SUV models have become hot in China in recent years, and there is no shortage of powerful models in all levels of market segments. For domestic home users, an SUV model with bright design, excellent space and rich configuration will naturally win everyone's favor, especially the seven-seat medium and large SUV, which has become the first choice for many families to buy or buy, and today we recommend two highly popular seven-seat SUV models.
When it comes to the seven-seat SUV model, I believe that everyone will definitely think of Toyota's Highlander, which can be said to be everyone's old friend, after several generations of model evolution, it still has very good sales. As a representative of the large and medium-sized luxury SUVs in the United States, Buick Encore Banner has also been widely recognized by the market since its listing in 2019, which can be described as a rising star in this market segment, and has an excellent performance in terms of space, configuration, and safety. Today we will take a look at the positioning of the luxurious Buick flagship SUV Encore flag and the pragmatic Toyota Highlander in the end who is better.
In terms of model selection, Buick Encore Flag we chose the 652T four-wheel drive exclusive flagship model priced at 335,900 yuan, and the Highlander is the dual-engine four-wheel drive premium version priced at 329,800 yuan, which is also the two models with relatively close prices among the many configuration models of the two cars. Combined with the current market terminal price, Encore Flag has a higher discount, while Highlander has no, so In the terminal price of Encore Flag has a greater advantage.
American luxury vs Japanese simplicity
The two cars completely show a completely different style from the design of the shape, although they are all tending to be stable tones, but the Buick Encore flag from the United States is undoubtedly better in the aura.
It is difficult to find straight lines on the front face of the Encore flag, and the flying wing grille with the middle net of the horizontal line, coupled with the right chrome decoration, makes the heavy front face of the Anco flag more majestic. The design of the split headlights has a high degree of recognition, the entire series uses LED light sources, and is equipped with adaptive near and far light functions, and this configuration can only be available on Highlander's Premium Edition and Supreme Edition.
Compared with the luxurious and stable of the Encore Flag, the overall design of the Highlander is not so exquisite. The trapezoidal mouth combined with the intricate lines of the front face appear more wild, and without the rich details such as the front face of the Encore banner, the Highlander looks less majestic.
Judging from the size of the two cars, there is no doubt that the Encore Flag has more advantages, and the length, width and wheelbase of the body are much larger than the Highlander. The side of the Encore flag does not adopt a complex waistline design like Highlander, which looks more capable, although it is less dynamic, but it is undoubtedly more in place than Highlander in terms of solemnity.
The tail design of the Encore flag is full, the LED tail lights plus the through-type chrome trim echo the shape of the front face, the bilateral double forehead exhaust is full of momentum, and the design of the tail is in line with the whole vehicle, showing a stable and atmospheric style.
Highlander's rear can also see the trapezoidal elements of the front face, compared to the Encore flag without chrome trim and lower skid plate and other details of the decoration, the sense of sophistication and luxury is sharply reduced.
The Creation of the Sense of Luxury also extends to the interior, the enveloping central control style has a strong sense of design, the smooth center console line is wrapped with a large number of soft materials, and the luxurious atmosphere of the interior is spontaneous.
Highlander's interior design adopts a relatively traditional layout, black tones and matte trim strips are less homely, but make people feel a little more cold, all the design advocates practicality, which can be said to be Toyota's consistent style, so it also seems to be thousands of miles away from luxury.
Compared with Highlander, Encore Flag has obvious advantages in the interior materials, details and overall workmanship, which not only gives users a sense of luxury in the senses, but also has obvious advantages in the actual touch and experience. Coupled with the Encore flag and the Avenir Evia version, the exclusive ivory white interior with wood grain trim and diamond-shaped perforated seats reveals an elegance in addition to luxury.
Complete configuration vs utility first
After talking about the design of the appearance and interior, I believe that everyone has a preliminary impression of the two cars, for the design, I believe that everyone will have their own preferences, but in the configuration and space is that the two cars need to be really hard, after all, when we buy vehicles, the rich configuration is also highly valued by everyone.
