COMPARED TO THE FIFTH-GENERATION MODEL SUCH AS THE CR-V, THE ENVISION IS VERY YOUNG, IT FIRST APPEARED IN 2011 AS AN ENVISION CONCEPT CAR, THEN WENT INTO MASS PRODUCTION IN 2014, AND WAS UNVEILED AT THE CHENGDU AUTO SHOW IN AUGUST OF THE SAME YEAR. Like Shanghai GM's new cars in the past, the Pan Asia Automotive Technical Center, a joint venture between GM and SAIC, is also deeply involved in the development of new cars, and it can be said that it is a "domestic" car in the joint venture. In December 2015, Envision became the first batch of SAIC-GM vehicles to be exported to the North American market.
 
The 2018 Envision is still equipped with two displacements of 1.5T and 2.0T, the 1.5T version is called 20T, the engine is codenamed LFV's Ecotec direct injection turbo engine, with a maximum horsepower of 169 hp and a maximum torque of 250 Nm, equipped with the DCG 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, the number of complaints is extremely high, since 2015, among the SUVs, only the GS4 dual-clutch complaint volume can be higher than it, and the sales volume of GS4 is much higher than that of Envision, just because of this gearbox, The 1.5T model is no longer worth recommending.
 
The 2.0T version is called 28T, the engine code LTG, is a SIDI direct injection turbocharged engine, won the 2013 Ward Top Ten Engine Award, the maximum horsepower of 260 horsepower, the maximum torque of 400 Nm, previously equipped with a code GF6 GM third-generation 6-speed manual automatic transmission, but also contributed a large number of complaints to Envision, low-speed performance and reliability are very bad, compared with the DCG dual clutch on the 1.5T, it is also a fifty steps laughing a hundred steps.
 
The 2018 Envision 2.0T replaces the old GF6 with the new Hydra-Matic 9AT, which has a huge improvement in the smoothness of shifting and the speed of shifting. Button shifting is very inconvenient to operate, if you need to change gears frequently, the thumb will be very uncomfortable, maybe the manufacturer thinks that this 9AT is good enough, and the owner does not need to use the manual mode.
 
The American version of Envision has 2.0T and 2.5L versions, previously equipped with a 6-speed automatic manual transmission, although they are all called the third generation 6AT, but the American version is codenamed M2D, in the United States consumer reports, although the ride is not outstanding, but in the reliability survey, the reliability performance is good. The 2019 U.S. version of Envision also uses the same powertrain as the Chinese version.
 
Envision series has two sets of four-wheel drive system, assembled in the low-end model is the more common electronic limited slip timely four-wheel drive, when skidding will lock the central differential, the torque to the rear wheels, and the two flagship versions use the latest intelligent all-road four-wheel drive system of GM, there are two computer-controlled multi-plate clutches on the rear axle, which can achieve 50:50 front and rear, and the power of 0-100 around the rear wheels is continuously distributed, and the ability to get out of trouble is greatly improved.
 
Envision's chassis is a D2XX platform, front MacPherson rear multi-link, CDC active suspension, FlexRide four-mode adaptive driving system, providing standard, sport, touring and off-road four modes, which can freely adjust the suspension, steering, transmission system and four-wheel drive system according to needs. In the same class, there are very few models that use active suspension, Envision is also a plus, this system is not much different from other models equipped with electronic suspension, in travel mode, the suspension will be softer, but it still has enough support, it is the most suitable mode for daily use; The suspension in Sport mode is stiffer, the road feeling is noticeably clearer, and it can maintain a decent body posture when cornering, delay gear shifting, turn heavier, and increase rear-wheel drive; In off-road mode, shifting is delayed, ESP involvement is reduced, and suspension stiffness is adjusted to maximize traction as the main demand.
 
Buick is considered a Semi-Luxury (quasi-luxury) brand in the United States, and it has always had a good reputation in terms of ride quality, but the advantages and disadvantages are very obvious in the rear row, with plenty of knee room and a fully flat platform, but a four-wheel drive model will actually make the floor completely flat in fact outweigh the losses, because the floor can only be made high, resulting in a very small headroom in the rear row, and people who are slightly taller will have their heads. Envision is well received in terms of NVH, equipped with ANC active noise reduction, sound insulation is an upper-middle level in the same class, the impact of road noise and wind noise is less, because the gearbox will press the speed, the movement of the engine is not large, the only defect may come from the chassis sound insulation, the transmission of tire noise is still a little obvious.
 
In terms of safety, Envision has done well enough, and in the IIHS test, it received TSP evaluation in 2016 and 2017, and TSP evaluation in 2018. In terms of reliability, GM's reputation has always been bad, and Envision's previous gearbox received a large number of complaints, and it also fell into a "broken shaft door", but the 2018 model has been switched to an integrated shaft and 9AT, and the reliability expectation is still relatively optimistic.
Buick Envision evaluation report