We Like: HiPer struts; quiet ride; twin-clutch AWD system.
We Don’t Like: Funky interior styling; hard seats.
Buick sold 2016 model year Envisions, so why is it vying for the 2018 SUV of the Year? Good question! The media was not invited to drive it until deep into 2017, which suggests a lack of confidence in the readiness of this Chinese-designed and -built CUV for the U.S. market. Was greater confidence warranted?
Sound level and on-road ride quality seem brand appropriate. “It’s noticeably quieter at idle than the Equinox or Terrain” Angus MacKenzie said. Gordon Dickie observed: “Ride quality on the 110 freeway was rounded and controlled.” But Scott Evans likened the seats to “a leather-wrapped park bench: hard, flat, and uncomfortable,” with the back seat enjoying vast amounts of legroom but compact shoulder room. Multiple editors also noted how different the interior looked relative to the other two Buick crossovers present—and most found the Envision’s mix of unconvincing black “wood” with matte and gloss black plastics jarring at $44,135.
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Comparisons were naturally drawn with the Buick’s platform-sharing cousins, the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain. Weighing more and spinning three fewer transmission ratios put the Buick at a slight acceleration and efficiency disadvantage, but its sophisticated HiPer strut front suspenders might have given it a slight handling edge on the figure eight. Its fancier all-wheel-drive system also tackled our sand course with ease.
But try as we might—perhaps as Buick had feared—we were unable to find enough features or capabilities to clearly rank the Buick ahead of stalwart competitors such as the 2015 SUVOTY finalist Lincoln MKC and reigning champ Mercedes GLC to warrant advancing it to the finals.
Read about other 2018 SUV of the Year contenders:
| 2017 Buick Envision AWD 2.0T (Premium I) | |
| BASE PRICE | $43,245 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $44,135 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV |
| ENGINE | 2.0L/252-hp/260-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 3,880 lb (58/42%) |
| WHEELBASE | 108.2 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 183.7 x 72.4 x 66.8 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 7.0 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 15.4 sec @ 88.5 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 127 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.81 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 27.5 sec @ 0.63 g (avg) |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | 20/26/22 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 169/130 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.87 lb/mile |
The post Buick Envision: 2018 Motor Trend SUV of the Year Contender appeared first on Motor Trend.
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