level is already a good result, in addition, the addition of 48V light mix system also effectively makes up for the common problem of starting meat in medium and large SUVs, and brings visible fuel economy improvement.
The new Highlander is equipped with Toyota's latest fourth-generation enhanced THS II hybrid system, which is composed of a 2.5L engine + motor + battery pack, matching the E-CVT transmission, the system has a comprehensive power of 183kW, and the power performance is also very good, such as fast power response, strong smoothness and high fuel economy. However, in terms of performance, the burst of power and the output linearity are not as good as the Encore Flag, and the Two-Wheel Drive Version of the Anko Flag has an 8.6s 100 km/km acceleration performance that is enough to show that its power is excellent.
In addition, The Encore Banner is also equipped with a rare five-link rear suspension of the same level as standard, with a full-frame subframe and hydraulic bushing, so that it has the best vibration filter performance of the same level and the dynamic stability support of the body. In contrast to Highlander's E-type multi-link independent suspension, the Encore Flag greatly improves handling and comfort while further improving driving smoothness and driving performance.
Overall, although the Highlander was once a 7-seat SUV, it did not have much of an advantage when it came to the Encore banner, which now makes luxury and comfort in its bones. Putting aside the appearance of the opinion, The Encore Banner has advantages over highlander whether it is material texture, riding space, configuration performance and intelligent, power performance, if you are not entangled in that little bit of fuel consumption, at the price of 300,000 7 SUVs, Encore Banner is more worth considering, and it is also the best choice for luxury entry!