Eric's Autos: 2025 Buick Envision

Can you envision a Buick that is made in China?

It's more than just that too. Buick -- as a brand -- probably owes its survival to the fact that Buicks are very popular in China. Pontiac and Oldsmobile, not so much -- which is why those brands have been retired.

But why might an American want to consider buying this made-in-China Buick?

What It Is

The Envision is a compact, two-row crossover sold by Buick that's made in China -- which may account for why it costs thousands less than other small, luxury-brand crossovers in the same general class such as the BMW X3 (which stickers for $49,950 to start), the Acura RDX (which stickers for $44,700 to start) and the Volvo XC60 (which stickers for $47,050 to start).

The Envision's base price is $36,500 -- and for that you get a standard 30-inch (not a typo) digital LCD dashboard with voice control, a nine-speaker Bose premium stereo system, adaptive headlights that turn in tandem with the steering wheel, and a standard 2.0-liter turbocharged engine paired with standard all-wheel drive.

For $49,950 you could get pretty much the same (with a smaller touch screen) in a BMW X3.

$47,050 will buy you a pretty similar Volvo XC60.

Or you could spend a little less -- $46,200 -- on a top-of-the-line Buick Envision Avenir with quilted leather seats, a massaging driver's seats, adaptive suspension and 20-inch wheels.

What's New for 2025

The Envision carries over unchanged.

What's Good

-- Extremely attractive price versus other small, luxury-badged crossovers.

-- More room inside -- especially for backseat riders -- than most of them.

-- Standard features -- such as huge digital dash and massaging driver's seat -- aren't available in other small luxury-badged crossovers.

What's Not So Good

-- Standard 2.0-liter engine is not as powerful as the 2.0-liter engine in rivals such as the BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and Acura RDX.

-- Massaging driver's seat is only available in the top-of-the-line Avenir trim.

-- Maximum towing capacity is only 1,500 pounds. Several rivals can tow as much as 3,500 pounds.

Under the Hood

Regardless of trim, every Envision comes with the same drivetrain, which consists of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and AWD.

The Buick's turbo 2.0 four touts 228 horsepower -- which is a bit less than the 255 horsepower touted by the BMW X3's standard 2.0-liter four and the 247 horsepower touted by the Volvo XC60's 2.0-liter four -- and lot less than the 272 horsepower touted by the Acura RDX's 2.0-liter four.

Still, they're all 2.0-liter fours. So it's not much difference -- unless you're timing 0-to-60 runs by the stopwatch. The Buick takes about seven seconds to get to 60 mph; the BMW X3 can get there in about six seconds; the Acura RDX and Volvo are about the same. They are quicker -- but not dramatically quicker, eight-tenths of a second either way not being much of a difference.

Gas mileage is 22 mph city, 28 mph highway -- comparable to the others in the class, none of which tout great gas mileage notwithstanding they are powered by small four-cylinder engines and are small vehicles. Probably because even though they are small -- and have small engines -- these little crossovers are astoundingly heavy for their size.

This little Buick's curb weight is 3,940 pounds, which probably explains why it can't pull much weight -- just 1,500 pounds.

On the Road

Buick -- historically -- offered a particularly cushy and quiet driving experience. The Envision delivers exactly that. Unlike the Acura RDX and BMW X3 -- both of which try hard to be sporty (and are) -- the Envision doesn't even try to be that. And that's appealing, if you don't want a firm ride and to feel (and hear) the road. Or the engine. The Envision insulates you from the outside world; the ride is like your favorite sofa -- and there's nothing bad about that, especially after a long day at work on the long drive home.

If you spring for the Avenir, you'll get that massaging driver's seat already mentioned -- which is by itself arguably worth the Avenir's price. Especially since you can't get massaging seats in other small, luxury-badged crossovers at any price. You generally have to move up at least one size -- and to a much higher price.

The standard adaptive headlights are another nice plus, especially since you don't have to pay extra for them. They turn with the road -- more accurately, in tandem with your turning of the steering wheel -- to give you a better view of the road ahead when it curves. You also get a standard (and very good) nine-speaker Bose premium stereo system. Surprisingly -- given their prices -- a good stereo is often extra charge in some of the others in this class.

At the Curb

Buicks -- historically -- have been defined by their tasteful elegance; less flashy than a Caddy but having a similar cut-above aesthetic. The Envision carries on that traditional nicely.

Inside, you'll find what the others don't offer. That being a single, integrated digital dashboard that encompasses the driver's instrument display and all the other displays. The one-piece look is more coherent than the general practice of having a driver's instrument cluster and then a tablet-looking LCD screen mounted on top of the center stack, where it looks like it was added after the car was designed. The Buick's full-length, single-sheet display looks like it was designed to be there, and it also looks like the similar full-length/single-sheet displays that you generally have to buy a much more expensive vehicle to get.

The display does not house all the controls, however. You can still adjust the climate controls, for instance, via switches you can operate by feel without having to look (in order to accurately tap/swipe).

Some reviewers have noted -- correctly -- that the Envision has a bit less cargo capacity behind its second row (25.2 cubic feet) than some of the others in the class, but like the difference in power output/performance, it's not a big difference. For example, the Acura RDX has 29.5 cubic feet of space behind its second row. You can certainly fit more stuff in the RDX -- but not all that much more stuff.

A more meaningful difference is rear-seat legroom. The Buick has 39.3 inches, which is several inches more than the BMW X3 has (36.3 inches) and more than both the Volvo XC60 and the RDX have, by about an inch in both cases.

The really meaningful difference, though, is what comes standard in this Buick -- for the money -- versus what you get for much more money in the others in the class. Indeed, this small crossover has very few options -- because so many features and amenities are standard.

The Rest

Buick does offer a Sport Touring version of the Envision -- MSRP $39,000 -- but it's not actually sporty in that the package is entirely cosmetic. You get black roof rails, dark exterior trim accents and a flat-bottomed steering wheel inside.

The Bottom Line

This small Buick doesn't come standard with a big price -- relative to others that don't offer as much and for more money.

That's not a bad reason to consider this Buick as an alternative to them.

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Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.