For much of the last decade, Buick has sold more than a million cars a year in China, vastly outpacing its domestic sales. In 2016, one of China’s favorite Buicks came stateside for the first time in the form of the Envision. For 2021, Buick totally redesigned this compact crossover into its second generation. The sleek new Envision rides the same platform as Cadillac’s XT4, packs a new powertrain and comes with a big upgrade in standard safety and tech features. 

The Envision slots nicely between the subcompact Encore GX and the midsize Enclave, and as crossovers have taken over, the 2021 model effectively replaces both the original Envision and the Regal sedan. 

The Envision is all-new for 2021. It sports much sleeker looks than the first-generation model and a far longer list of standard equipment, too. Buick

As General Motors’ mid-level brand, Buick’s vehicles straddle the line between mainstream and premium, which is a good way to look at the Envision. Its price tag hovers on the upper end of mainstream compact crossovers, but some of its features and trim levels jump the gap into premium territory. It’s popular-brand competition includes the Mazda CX-5 and Volkswagen Tiguan, but it also competes with premium compact crossovers like the Acura RDX and Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class.

Buick offers the 2021 Envision in three trims: The $32,995 Preferred, the $37,195 Essence, and the top-dog $41,595. (All prices include a $1,195 destination fee). Regardless of trim, every Envision is powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder engine that produces 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels, but all-wheel drive (AWD) is an $1,800 option on all trims.

The Envision is much improved from its first iteration, and the upgrades are quickly apparent in the standard equipment list. All Envisions now come with a big suite of standard active-safety features including forward collision alerts and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a following distance indicator, rear cross-traffic alerts, automatic high beams and lane departure warnings all previous extra-cost. Only the Avenir gets adaptive cruise control, however. These active-safety features are backed up by a five-star rating from NHTSA, though IIHS has yet to test the new Envision.

The Envision’s interior is driver focused, with a cockpit like feel from the front seat, but it’s cossetting machine rather than a sportster. There’s plenty of room and the design is modern, but some of the plastics feel cheap. Buick

Other standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speakers, SiriusXM radio, a 4G LTE hotspot, active noise cancellation, cloth with leatherette upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 4.2-inch driver information display, 18-inch wheels and LED headlights.

The Essence trim adds a 10.2-inch touchscreen, seven speakers with amplifier, an eight-way power driver and passenger seat, memory settings, a heated steering wheel, remote start, dual-zone climate controls, rear air vents and a programmable hands-free power liftgate. Essence models can also be ordered with a head-up display, a surround-view camera, a larger 10.2-inch infotainment screen with navigation, and a variety of other tech extras as part of the $2,500 technology package.

The top-trim Avenir adds those optional Essence extras plus a Bose nine-speaker sound system, HD radio, perforated leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, wireless charging, an 8-inch color driver information display and 20-inch wheels.

A panoramic moonroof is optional on both the Essence and Avenir models, and it makes the already roomy interior feel that much bigger and brighter. The Envision is a little lacking in cargo space, but not in passenger comfort. Buick

On paper, the Envision’s turbocharged engine produces plenty of power and torque, but it’s clear that Buick tuned this machine with an eye on comfort and quietness than on performance. Around town, the crossover can get out of its own way, but sporty it isn’t. On the highway, the Envision offers enough grunt to get up to speed and pass once there, and its leisurely powertrain stays mostly quiet at cruising speeds. A jab of the right foot, however, and the engine is happy to make a scene. There’s plenty of noise and drama, but not much in the way of speed to go with it.

Ride quality and road manners are the Envision’s strong points and are where the Buick differentiates itself among several strong competitors. It remains planted and comfortable, even over potholes and broken pavement. Buick’s active noise cancellation system is excellent at making the Envision’s cabin feel isolated and calm at almost any speed, and cruising on the highway is almost relaxing from behind the wheel.

There’s 25.2 cubic-feet of storage space behind the Envision’s rear seats and 52.7 with them folded. That’s a bit below most direct competitors but still a decent amount of volume.  Buick

Inside, the Envision is attractively styled and feels well put-together. The front seats are wide and extremely well padded, but there is some awkwardness in finding a suitable driving position. The available 8-way power seat adjustments don’t allow a great deal of leeway in height and angle, so there’s a bit of fiddling around required to get perfectly placed. Front head and leg room are both generous, however, at 39.6 and 40.4 inches, respectively.

The second-row bench is similarly roomy, with 38.9 inches of head room and 39.3 inches of leg room, more than the RDX or GLB-Class. The seat is nicely structured to offer more support than what is seen in most compact crossovers, and the Envision’s friendly ride height makes it easy to load children in and out of the back seat. 

Cargo space is down slightly from the previous model, as the Envision is shorter overall than its predecessor. The sleek styling also absorbs some cargo volume. There are 25.2 cubic-feet of space behind the rear seats and 52.7 with them folded. That compares to 30.9 and 59.6 in the CX-5 and 22 and 62 in the GLB-Class. The Envision’s space is easily accessible and shaped to make hauling larger items easy, but there needs to be more of it.

The Avenir trim gets unique colors, wheels, and lots of nice equipment, but its price is in premium turf, competing head-to-head with the Mercedes-Benz GLB 250 4Matic.  Buick

Despite its relaxed demeanor, the Envision’s interior is about as driver focused as they come. Either size of touchscreen is heavily angled toward the driver’s seat, which makes it easy to see and use, but cuts out the passenger from audio controls. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, though charging a smartphone through a wired connection can confuse the system. 

The new Envision looks much nicer than its predecessor and it’s a better value, but it can’t match its rivals on overall cargo space. It’s also probably the least sporty entry in the class, but as a comfy family ride it’s worth a look. The Avenir’s features are nice, but they also put it in direct price competition with the GLB-Class. The Essence trim, at $37,195, seems like a better blend of value and features.