最近谍照记者首次在通用测试场拍到了新款别克昂科拉。可以看到车头格栅中间的别克车标，前大灯还在原来的位置。虽然雪佛兰Trax的很多设计元素取自Blazer开拓者，但昂科拉看起来仍保留了一些柔和的设计风格。C柱上的侧窗看起来很突出，而A柱则更圆润。除了别克风格的格栅，前脸和大灯布局都与雪佛兰Trax不同。新款昂科拉的车身尺寸将略有增加，车内乘客空间更宽敞。现在还不清楚该车采用的是什么平台，现行版采用的是Gamma2底盘，而其改进版将是下一代车型的首要候选平台。也有可能昂科拉和Trax将转向VSS-S平台。不管怎么说，新平台的采用将让这辆小型跨界车的车身尺寸更大一些。至于新车动力系统，预计仍将搭载1.4升四缸涡轮增压引擎，但为了与诸如沃尔沃XC40这类豪华SUV竞争，新车也有可能功率提升至149千瓦/200马力，搭配六速或九速自动变速器。预计新款昂科拉将作为2020款车型于2019年发布。
2020 Buick Encore Spied Sneaking Around The GM Proving Grounds
It’s a two-for-one baby SUV day at the GM Proving Grounds outside of Detroit. Barely an hour ago we reported on the first photos of the new Chevrolet Trax, and now we have its slightly upscale stablemate from Buick pacing the same pavement. This isn’t the first time we’ve caught the new Encore in action, but the photos do give us a better look at the trademark Buick grille beneath the front cover. We see placeholder headlights are still in place.
Whereas the Trax will borrow heavily from the sharper look of the new Chevrolet Blazer, the Encore appears to retain some of its softer style. The up-kink on the rear side glass at the C-pillar is still quite pronounced on the Encore, and the A-pillars have a more rounded look. Aside from the Buick-specific grille, the front fascia and headlight arrangement should differ from the Trax as well.
The Encore will grow slightly in size to give passengers a bit more space. It’s not clear yet what platform it will ride on – the Gamma 2 chassis is what the current model uses and a tweaked version of that setup is the leading candidate for the next-gen model. It’s possible, however, that the Encore and Trax could transition to the VSS-S architecture. In any case, the change will also give the small crossover a slightly larger appearance on the outside as well.
Power will likely continue to come from a small-displacement 1.4-liter turbo four, but something with a bit more bite to better compete with small luxury SUV competition like the Volvo XC40 isn’t out of the question. That would likely take the Encore into the 200-horsepower (149-kilowatt) range, with a six-speed or nine-speed automatic used to distribute the power.
We expect to see the new Encore as a 2020 model, but it could be well into 2019 before we get full disclosure.