Cars Guide

2013 Buick Encore finally out in the spotlight at the Detroit Auto Show 2012, overall shape that looks like former Encore Vue, Saturn, Buick, with cues in the hood of the portal and false light grilles, blue haven. Faux vents cut a piece of strange lights itself-strange we should warm gesture to.

Encore will run a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder 140 hp and made 148 lbs-ft of torque. This second generation transmission was paired with a six-speed automatic and promising more than 30 mpg in highway driving. Power is handled by a six-speed automatic equipped either first gear and gear overdrive steep high. Combined, these two features help with acceleration and fuel economy as a whole, although fuel economy rankings havent been released.

In the Encore have a great looking dashboard that flowed into the door panels. A top panel of the instrument sitting seven-inch colour LCD screen that works with standard navigation system is available and voice-activated Buick IntelliLink system, which will be the standard. with standard features such as blue-accented projector-beam headlamps, 18-inch painted aluminum wheels, full color-7-inch LCD screen and radio ice blue lighting in the cockpit.

The air dam of the front panel features painted and peephole under Buicks signature. The side mirror is mounted on the door, in an effort to aid aerodynamics for fuel efficiency is better. Among the equipment available: Voice-activated system IntelliLink, active noise cancellation infotainment, navigation, rear backup camera, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, Bose premium sound system, forward collision warning, warning line of departure, and front and rear Park assist.

Buick has yet to estimate gas mileage, but the same machine help Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic reached 40-mpg plus. Dont expect an Encore, which more than 1,000 pounds more weight, to get the same number, but we hope to do relatively well.

The mystery (well, at least part of it) of "Hitman" and the $29,100 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 auction is over.

Brad Davis at Glenn E. Thomas Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep confirms that the dealership did honor the $29,100 auction as Hitman said...but for a different car of arguably higher value. 

Jonny Lieberman at Autoblog got it right...Hitman (real first name Alex) went home in a new 2010 Challenger SRT-8 instead of the 2009 with 500 miles on the odometer.  Davis tells me the 09 was sold to another client last week while the auction was in dispute.

Hitman was offered his pick of three 2010 Challenger SRT-8s and chose a black one. The 09 was blue.



Hitman also gets $2,000 worth of Mopar accessories of his choosing.

All this leaves his cheering section at the ChallengerTalk Forums wondering why "Hitman"s been so uncommunicative since taking delivery of the car on Saturday. If anything, he won bigger. A poster who says he talked to "Hitman" says hes under legal constraints about what he can discuss...but if so, why was Brad Davis so willing to divulge details?

Dunno. Tirekicker only pawn in game of life.



If you want more, theres still a fair amount of head-scratching going on at the ChallengerTalk forums, where the auction thread, started by "Hitman" on March 13, just had its 400,000th page view today. Pick it up from where we broke the story this afternoon here.