As you probably already know, the Buick Verano compact sedan is on its way to the grave with no successor planned. The Verano wasn't a bad car, it's just that not enough people want one. That's because when they walk into a Buick dealership, it's something like the Encore crossover that attracts their attention instead. It's a trend that's spreading across the auto industry in general, crossovers killing sedan sales. We recently sampled the facelifted 2017 Buick Encore compact crossover and, believe it or not, we now fully understand its appeal.

For 2017, Buick has updated the entire front end and, more importantly, the interior has received some much needed improvements. Our tester Encore was actually at the lower end of the trim spectrum, coming powered by the base engine, a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder with 138 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque.

You don't want this engine. Trust us. Pay the extra $895 and jump up a trim and get the new and also 1.4 turbo four, only this one has 153 hp and 177 lb-ft of twist. Let's put it this way: upgrading will give you a 0-60 mph time of 7.8 seconds, as opposed to a tortoise-like 9.3. Thanks to 48 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded flat and lots of standard connectivity, the 2017 Buick Encore compact crossover has officially defeated the Verano. Special thanks to Woodland Motors for letting us film the car.