Refreshed 2019 Buick Envision Adds Nine-Speed Automatic

Khodrocar - As expected, the 2019 Buick Envision has been refreshed, with a new look on the outside and plentiful mechanical changes on the inside. Buick says most of the changes were developed in response to customer feedback about the crossover that launched here for the 2016 model year.

Visually, look to the new front fascia, headlights, and grille that bring the look of the 2019 Envision more closely in line with other new Buick models, plus new taillights and new 19-inch wheels. HID headlights become standard, with LEDs optional on the top two trim levels.

For starters, the optional turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine now boasts 295 pound-feet of torque, up from 260 before. Horsepower remains at 252. The engine is also now paired to a nine-speed automatic instead of its predecessor’s six-speed transmission. Those changes together cut the model’s 0-to-60-miles-per-hour time by half a second, Buick says. The base 2.5-liter engine, however, is unchanged and six uses a six-speed automatic.

Other mechanical changes include a redesigned brake booster that is intended to reduce brake-pedal effort, a backup camera with "enhanced visibility,” a new microphone for better Bluetooth phone calling, quicker-heating heated seats, and new wireless charging tech to support the Apple iPhone 8 and X. There will also now be a button to disable the engine stop-start system – General Motors cars don’t let drivers disable the feature – and Buick says the stop-start operation has been made "smoother.”

There will also be a cabin-air ionizer, an option to swap between adaptive and regular cruise-control operation, and a "Tire Fill Alert” system that helps drivers know when they’ve properly inflated the Envision’s tires.

The 2019 Buick Envision goes on sale this spring starting from $32,990 before destination, with the fully loaded Premium II trim level list for $44,595. So far, Buick says the Envision has been a success at attracting conquest shoppers: the company says 60 percent of Envision customers are new to General Motors.

Source: Buick