Avenir Trim version and basic 2021 Buick Envision right. Click to Enlarge.
The latest Buick Envision is lower and wider and, for the first time, there are expensive Sport Touring and Avenir trims. Starting at a MSRP of $32,995* the pricing tops above $48,000 without dealer installed accessories such as mats – reflecting the seemingly endless US demand for luxury SUVs.
Envision is between the smaller Encore/Encore GX and the larger Enclave, with 52.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind first-row seats and 25.2 cubic feet behind the second-row seats. Whether the small 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is a luxury engine is debatable even with 228 horsepower (170 kW) and 258 lb.-ft. of torque (350 Nm), direct injection and Stop/Start technology. It’s coupled to a nine-speed automatic transmission with electronic shift control. On paper, absent test drives, AutoInformed thinks this is roughly a 25-mpg set-up.
The three trims – Preferred, Essence and Avenir – have specific design qualities. Preferred and Essence trims have optional Sport Touring packages with darkened exterior bits and 20-inch wheels with a darkened finish. All models have LED headlamps and tail-lamps and daytime running lights, as well as a welcome/walkaway lighting, which activates when using the key fob. “QuietTuning” is standard on all trims – including active noise cancellation and strategically placed acoustic materials.
Options
- Buick Driver Confidence Plus package with nine standard advanced safety and driver assistance technologies, including Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian Braking and Rear Park Assist.
- Next-gen Buick infotainment system with the brand’s first 10.2-inch-diagonal color touchscreen
- Amazon Alexa integration, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- All-wheel drive with electronically controlled twin-clutch operation.
- Continuous Damping Control suspension.
- Hands-free programmable power liftgate, standard on Essence and Avenir, optional on Preferred.
- Heated steering wheel is standard on Essence and Avenir, optional on Preferred.
- Air ionizer is standard on Essence and Avenir, optional on Preferred. Buick says Americans spend approximately 10 hours a week in the car. With the introduction of an Air Quality Indicator, a first for Buick in the U.S., the air ionizer monitoring of the quality of the cabin’s air. We guess breathing is optional as well after poor quality is indicated.
- Panoramic power moonroof is available on Essence and Avenir
“Driver Confidence Plus” package has Nine Active-Safety Systems:
- Automatic Emergency Braking.
- Front Pedestrian Braking.
- Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning.
- Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert.
- Forward Collision Alert.
- Following Distance Indicator.
- IntelliBeam, auto high beams.
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
- Rear Park Assist.
Additional Optional Driver Assistance Technologies:
- HD Surround Vision
- Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Head-up Display.
*with destination, excluding tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
First Look – 2021 Buick Envision Mid-Size SUV
Avenir Trim version and basic 2021 Buick Envision right. Click to Enlarge.
The latest Buick Envision is lower and wider and, for the first time, there are expensive Sport Touring and Avenir trims. Starting at a MSRP of $32,995* the pricing tops above $48,000 without dealer installed accessories such as mats – reflecting the seemingly endless US demand for luxury SUVs.
Envision is between the smaller Encore/Encore GX and the larger Enclave, with 52.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind first-row seats and 25.2 cubic feet behind the second-row seats. Whether the small 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is a luxury engine is debatable even with 228 horsepower (170 kW) and 258 lb.-ft. of torque (350 Nm), direct injection and Stop/Start technology. It’s coupled to a nine-speed automatic transmission with electronic shift control. On paper, absent test drives, AutoInformed thinks this is roughly a 25-mpg set-up.
The three trims – Preferred, Essence and Avenir – have specific design qualities. Preferred and Essence trims have optional Sport Touring packages with darkened exterior bits and 20-inch wheels with a darkened finish. All models have LED headlamps and tail-lamps and daytime running lights, as well as a welcome/walkaway lighting, which activates when using the key fob. “QuietTuning” is standard on all trims – including active noise cancellation and strategically placed acoustic materials.
Options
“Driver Confidence Plus” package has Nine Active-Safety Systems:
Additional Optional Driver Assistance Technologies:
*with destination, excluding tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.