Yahoo Autos 2021 Buick Envision First Drive | A successful sequel
The 2021 Buick Envision inaugurates the second generation of what GM's premium division hopes will become the staple of its all-crossover lineup. The original Envision, while reasonably competent, suffered from ungainly styling and struggled to separate itself from its reputation as the built-in-China Buick. Bundle that with a brand that has (at best) an on-again, off-again relationship with being interesting and you have a recipe for “Who cares?”
No longer, says Buick. While it’s still assembled in China, the 2021 Envision gets a new platform, a new powertrain, and a complete styling overhaul. Feeling a little déjà vu? That’s reasonable. Buick gave us a promising first look at the new Envision last summer, but thanks to, well, you know, 2020, we’re only now getting our hands on the final product, and if we were intrigued in June, we’re impressed in February.
Buick’s first attempt at a compact CUV was not particularly impressive, especially when it came to design. The Equinox-in-a-dinner-jacket thing never really worked and we’re happy to say that the second effort is a huge improvement. The new look is genuinely attractive. Like the Enclave, the Envision borrows cues from the Avenir concept whose name Buick’s product planners appropriated to denote the brand’s top-trim variants. It works.
Power comes from a 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-four producing 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque as its only available engine. Front-wheel drive is standard; a twin-clutch all-wheel-drive system is optional. Both setups utilize a nine-speed automatic transmission. Your author managed an average of 23 mpg over the course of a 60-mile test loop against EPA estimates of 22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined. FWD models are rated at 24/31/26, respectively.
Size-wise, the Envision is a bit of an odd duck. One could teach an undergrad course on GM’s two-row crossover ecosystem, but suffice it to say that it’s a bit more closely related to the Chevrolet Blazer than it is to the Equinox this time around, despite being closer in size to the latter. Within the luxury realm, its length and wheelbase are a few inches shorter than those of larger compact models like the Volvo XC60, Acura RDX and BMW X3, but its rear legroom is greater than them all. It's actually closer in that measurement to the midsize Lincoln Nautilus. The fact that the Envision's 25.2 cubic-feet of cargo space is less than them all could indicate where Buick found all that extra sprawl-out space in the back seat.
So, the Envision's size is a bit unusual and its engine is, well, not. Fortunately, that conservative powertrain choice and ‘tweener footprint help keep its curb weight under control. A base model weighs just 3,692 pounds. Even with all the goodies and all-wheel drive thrown in, it stays below 4,000. We applaud the restraint. Buick says this choice of platform also means the ’21 Envision is lower and wider than the car it replaced. We’re not sure whether that’s a good thing, strictly speaking, but it is true.
The updated interior feels like a scaled-down take on the Enclave’s, and that’s no bad thing. The 8-inch infotainment system comes with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with wireless versions (and wireless device charging) available on higher trims, which also feature a 10.2-inch screen to accommodate the extra goodies (and look better doing it).
