Verdict
The prior Buick Envision was a last-resort possibility on the earth of near-premium compact crossovers. With so many good alternate options from Acura, Lexus, Volvo, and others, the nameless, ill-equipped Buick solely made sense for a small variety of customers wanting borderline luxurious at a budget-friendly worth.
However the 2021 Buick Envision is a far cry from its predecessor. Utilizing a brand new platform shared with the Cadillac XT4, it is a trendy, well-equipped crossover that makes some noise in a really aggressive class fairly than merely mixing into the background. And at solely $31,800 to start out, the most recent Envision can also be probably the most reasonably priced possibility within the class by an extended shot.
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Design
Buick goes all-in on aggressive SUV design, and that is apparent by wanting on the newest Envision. Slim LED headlights that come to a fish hook-like level wrap round its modern seven-sided grille. The pink, white, and blue Buick shields sit lifeless middle, flanked by two fake chrome trim items on both facet. And the 2 decrease vents at every nook of the entrance finish have good detailing to them, whereas the bigger vent decrease down on the bumper caps off the belligerent look.
Our tester wears the $1,325 Sport Touring (or ST) package deal, which provides 20-inch gloss black wheels, a blacked-out grille, black roof rails, and different darkened options. The Summit White paint job – one in every of 4 accessible hues with the ST mannequin, alongside Ebony Twilight Metallic, Satin Metal Metallic, and Cinnabar Metallic – highlights these accents exceptionally nicely. Exterior of perhaps the top-end Avenir mannequin, the ST package deal is our favourite look.
However for pretty much as good as the outside seems to be, the cabin styling falls brief. In the event you go for the ST, your solely inside colour alternative is Ebony Black leather-based, joined by black trim on the sprint, door panels, middle console, and elsewhere. The one offsetting trim piece is the fake carbon across the middle display screen, which we’re not all that keen on. On prime of that, even in the event you go for the high-end Avenir or any trim with out the ST package deal, Whisper Beige is the one different inside colour.
GM additionally has a keenness for overly sophisticated shifters, and the most recent Envision just isn’t immune. The button format on the middle console for altering gears takes a while to get used to. You press the top-most button for Park, pull again slightly below that for Reverse, press the center-most button for Impartial, pull up once more for Drive, and press the underside button for a guide mode. It is needlessly convoluted.
Consolation
Buick affords a lot of upscale options within the Envision that make the cabin expertise extra pleasing. A heated steering wheel, air ionizer, and heated seats come normal on the mid-range Essence mannequin we examined, whereas those self same choices are $1,750 further on the bottom Most well-liked mannequin.
The entrance buckets within the Envision are well-bolstered, mushy, and provide eight-way energy adjustability – however it nonetheless feels such as you’re sitting on prime of them fairly than in them. We fiddled a lot with the lumbar help and again relaxation to be able to get snug, however to no avail. We had the identical consolation points within the Cadillac XT4, and though it is unclear if these two vehicles use the identical seats (they use the identical platform, in spite of everything), they really feel related.
Buick opted for a cockpit-like format that angles a ten.2-inch touchscreen and a lot of buttons towards the driving force, which makes all of them simpler to succeed in, even whereas driving. We actually recognize this seemingly minor contact, although your entrance seat passenger might not if she or he likes twiddling with the controls too.
In any other case, the Envision’s 39.6 inches of headroom and 40.4 inches of legroom are someplace within the center for the category, however really feel greater than ample in your 6-foot-tall creator. And the second row’s 38.9 inches of headroom and 39.3 inches of legroom are about the identical, simply sufficient in your average-sized grownup.
Expertise & Connectivity
The bottom Buick Envision Most well-liked will get an 8.0-inch touchscreen, identical to its predecessor, however this setup comes with normal wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, in addition to a 4G LTE wi-fi hotspot. The Essence trim sports activities a bigger, crisper 10.3-inch show with all of these options plus distinctive apps like NCAA March Insanity, which shows dwell scores of the faculty basketball event (however, we think about, could be ineffective for the opposite 10.5 months of the 12 months).
Alongside a bevy of cool baked-in options, the show itself is laid out nicely and is extraordinarily simple to make use of. The colour-coordinated menu graphics we have grown to love in most GM merchandise carry over right here, and so they’re simply as simple to interpret. The display screen responds nicely to the touch inputs and scrolling features are easy. And as we already talked about, the cockpit-like format angles the display screen towards the driving force, which makes it a lot simpler to make use of whereas driving, even when it does require a little bit of sacrifice from the passenger.