First of all, in the configuration of multimedia, although the 8-inch of The Encore Banner is not dominant compared to the 12.3-inch of highlander in the size of the central control screen, it is more abundant in system configuration and expansion, and the whole series of cars and machines support CarPlay and CarLife, which is also not available in highland models of Highlander, and the BOSE audio of 14 speakers on the Banner of Encore can also give the driver and occupants a more extreme audio and video enjoyment.
In the configuration of air conditioning, both cars are equipped with independent air conditioners in the standard division, and the same adopts the physical button design of convenient operation, and the encore banner is equipped with air purification and negative ion generator as standard, while Highlander can only enjoy these two configurations on the top model.
In terms of seat configuration, there is no doubt that the Encore banner is also more generous, the whole series is equipped with seat heating and ventilation functions, the Avenir Version is also equipped with rear seat electric adjustment and massage functions, while highlanders are only equipped with front seat ventilation functions on the top model. Encore Banner also equipped all models with the rear seat electric reclining function, which greatly improves the convenience of operation on the Highlander.
The entire series of Onco Flag models are also equipped with ANC active noise reduction technology as standard, and the front row also adopts double-layer laminated glass, which is obviously improved for the quietness of the car, which can make the driver and occupant have a more comfortable interior environment, which is also not available in Highlander.
Finally, in terms of active and passive safety configuration, both cars are equipped with a variety of airbag configurations including knee airbags. The entire series of Encore Banner is equipped with perfect L2 level driving assistance functions, and Highlander can only enjoy it in the medium and high-end models, and the Encore Banner also has more parallel auxiliary functions than Highlander, and the 360 panoramic image used on highland models is also the standard of the whole series on the Highlander Banner.
At the beginning of the design and development of The Encore Banner, it fully considered the needs of domestic consumers for configuration, and the "entry is high-end" also allowed it to have excellent performance in configuration compared with models of the same level. In the competition with the Highlander configuration, it is naturally also a clear advantage, and the configuration of various comforts and conveniences is very in place.
Fuel vs Hybrid Who is better for you?
Finally, in terms of power configuration, Encore Banner adopts 48V light hybrid + 2.0T engine, the transmission system adopts a 9AT transmission, the maximum power is 238 horsepower, the maximum torque is 350 Nm, and the engine has variable cylinder technology, which has good fuel economy while ensuring abundant power.
Highlander uses Toyota's THS hybrid system, with a maximum combined power of 183 kW, matched by an E-CVT gearbox. Undoubtedly, with the blessing of the hybrid system, Highlander will have a better performance in fuel consumption.
Both cars are equipped with a four-wheel drive system, different from Highlander's electric four-wheel drive, Encore Flag adopts a more traditional mechanical structure, but also equipped with a rear axle limited slip differential, which can better distribute the torque output of the four wheels, no doubt from the configuration, Onco Flag has more advantages than Highlander off-road performance. The Avenir Evia version of the Encore banner is also equipped with CDC full-time active hydraulic damping system, which also makes the vehicle more comfortable to control.
The fuel economy of the two cars mentioned above undoubtedly has certain advantages over the fuel model, but what you have to pay is higher to buy and maintain the cost. Here we may wish to simply calculate an account, take the two models we compare today as an example, Highlander's NEDC comprehensive fuel consumption of 5.8L/100km, Encore Banner 7.5L/100km, The difference in fuel consumption between the two cars per 100 kilometers is 1.7L, calculated by the current No. 95 gasoline 9.48 yuan, the fuel cost per 100 kilometers of Encore Banner is 16.12 yuan more than Highlander, but let's look at the car price, Encore Banner is 38,900 yuan cheaper than Highlander, and this difference is enough for Encore Banner to run more than 240,000 kilometers. If it were you, how would you choose?
Say at the end
Between The Encore Flag and the Highlander, the Encore Banner conveys more of the attributes of a luxury flagship SUV, which is better than the Highlander in terms of design, materials and configuration, for consumers, while meeting the needs of daily cars, who will refuse to have a more luxurious cross-level enjoyment? Undoubtedly, in terms of economy, Highlander's hybrid system has greater advantages, but after the above calculation, what choice will you make in the face of higher upfront purchase costs?