Evidently, I needed a swift kick in the nuts to remember Buick still makes good stuff. The Encore GX and Envista leave a bit to be desired in the realm of subcompact crossovers, and for a premium-ish three-row family hauler, the redesigned Enclave didn’t wow us the same way the also-redesigned GMC Acadia did. But this 2025 Buick Envision Avenir stands out as a refreshing break from the norm: it’s actually pretty, pretty, pretty good.
What’s new for 2025?
Buick freshened up the Envision last year, so it carries over into 2025 unchanged. Buick restyled the Envision’s front and rear fascias, gave it some new wheel designs, and slapped their new tri-shield logo all over — or at least, where you expect it to be. Inside, Buick’s new 30-inch widescreen display spills across the dash, making up the digital instrument cluster and infotainment system. The climate controls were simplified a bit; though the temperature knobs are now gone, we’d still take a row of rocker switches over a haptic-feedback touch panel any day of the week. The 2026 model year supposedly sees a couple of new colour options, but other than that, there isn’t much else going on post-refresh.
First impressions
The 2025 Envision is handsome for what it is — a smooth, comfortable, and roomy two-row cute-ute that straddles the line between “subcompact” and “compact.” It’s nicer but smaller than a garden-variety Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4; roomier though not as “luxurious” as a BMW X1 or Mercedes-Benz GLB, if you could even call them that. Compared to the last one we drove, this updated Avenir wears the new front fascia well, characterized by slim daytime running lights and an upsized chrome grille, flanked separate headlights and even more chrome trim.
Down the side, the Envision Avenir wears more brightwork that, along with the restyled 19-inch wheels, pop nicely against our tester’s bright red paint. Satin silver roof rails cap off the look. The rear end is mostly the same as before, save for a restyled rear valence and more pronounced exhaust tips. The Envision Avenir isn’t normally a head-turner on the road, and the extra chrome trim isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but its curvy and stretched-out silhouette strikes us as an upscaled Mazda CX-30 with colour-matched body cladding. It’s a handsome thing that’ll make you do a double-take in a parking lot and ask, “is that a Buick?!”
Come on, I had to get at least one in.
Interior impressions, tech, and cargo space
The centrepiece inside the updated Envision is the new 30-inch widescreen. It’s standard across the lineup, even on the entry-level Preferred trim, very slickly blending the infotainment and digital gauge cluster under one curved panel. The Google-based software is a step below the polarizing full-Google immersion in other GMs, meaning it’s responsive, easy to use, and still gets wireless CarPlay — and Android Auto — at least for now. What really struck us was just how pretty this setup is; the colours are crisp and vivid, the animations are smooth, and unlike the less-than-pretty implementation in Buick’s lower-end cute-utes, the bezels are thin and the displays are truly seamless.
The rest of the Envision Avenir’s interior feels appreciably nice. It feels well-built, it’s easy to get comfortable, and the bronze accents add a touch of warmth. Headroom and legroom are generous if not class-leading, and cargo space comes in at 714 litres with the rear seats up, growing to 1,493 L when you fold them. Yet again not class-leading, but more than enough for most buyers. We do have a few nitpicks: visibility out the back isn’t great, the volume knob is inconspicuous, and some lighter interior colour options would be nice. Nitpicks aside, the Envision’s cabin is surprising: revisiting the Envista recently still left us underwhelmed, but the Envision Avenir redeems the marque for us.
Behind the wheel
All Envisions come with a 2.0-litre turbo-four, putting out 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The only transmission you can get is a nine-speed automatic, and all-wheel-drive is standard across the lineup. Interestingly, the only other GM product at this very moment in the North American market, using this platform and powertrain combo — the Envision is built atop the General’s D2XX platform — is the Cadillac XT4. So, you can’t quite knock the Envision Avenir for being a fancier and/or overpriced Equinox.
Call us crazy, but we could taste the subtle notes of Cadillac. The Envision Avenir isn’t fast, but it’s punchy off the line and gets out of its own way on the highway. It rides like a Buick should, soaking up and filtering out all but the harshest of bumps and imperfections. The cabin is pretty quiet as-is, but the Avenir gets a laminated windshield and Buick’s active noise cancellation for an even quieter ride. It’s quite pleasant and easygoing, and when you feel like flooring it, the Envision is eager and punchy. Fuel economy came in at 9.4 L/100 km combined — well within Buick’s estimates of 10.8 L/100 km city and 8.3 highway.
Tech-wise, our Envision Avenir tester came equipped with as many active safety and driver assists Buick could throw at it, but it isn’t GM’s latest-and-greatest. It’s all there — adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, a 360-degree camera, yada yada yada — but it’s missing a few things. Supercruise in particular; it’s one of the best semi-autonomous driver assists out there, and it would be a feather in the Envision’s cap.
Should you buy a 2025 Envision?
These days, a top-trim Tucson, CR-V, RAV4 — any “mainstream” compact crossover, really — can touch, if not surpass $50,000. The 2025 Buick Envision Avenir, however, comes in at $53,299 as-tested but before destination and taxes. For that, you get a genuinely premium experience, good power, decent fuel economy, and surprisingly slick tech, wrapped up in genuinely handsome looks for not much more coin than a garden-variety CR-V. If you’re going to do mediocre, at least do it in style.
