Buick is a car company that has never shied away from the luxury car world. It has spent decades perfecting the luxury game and honing the art of knowing its consumers and the target market that each vehicle will satisfy. With the Envision, Buick has further perfected that art. The Envision that we know today is a strikingly beautiful crossover from a car company that knows a thing or two about making beautiful cars. But what was first…envisioned…for the Envision was quite a bit different from what you will find at a Buick Envision dealer today!
In 2011 Buick debuted the Envision design concept. That concept showed a small crossover with two large scissor doors opening upward like a supercar. It was a plug-in hybrid with electric all-wheel drive that hosted advanced technology, such as a solar roof to recharge the batteries and an augmented-reality heads-up display. It certainly did impress those who saw it! But, upon the Envision’s eventual release in 2014, the waterfall grill was the only part of the concept that made it into production.
Despite the Envision’s release in 2014, there wasn’t a single Buick Envision dealer in the United States until 2016, when Buick finally brought the car to America. Before that, it was only available in China, where it is manufactured through the SAIC-GM partnership that now supplies both Chinese and American demands. That first American-market Envision came exclusively with all-wheel drive, but 2017 saw Buick offer a front-wheel drive option. Two powertrains were offered, a 2.5L four-cylinder and a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder. Both engines were paired with a six-speed transmission.
Updating Luxury for the Modern Age
The 2019 Envision saw several improvements, including an almost total redesign of the rear exterior of the car and an upgraded nine-speed automatic transmission. However, 2020 marked the end of the first generation. The 2021 Envision showcased a completely new design with a much more modern exterior. A new 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine became standard, providing 228 hp and improved fuel economy. A large selection of safety features also come standard with this generation of Envision, including Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian Braking, and Rear Park Assist. These significant changes breathed new life into the crossover and secured its place in the Buick lineup.
Today’s Buick Envision has set its sights on the luxury market for young professionals. Its sporty, luxurious build provides the fresh, attractive comfort that impresses consumers within that market. Its styling fits that demographic perfectly. Buick has endeavored to make every experience with the Envision an occasion. The interior is just as captivating as the exterior. The driver is enveloped in the cabin, with instruments, screens, controls, and more, all perfectly positioned for maximum comfort and convenience. Available massage seats, soft-touch materials, an air quality indicator, a heated steering wheel, quiet tuning technology, and more ensure that the experience offered by the Envision is a luxurious one.
Those features, combined with the available Continuous Damping Control suspension and twin-clutch all-wheel drive system, make for a design that is both sporty and sublime. Buick ensures that the Envision meets the demands of an emerging luxury market consumer that demands more from their car than just a classy ride. These consumers want styling and attitude with their luxury and a car with a personality that matches their own. Luxury with bite and teeth to back it up. That is what Buick has achieved with the Envision. It’s not just another crossover; it carves its own path, just like the consumer it is aimed at.
Introducing the Avenir
The 2021 model also introduced the Envision Avenir, a new top-tier trim that takes all of the vehicle’s features and kicks them up a few notches. Buick calls the Envision Avenir “the highest expression of Buick luxury.” That the brand has chosen the Envision as one of the models to lay that mantel upon is very telling as to what it believes the Envision can be. The only other Buick model to receive the Avenir treatment is the three-row Enclave, which sits at the top of the Buick lineup.
Inside the Avenir, exclusive wood-tone accents and extremely high-quality leather seating welcome the driver and passengers into a cabin that is first class all the way, no matter where you are sitting. A sunroof that runs almost the entire expanse of the roof is another touch that brings luxury and excitement into the car itself. Tip-top technologies abound for both safety and entertainment in the Envision Avenir. Exclusive Avenir badging runs throughout the interior and exterior, accentuating the fact that this particular Buick is something extra special.
On that exterior is styling beyond compare. Elegant lines run between the exquisitely-designed front and rear of the vehicle. The Avenir comes with a unique grille and exclusive 20-inch pearl nickel wheels that set it apart from the rest of the Envision lineup. This is no run-of-the-mill luxury machine that is a dime a dozen on the roads; the Envision Avenir will turn heads for all of the right reasons! This high-end model is tailor-made for the elegant nightlife, the VIP valet line, and every one of life’s luxuries. It steals the show every time.
However, the Envision Avenir is merely the ultimate expression of what the entire Envision lineup is all about. Yes, it is a grand SUV for your family, and it will fulfill any demand you make of it, but in the end, it is a luxury crossover SUV built to impress and thrill. In it is the soul of Buick, a company that knows a thing or two about moving down the road in extreme style. The Envision is not here to compete with the neighbors or the next brand’s offering; it’s here to be completely out of their league.
The Perfect Vision
Stopping into your local Buick Envision dealer is the first step in finding out just what this SUV is made of. Buick wants you to take it up on its Envision experience challenge, so do just that! Go and experience the Envision. Walk around it, and see that it is worth all the hype. Climb into it and just be still, allow it to envelope you, and understand that this luxury is exactly what you’ve been looking for. Finally, drive it. Don’t just operate it; really, truly, drive it. That is where the magic of Buick will really come into play. That is where every piece of the Envision will come into play. Every little bit of design and luxury will mesh, and you will find that this Envision experience that Buick is so very proud of and touts so loudly is, without a doubt, something that you need in your life.
Buick created the Envision to be a seamlessly integrated part of the lives of consumers who enjoy the finer things in life but also need thrills, performance, and class. The Envision is luxurious in both design and performance, and it is very good at ensuring the world around you knows it is something special. Go out and take this SUV for a spin today. Buick knows that you’ll soon find that this Envision of theirs is your perfect vision of what a car should be.
