Henry Payne: Buick Envision, the second-gen's the charm

Feb. 25—In Florida you can have any car you want as long as it's white. The reflective color is ubiquitous in the Sunshine State as passengers try to keep cool from the relentless ball of fire in the sky.

But the thing about white is it highlights a car's style. Poor designs have nowhere to hide their awkward lines and sloppy details. They stand out against the white background like acne on Kate Upton's face.

My white, 2021 Buick Envision ST tester looked lovely.

Thin grille and lights. High cheekbones. