CARS.COM - When it comes to SUVs, it seems that every auto brand is filling its showrooms through a Goldilocks kind of thinking. For some people, the Enclave is too big, while the Encore subcompact is too small, so Buick is hoping that this entry, the 2016 Envision, will be just right.
Related: 2016 Buick Envision: First Impressions
The new compact Envision SUV is a first for the U.S. industry - it's designed, developed, tested and engineered entirely in the U.S., but built in China and imported to the States (just like the Apple iPhone you may be reading this on, notably). The reason for this is simple: The company expects to sell four to five times as many Envisions in China, where it's already climbed to the top of the sales charts, as it will in the U.S. Given that the Envision is built on an all-new platform that doesn't share anything with other GM SUVs (yet), building it in the U.S. wouldn't make financial sense; selling it here, where it slots perfectly between the diminutive Encore and massive Enclave, most certainly does. In fact, Buick is so confident that its new Envision is not just perfect for the U.S. market but also a match for compact luxury SUVs in the segment, it invited me to GM's Milford Proving Ground in southeast Michigan for a day of driving the new SUV back-to-back against some stiff competition: the Audi Q5, Acura RDX and Lincoln MKC.
From the outside, the Buick is tasteful and stylish, if a bit generic in its overall look. The familial waterfall grille is present (but is likely to disappear by 2018 when all Buicks will have the winged grille seen on the 2016 Cascada convertible and LaCrosse sedan), as are the portholes in the hood, two distinctive signs that this is, indeed, a Buick. More impressive than the styling is the assembly quality on what Buick told us was a salable early-production sample. Panel gaps are small and uniform, trim is aligned almost perfectly and the tolerances for door and hood alignment are outstanding. Buick says its Chinese plant in Yantai has world-class assembly quality and its Chinese employees are actually more fastidious about such things than many of their American counterparts. All I know is that the Envision presented to me was tight, rattle-free, well screwed together and could've easily come from a plant anywhere else in the world.
The 2016 model offers only one powertrain: a 252-horsepower, turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is also standard and it's a twin-clutch system, allowing it to send torque front-to-back as well as side-to-side. This means that even if only one wheel has traction, 100 percent of the engine torque can be shunted to that wheel to get you moving. The turbo engine's power is plenty to motivate the relatively light Envision (it's 200 pounds lighter than the Audi Q5), and even with three big people on board and scaling a 6 percent uphill grade, the Envision never lacked for grunt.
But quick SUVs in this category are not uncommon. All of the Envision's competitors felt just as quick as the Buick, but where they began to falter was in direct comparisons of driving dynamics. The Envision uses Buick's HiPer Strut front suspension when equipped with the turbo engine (2017 models will have a less-powerful standard 2.5-liter non-turbo four-cylinder, and they'll be available in front-wheel drive with regular MacPherson strut front suspension). That special suspension all but eliminates torque steer from the Envision, and combined with the latest electronic steering technology from ZF, creates an amazingly planted, confident-handling SUV. Broken pavement is heard, but no nasty feedback comes through the steering wheel - at all. High-speed sweepers with chattering bumps that set other SUVs' steering wheels dancing in my hands were just ordinary corners in the Envision as the wheel tracked straight and true over nasty pavement.
The overall sensation is one of lightweight agility versus the vault-like mass of the Audi Q5 and Lincoln MKC. Body roll is still a factor, however, and the steering response itself is a little slow, but it's accurate, stable and feels very well planted. Kudos to the chassis engineers for this one. The braking system engineers need to step up their game, however, as the Envision's brakes feel soft and less than confident. Travel is long, pedal feel is vague, and bringing the SUV to a halt quickly requires more effort than I expected.
Slip inside and you're treated to an attractive interior without the unusual shapes or materials we've seen in other recent GM stuff. Buick interiors are becoming legitimately beautiful (witness the latest Buick LaCrosse, set to arrive later this year), and the Envision's is no exception. Soft-touch materials abound, as do stitched leather coverings, faux-wood trim and tasteful use of brightwork. Some richer colors are also available, with a lovely saddle interior or a deep burgundy that Buick calls Fig, a notable dose of style that eschews the traditional beige and gray for luxury vehicles.
You sit high in the Envision, or more accurately, the SUV's dashboard and beltline are low, giving a commanding view of the outside world and avoiding the "sitting in a hole" feeling that one can experience in the Acura RDX and Audi Q5. There's plenty of legroom up front, but width is a little compromised by a wide center console and a cabin that feels narrower than some of the competition. The backseat is where the Envision shines, however, with leg- and knee room that the Acura, Lincoln and Audi can only dream of. The 60/40-split rear bench seat folds almost flat to allow for a large cargo area. That rear bench also slides fore and aft if you'd rather trade legroom for cargo room, or want a shorter reach from the front seat to a child in a car seat. Headroom in back with the optional panoramic moonroof is compromised for taller passengers (it's not an issue up front), but forgo the moonroof and backseat headroom is fine.
At speed, active noise cancellation and loads of special acoustic glass, dash mats and insulation material throughout the cabin create a seriously quiet environment. Front and backseat passengers easily converse at 75 mph, even in hushed tones. Buick is proud of the fact that the Enclave was the quietest SUV in the GM line-up - and it's even more proud that the Envision now holds that title.
For 2016, which will be a short model year for Buick, as the 2017s arrive in the fall, all Envisions will be the two top trim levels of an eventual five. As such, they come loaded with all sorts of standard equipment, much of it electronic safety minders like lane departure prevention, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors and a backup camera. Bose premium audio is standard but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not available on the 2016 model; they'll be here for the 2017 model year. The Envision comes with heated front and rear leatherette seats, but opt for the Premium II package and you'll also get cooled seats, a head-up display, automatic parking assist and adaptive bi-xenon headlights.
Prices on the new Envision are a little high, but keep in mind that these 2016 models come only two ways: loaded and fully loaded. Starting price is $42,995 with destination fee, and maxes out around $52,000 for one with all the options. When the lesser-trim models arrive for 2017, Buick expects average transaction prices to hover around the mid-to-high $30,000 range. The Envision is on sale now with limited availability; full roll-out and nationwide availability is expected later this summer.
The addition of the Envision to the Buick lineup should only further bolster the brand's return to relevance among new buyers (Buick is the leading brand for buyers new to GM). With its attractive interior, multitude of state-of-the-art electronic systems, powerful engine and comfortable, agile nature, the Envision should prove popular.
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