2018 Buick Envision

Buick’s design cues are all here: a waterfall grille, swoopy lines, and even faux portholes that stick out like warts on its hood. At 72.4 inches from side-to-side, the Envision is relatively narrow against its competitors, but it doesn’t generally reveal that from the outside.

It’s inside where it feels and looks a little tight against crossovers such as the Nissan Murano and Ford Edge. But, again, Buick’s cues are all present, like a swoopy dashboard with a big 8.0-inch touchscreen mounted high. It’s a clean, simple look that doesn’t feel spartan, and it’s helped out by several attractive hues available that range from bright and airy to warm and dark. Only the wide expanses of fake wood remind buyers that they’re not in a vehicle from a full-line luxury automaker, like Lexus or Mercedes-Benz.

Envision base, Preferred, and Essence trims are all powered by a 197-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline-4 engine mated to a 6-speed automatic. It’s paired exclusively to front-wheel drive on the base model. Only Preferred and Essence trim levels can be optioned up with all-wheel drive and the base engine.

Both Envision Premium trim levels are powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-4 rated at 252 hp and 260 pound-feet of torque sent to all four wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission. The turbo engine can feel a little buzzy at idle, but it delivers smooth power with minimal lag.

Envisions are available with 18-, 19-, and 20-inch alloy wheels, but we’ve only driven Premiums with the larger setup. Despite the small sidewall afforded by the 20s, the Envision rides well over smooth and rough terrain. Its suspension is soft but not too plush, so it can be hustled confidently down a winding road.

It won’t entertain, but it does cosset reasonably well. That’s all we ask of a luxury crossover, and to that end the Envision delivers.

The Envision’s front seats are comfortable and both thrones are eight-way power-adjustable including lumbar adjustment, a relative rarity at this price. All models have heated front seats and higher spec models add heating for the three-seat rear bench. The Premium II loads on the extras with cooled front seats. Cloth and synthetic leather upholstery is standard on base and Preferred; leather comes on other models.

There’s decent space in the outboard seats out back and room for a fifth adult in a pinch, but the Envision is narrow inside against its competitive set. It’s not necessarily claustrophobic or confining, but the feeling is slightly exacerbated by the Envision’s high roofline even with the optional panoramic moonroof.

Materials inside are par for the course, with soft touch, nicely grained surfaces most places human hands will venture. There’s nothing particularly decadent, but also nothing really out of place either.

Where the Envision stands out is with what it lacks: road and wind noise. Laminated glass and thick sound deadening panels hush the outside world remarkably well, making the Envision a comfortable long-distance cruiser.

But in terms of its crashworthiness, the Envision checks all the right boxes. With the Driver Confidence Package, the Envision is rated a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. The agency isn’t as fond of the halogen headlights on most versions of the Envision; it rates them “Poor,” although the HID projector lights fitted to the range-topping Premium II are “Acceptable.”

Federal testers, meanwhile, give the Envision five stars overall but four stars for rollover and frontal crash protection.

The Envision is available in five trim levels: base, Preferred, Essence, Premium I, and Premium II. The first three are 2.5-liter 4-cylinder only, while both Premiums are powered by the 2.0-liter turbo-4.

The base Envision is front-wheel-drive only and can’t be ordered in any color other than white, but if you live where it rarely snows, it may be just fine for you. You’ll get an 8.0-inch screen in the dash and a 4.2-inch display in the instrument cluster, plus keyless ignition, cloth and synthetic leather seats (eight-way power and heated up front), dual-zone automatic climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels, a power liftgate, rear assist, and General Motors’ OnStar system with a 4G LTE antenna, turn-by-turn directions, concierge services, and a wi-fi hotspot.

The Envision Preferred is a bit of a head-scratcher, too. It’s about $1,800 more than the base Envision, but it doesn’t actually add any features. Instead, it’s available with all-wheel drive and can be ordered in more paint shades. Basically, if you can live with white and front-wheel drive, the base Envision is the way to go.

From there, the Envision Essence adds some luxuries like leather upholstery, heated rear seats, roof rails, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Essence can be further loaded up with navigation and it’s available with either front- or all-wheel drive.

Next up, the Envision Premium brings the turbo-4 to the table, plus Bose audio, forward collision warnings, active lane control, front and rear park assist, and 19-inch alloy wheels. As it should given a price tag that approaches $50,000, the Envision Premium II loads on the luxuries: cooled front seats, the ability to automatically park itself, a panoramic moonroof, HID headlights, adjustable thigh support for the driver’s seat, and a head-up display. Only the Premium II can be ordered with automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control, however.

Skip those models with their turbocharged engine and the rest of the lineup is a little thriftier: 22/29/25 mpg for front-wheel-drive models and 21/27/24 mpg with all-wheel drive.

All models are fitted with a start/stop system that turns off the vehicle’s engine at a traffic light to save fuel while idling.