A $2,500 Expertise package deal provides navigation to that setup, HD radio, a nine-speaker premium audio system, a head-up show, and some further security options. In the event you really need Buick navigation and a HUD, this selection is price including – in any other case, the Envision Essence affords quite a lot of nice tech normal.
Efficiency & Dealing with
The Envision rides on a brand-new platform for 2021 shared with the Cadillac XT4. And though it isn’t what we would name “dynamic,” the Envision actually feels well-sorted, identical to its XT4 cousin. The five-link suspension affords it some agility in corners with out displaying an excessive amount of harsh suggestions. The steering is nice, too; the wheel is simple to show rapidly and affords little resistance, however nonetheless feels prefer it’s choosing up every bit of pavement beneath the tires.
A brand new platform for the Envision additionally means a brand new turbocharged 2.0-liter engine shared with the XT4, good for 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet. Highly effective this motor just isn’t – even the Caddy has extra oomph with 252 hp and 295 lb-ft on faucet. However that is to not say the Envision feels underpowered. The turbocharged engine has stable low-end torque, which makes the Buick really feel borderline spritely round city. The throttle is fast, and the nine-speed automated additionally shifts easily and with out problem. Solely at greater speeds is there a little bit of sluggishness, however that is nothing out of the unusual for a standard compact crossover.
Entrance-wheel drive comes normal, and it is the drive sort supplied on our tester, whereas all-wheel drive is offered as an $1,800 possibility on all trims. As a result of the Envision’s engine is so torquey and the throttle so responsive, there’s some noticeable clawing while you hammer it aggressively – greater than you may discover within the common compact crossover. To keep away from that, splurge on all-wheel drive. Total, the brand new Envision is good to drive however nothing out of the unusual.
Security
The 2021 Buick Envision is loaded with security options. Computerized emergency braking, entrance pedestrian detection, lane-keep help, lane-change alert, ahead collision warning, following distance indicator, high-beam help, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear park help come normal on this trim. Choosing the $2,500 Expertise package deal provides entrance and rear park help in addition to an HD chicken’s-eye digicam.
And all of these options work about in addition to you’d count on on the street. The lane-centering and lane-keep help is usually a bit too delicate, however in any other case provide ample steering enter to maintain the automotive centered. And the HD rear digicam – as its identify suggests – is crystal clear. You may solely get adaptive cruise as an possibility on the range-topping Avenir mannequin, although.
Gas Financial system
The front-wheel-drive Buick Envision returns 24 miles per gallon within the metropolis, 31 freeway, and 26 mixed, that are among the finest figures for a non-hybrid premium compact crossover. The Envision’s cousin, the Cadillac XT4, and the Infiniti QX50 match the Buick with a mixed gas financial system determine of 26. An equal front-wheel-drive Acura RDX returns 24 mixed, whereas front-drive variations of the Lexus NX, Lincoln Corsair, and Volvo XC60 all return 25 mixed.
Pricing
The bottom mannequin Buick Envision Most well-liked is probably the most reasonably priced premium compact crossover in the marketplace. At $31,800 for the front-drive mannequin (or $33,600 for all-wheel drive), the Envision undercuts each different from Acura, Cadillac, Infiniti, Lexus, and Volvo. Even the mid-range Essence mannequin examined right here solely prices $35,800 to start out, which suggests solely the XT4 is extra reasonably priced to start out.
Our automotive does have two choices that carry the ultimate asking worth to $40,820, however that’s nonetheless a really affordable asking worth, all issues thought-about. The costliest add-on is the $2,500 Expertise package deal, adopted by the $1,325 Sport Touring package deal. A comparable Lexus NX F Sport with navigation prices greater than $45,000, whereas an Acura RDX A-Spec with the identical function prices simply north of $44,000.
If you wish to go all out, the Envision Avenir is probably the most luxurious possibility at $40,200. That mannequin comes normal with 20-inch wheels, heated entrance and rear seats, and a chicken’s-eye digicam. Once more, all-wheel drive is an $1,800 further, and you’ll possibility a $1,965 Expertise Bundle II, which provides issues like adaptive cruise management.