2020 Ford Edge vs Buick Encore
The 2020 Ford Edge is a midsize sport utility vehicle while the Buick Encore is a subcompact SUV. We don’t often compare two vehicles this disparate in size. But it’s a useful exercise when you really want to see what a difference size can make. We’ll dive in in this comparison guide between the 2020 Edge and Encore.
Size: 2020 Ford Edge
The elephant in the room (pun intended) is that the 2020 Ford Edge is much larger than the Buick Encore. The Edge is 20 inches longer, 6 inches wider, and 3 inches taller than the Encore. That much is obvious from a basic walkaround. But what kind of difference does that make, practically speaking? Step inside each vehicle and you’ll discover more driver head- and legroom. We don’t talk about this measurement much, but elbow room makes quite a difference when it comes to feeling relaxed or cramped. And the Edge has 4 inches more of it than the Encore, which makes quite a difference. Finally, the rear seat passengers will really notice with an extra 5 inches of legroom and an inch and a half more headroom.
That size advantage extends into the cargo room in a major way. The 2020 Ford Edge offers 39.2 cubic feet of behind the rear seat and a whopping 73.4 cubes with the back row folded down. On the other hand, the Encore can afford only 18.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats and a maximum of 48.4 cubes total.
Trailering: 2020 Ford Edge
This category is no contest, but it’s a good illustration of the difference size can make. The bigger Ford Edge has a towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds. That’s a decent-sized trailer or a couple of RVs easily. Meanwhile, the Buick Encore does not have any listed trailering capacity because no amount is safe. So if you’re looking to tow, there’s really only one option between these two.
Acceleration: 2020 Ford Edge
Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you can’t be fast. That’s the takeaway from this match-up. The larger the vehicle, the more room there is under the hood for a great engine. The Edge offers either the 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine or a performance-oriented 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine with 335 horsepower. Meanwhile, the Buick Encore offers only one engine, and it’s a lackluster 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. You can see the difference in acceleration. Because while the Ford Edge goes zero to 60 in less than six seconds, the Encore takes a full 8.5 seconds to do the same. Sometimes bigger is better.