Would you drive this? 2021 Buick Envision

Posted on 6/30/20 at 10:50 am

Posted by goofball

Member since Mar 2015

17356 posts

Posted on 6/30/20 at 10:50 am

Or the better question may be - would your girlfriend, wife, sister, aunt, or mother drive this?

In 2014, Buick introduced a bland but competent crossover onto the US market called the Envision. The Envision was expected to compete with the Acura RDX and Volvo XC60 along with higher trim versions of the Toyota Rav4 and Subaru Outback.

The problem that Buick faced was the design: The Chinese arm of the company designed the Buick Envision for Chinese customers. The styling was simply too bland for American taste. Contributing to that problem was the fact that the Envision was actually manufactured in China during a time when that's politically and socially unacceptable - especially in the midwest.

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For 2021, Buick put far more effort into the new global design. The interior and exterior styling are finally up to the more modern Buick standard, fitting well in a 'tweener segment between the mainstream brands and the second tier luxury brands - similar to Acura, Infiniti, Volvo, and Lincoln.

The vehicle promises to feature the typical Buick traits: Excellent crash tests, above average reliability, simple/intuitive user interface, and an exceptionally quiet interior.

The new Envision will use the same engine as the previous model, which isn't a bad thing. The 2.0L turbo 4 cylinder is powerful, quiet, efficient, and smooth. It's well matched to a vehicle of this size and the output is in line with the competition - although it's not going to be a track star.

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The only engine we've heard tell of so far is a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit, expected to be a carryover mill with 252 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It will shift through a nine-speed transmission and drive either the front or all four wheels.

The 2021 Envision will be manufactured in China and imported across the globe from there for a while. Eventually, US production will commence in the future at GM's Kansas City facility.

Buick did very well keeping the front/all wheel drive layout well masked. The fact that the engine lineup will be entirely turbocharged I-4s helps enable a better dash to axle ratio.

The rear end looks nice and well sculpted, but the design on the lower panel appears to have slits for dual exhaust....but without the actual exhaust. The back actually looks a bit like the similarly sized Mercedes GLC crossover.

This is likely Buick's last mid sized ICE powered product cycle - so the next generation of Buicks will likely be all EVs. It's unlikely that we see a special edition version with a more powerful engine than the turbocharged 4 cylinder, which should be more than adequate.

The interior looks nicer than the average Honda, Ford, or Chevrolet....but not as nice as a Volvo or Audi. So it's pretty much in line with what Buick is going for in the $35,000-$45,000 market.

Looks solid to me - definitely more cohesive than the Acura RDX (which is an excellent car that needs better styling) or the hideous Lexus NX crossover.

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Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, rear park assist, forward collision alert, and heads up display.

Buick is following this up with a completely redesigned 2022 Buick Enclave. The Enclave is a 3 row crossover that's built in Spring Hill, Tennessee. That design update has not yet been shown to the public.

Crossover utility vehicles are becoming more critical for Buick as even their older/well off buyers switch from sedans to SUVs. The Envision is an example of the styling language that Buick will be sticking to for the next 7-10 years.