Buick Envision Review
**Buick Canada provided me with a Buick Envision for test driving purposes. They did not review or approve this article prior to publication.
As a personal finance writer, I constantly talk about how people should try their best to save money. Every dollar you save can be used for other things such as retirement savings, your child’s education costs, or even a much needed family vacation.
One item that can ruin your finances is a new car. I’m not saying you should rely on public transit or only buy used. What I’m saying is that you need to be smart and do your research before you make a decision. My previous vehicle was on the road for 10 years before I decided to upgrade.
I recently had the chance to test drive the 2021 Buick Envision AWD and I was surprised at how many new features were available compared to my own car which was only two years old. Read my 2021 Buick Envision review now for my thoughts.
Technology features
- 10” diagonal multi color display
- Wireless smartphone charging
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android compatibility
- Available built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Head-up display
The first thing I want to talk about is the multi colour display. The 10-inch screen is huge. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but my car only has a 7-inch screen and feels tiny in comparison. Navigating the menus is easy since the icons are huge and all touch.
What I also liked is the layout of everything. It feels like you’re a pilot since the displays are slightly curved. The shift knob has been replaced by shift buttons, so it actually creates a lot of additional space for storage and a wireless charging station.
Speaking of wireless, I love how you can connect your mobile device without a cable. I was able to connect to Waze from my Google Pixel without any problems. This may sound like a trivial feature, but in my current vehicle, I have to use a cable and it often disconnects.
The built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot is absolutely ridiculous. I let my daughter watch cartoons on her iPad when we drove down to Niagara Falls and she kept quiet the entire way. This may have been a huge mistake on my end as now she wonders why she can’t choose cartoons on-demand in our car.
The head-up display is a feature that seems to be more common in vehicles. It’s basically an image that’s projected onto the bottom of your windshield with all the vital information, such as your speed, so your eyes never leave the road.
My wife loved the SiriusXM included. I don’t want to date her, but let’s say she was absolutely obsessed with Lithium XM. The SXM App is built right into the dashboard so we had access to every music genre possible and more.
Safety features
- HD Rear vision camera
- Enhanced automatic parking assist
- HD Surround vision
- Enhanced Automatic Emergency braking
Let me tell you, I’ve never had so much fun parking a car. The 2021 Buick Envision’s HD Surround vision is crazy. Essentially, it uses the six external-facing cameras on your vehicle to create a rendered image of your surroundings when you reverse park. Think of it as a bird’s eye view as you can see every object around you. I was literally reverse parking by looking at the screen and practically nothing else.
Similar to other vehicles, you’ll get a warning if there’s a car in your blind spot or if you’re drifting into another lane. The forward collision alert will even brake for you if a front-end collision is imminent. You can even use the enhanced automatic parking assist to help you parallel park.
Overall feel
I’m not an auto writer, so I can’t give you a breakdown of all the nuts and bolts. That said, as a consumer, I can tell you what I liked about the vehicle.
As a parent, I’ve come to appreciate having more room in a vehicle. My current car is a crossover, but the Buick Envision is a full-sized SUV. If you have two kids, the extra space is quite noticeable.
When driving, the new layout is impressive. When you first get behind the wheel, it feels weird to have your display angled a bit towards you. However, you’ll quickly realize that it’s more convenient as all of the displays are closer to you. It’s almost like you’re in a pilot’s seat and you have all of your controls right in front of you.
It’s kind of weird. Vehicles all function in the same way. They take you from A to B. However, the features that come with each individual car can make a huge difference. After driving the Buick Envision, I’m totally jealous of people who have a bigger display screen and additional space in their car. I’m not going to be upgrading my car anytime soon, but I do love how technology keeps getting better.
Final thoughts
The Buick Envision starts at $35,998. It comes with a standard 2.0L turbo engine, in-vehicle ionizer, 10.2” diagonal display screen, and more. You can also get upgraded versions of the vehicles starting at:
- $39,698 – Buick Envision Essence
- $44,698 – Buick Envision Avenir
Overall, I really enjoyed my ride in the Buick Envision. I had the vehicle for more than a week, so I had a lot of time to really experience the ride. I know my daughter loved it since she had more space and got Wi-Fi. If I were to get a new vehicle, the Buick Envision would make my shortlist.