The 2017 Buick Envision is a competent, comfortable cruiser
If your family has a little more coin to drop than average, the Envision provides a luxury ride for a not-so-luxury price... if you keep the options in check, that is.
The Buick Envision carves itself a nice little niche, thanks to its comfortable ride, impressively peppy optional engine and a veritable panoply of tech.
After spending some time with the Trishield's latest crossover, it's not perfect, but I think it'll fit in just fine.
The Envision isn't going to win any beauty contests, unless the contest is "Easiest Vehicle to Lose in a Mall Parking Lot." It's pretty generic, is what I'm saying.
My tester packed the optional four banger, a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit good for 252 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.
Mated to a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, the Envision exhibited proper hustle, but the engine was never noisy when the revs climbed.
The rev-happy engine makes it tougher than usual to meet EPA fuel economy estimates, which are 20 mpg city and 26 mpg highway for this specific model.
A light foot will nail 26 mpg city with effort, but I had a hard time staying anywhere near 20 mpg in the city -- for me, it was closer to 17 or 18 mpg.
The Envision can get expensive in a hurry. My tester, a fully loaded Premium II model, is pushing $50,000 before tax and title.
Check fewer options boxes, and you'll be left with a comfortable, capable ride for right about $44,000 before incentives. That strikes me as a bit more appropriate.
Keep on scrollin' to check out even more of Buick's latest crossover.