This smart and stylish small cross-over packs turbochared power and a stylish interior into a solid overall package for Canadian drivers
The drive to the fountain of youth continues over at Buick as they release the latest take on one of the newest additions to the line-up, the Buick Envision small crossover.
It is all new for 2021, receiving new styling, new Sport Touring and Avenir trims and turbocharged power as standard; turbo power used to be optional on the Envision.
Looks-wise, not only might one mistake the 2021 Envision for another model, they might mistake the Envision to be a vehicle from a different brand entirely as it looks so advanced. Which is both surprising and not surprising because when I tested the previous Envision, many of my friends mistook it for something other than a Buick. What’s surprising, then, is how they’ve managed to reinvent it yet again to continue to move the stylistic bar.
It starts with the front fascia of my Sport Touring model which is a pleasing mix of the European with aggressive headlamps, blacked-out grille and a nice stance overall, while the chrome trim on the grille is a little more traditional Buick. The Sport Touring trim, meanwhile, adds dark-finish 20-inch aluminum wheels, black roof rails and body-colour door mirrors. The Satin-steel metallic paint on my tester, meanwhile, is not the brightest colour you can get for the Envision but it is in-keeping with a colour trend we’re seeing on cars and CUVs these days.
Inside, it’s somewhat buttoned-down but at least Buick has committed to a very tuxedo-like interior. Black is the shade of the day; it covers the seats, steering wheel, dash upper, center console – there’s a lot of it, bisected here in there with some silver finishes but those are pretty much the equivalent of silver cufflinks on a tuxedo, there to catch your eye, but just for a moment. Of course, if you wanted to lighten things up a little inside, there is a beige option.
Of course, those looking for a little more brightness need only to look at the infotainment display which, at 10.2-inches, is huge and somehow looks even bigger in person. It’s angled towards the driver but also strangely upward; not sure how tall Buick envisioned (oh, man) its drivers were going to be, but it seems just a little unnatural. It’s perfectly intuitive, however, with nice, big buttons, crisp graphics and support for Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay as well as Amazon Alexa. It’s your gateway to a nine-speaker Bose audio system, which is a good fit for these environs and the dash only has a few choice buttons to ensure a low-clutter fascia.
The new model has a slightly longer wheelbase than the old, and is also a little wider but most of that is felt in the back seat, which gets more head- and legroom than previous. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a trade-off – we’ll see that term again soon – in that there’s less cargo room that previous and slightly less front legroom as well. We’re talking just a few millimetres, though, and the front seat/steering wheel angle is such that I found the driver seating position is a comfortable one.
As for that enlarged rear seat: space wasn’t a problem – I managed to fit a rear-facing child’s seat in there without completely nullifying front passenger legroom – but rear passengers did complain about an overabundance of bounce when traversing larger road imperfections, so you’ll want to watch for that when testing one of these. Try to find a railroad crossing, if you can.
Regarding that “trade-off” thing; for 2021, the Envision is available with a single engine choice: a turbocharged four-cylinder good for 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Gone is the previous vehicle’s naturally-aspirated four, but – and here’s the trade off – also gone is last year’s more powerful turbo motor so the 2.0L-litre turbo and nine-speed automatic transmission is your only choice. You can, however, choose either all-wheel-drive (AWD) or front-wheel-drive (FWD), the latter being what you get for your $35,998 basic MSRP. Adding AWD will drive the price up to $38,398. My mid-grade Essence trim starts at $39,698 and is available with AWD only. The Sport Touring package, meanwhile, adds a further $1,295.
All that being said, however, the turbo’d four-banger we’re restricted to is actually a bit of a cracker of an engine that provides brisk acceleration across a range of speeds – that close-ratio nine-speed has a lot to do with that, of course – so that you’re rarely left wanting for power when it comes to highway passes and entries and so forth. It also manages to deliver its grunt in a manner that is fairly linear – for a turbocharged engine, anyway – as it keeps turbo lag and too much peakiness to a minimum. Obviously, Buick has learned a lesson or two from its Encore subcompact CUV – also small turbo-powered, and the brand’s biggest seller last year – and applied some of that know-how here.
While the ride did get rear occupants’ backs up a little, the handling and ride is one that does well overall, but the highlight for me the steering. The wheel is sized just right and the response a twist of it garners from the front end is right on the money for a vehicle like this; not nervous so as to induce too much body roll, not lazy to the point you’re having to wind on three-quarter lock for a right turn. It’s judged really quite well, this, and I tip my hat to GM and Buick’s steering engineers.
I tip my hat to the Envision in general, actually. It’s a bit step up over the previous model and has been given the style and the powertrain it needs to compete with the likes of the Volvo XC40/60, the Audi Q5 and the upcoming Genesis GV70. It’s going to come down to brand equity, as those considering a vehicle in class still aren’t necessarily thinking “Buick”. Regardless of that, though, this new Envision still deserves a look from those looking to buy in this segment.
The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.
2021 Buick Envision
BODY STYLE: Four-door compact crossover DRIVE METHOD: Front engine, all-wheel drive ENGINE: Inline-4 turbo, 228 hp, 258 lb-ft of torque FUEL ECONOMY CITY/HIGHWAY/COMBINED: 10.5/8.2/9.5 L/100 KM TRANSMISSION: nine-speed automatic Max CARGO CAPACITY: 714 – 1,492 L TOWING CAPACITY: N/A Pricing: $40,993 as tested
WEBSITE: Buick Envision
Keyword: Review: 2021 Buick Envision