2023 Buick Encore GX vs 2023 Volkswagen ID.4

General Motors has big plans for Buick. The near-luxury division positioned between Chevrolet and Cadillac is slated to go all-electric by the end of the decade, with a fresh lineup of EVs highlighted by a new design language. But those new models aren’t scheduled to arrive for a few more years, so for now Buick carries on with a lineup of conventional gasoline crossover SUVs, of which the 2023 Buick Encore GX is the entry-level option.

The Encore GX was launched for the 2020 model year as a larger sibling to the Buick Encore, but the standard Encore is being discontinued, leaving only the GX for 2023. It slots below the Envision and Enclave in Buick’s three-model crossover lineup.

While Buick is generally considered a step up from mainstream brands, the Encore GX’s size and pricing are more in line with subcompact SUVs from mainstream brands, such as the Hyundai Kona and Mazda CX-30, or the lifted-hatchback Subaru Crosstrek. In fact, the Encore GX shares powertrains and a basic platform with one of these vehicles—the Chevrolet Trailblazer.

The only change for 2023 is a new extra-cost Moonstone Gray Metallic paint option. That means the lineup still consists of base Preferred, mid-level Select, and top Essence trim levels. We tested out an Encore GX Essence for this review.

The Volkswagen ID.4 is still relatively new to the marketplace (it debuted for the 2021 model year) but VW is already making some important updates to keep it competitive and fulfill goals set when this compact electric SUV first launched.

The 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 adds a new base model and a smaller 62-kilowatt-hour battery pack alongside the carryover 82-kWh to increase affordability. VW will also begin sourcing cars for its United States dealerships from the same Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory that builds the gasoline-powered Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. The automaker has been discussing this since the ID.4 was unveiled, but at first cars for the U.S. came from Zwickau, Germany.

The 2023 ID.4 retains single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) and dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrain options, but gets revised exterior and interior styling, some software changes, and a few more standard tech features and driver aids.

The new-for-2023 base model is dubbed ID.4 Standard, slotting below the ID.4 S, ID.4 Pro, ID.4 Pro S, and ID.4 Pro S Plus trim levels (the Pro S Plus replaces the Gradient appearance package from previous model years). We recently spent a day driving a Pro S AWD model from Nashville to Chattanooga, along with a shorter drive in an ID.4 Standard model.