Marti Barletta, the author of Marketing to Women, says that the best way to appeal to women is to make an emotional connection with them. Easier said than done, of course but here in 2017 it would appear manufacturers and marketers alike better appeal to women since they're the primary decision-makers for consumer goods in 85% of households. One vehicle type that has connected with women on an emotional level far deeper than any station wagon or mini van ever did are compact cross overs or "CUV's". In particular, Buick's tiny "cute ute" they call Encore. Our subject is a 2016.
I don't control my household's spending so it's understandable that I'm not the least bit interested in the Buick Encore. And my dislike of these over grown golf carts is more than just sheet metal deep. I mean, it's bad enough that GM has festooned my beloved "Buick" moniker on something that's little more than a tarted up Chevrolet Trax. The kicker is GM has the beans to charge "Buick money" for it. And, get this, the Encore is Buick's best selling vehicle. Quick. Somebody get me the keys to that 1970 Buick Electra convertible I fell in love with a while back.
Let's not kid ourselves that Barletta's anecdotes about emotionally connecting with women is anything new. Since the dawn of time women have controlled the purse strings in households far and wide. It's just now men are more comfortable than ever saying, "I have to talk to my wife". What's she's going to say is "no" to the Camaro or Mustang and yes to one of these these little cross overs. These things have really found their market in the last 5 - 10 years and they've exploded in popularity. Regardless of inflated sticker prices, questionable styling and wonton driving dynamics. Why? Because they connect with women.
Speaking of the person controlling my household's purse strings, she thinks the Encore is as cute as a button despite that it's a Buick. Which is really interesting since she hates "Buick" almost as much as "Cadillac" and she loves Cadillac's XT5/SRX too. So much for branding. Part of that appeal comes from the fact she's five foot one and has a difficulty maneuvering our massive 2006 Tahoe. Since the Encore offers the elevated driving position she likes without all the bulk, she could zip around in it and park it with the aplomb of six foot, six inch tall cowboy driving a four door Silverado.
Therein lies perhaps the Buick Encore's greatest asset, an elevated driving position that many people, not just women, want these days without all the girth of even a mid size cross over. And in my opinion the Encore offers little else. The front passenger compartment is so narrow, incidentally, that there isn't room for a passenger side arm rest. Any vestige of utility is semantic. There's actually less trunk space in the Encore than there is in a Chevrolet Cruze. Incidentally, the Encore is not based on the same platform the Cruze or Buick Verano are based on. It's built off the Chevrolet Sonic's chassis. Pretty inauspicious start to a vehicle that for 2017, it's been updated but looks very similar to our '16 subject, pushes $40,000 when new. Yes. 40G.
The Encore isn't much of a value either since for that kind of money you might as well just get a little Audi or BMW cross over. Which makes the success of the Buick Encore even more vexing. Those tonier makes and modes hold their value even better than the Encore does and come with considerably more cache. At least it has an elevated driving position. Oh, and it is as cute as a button.
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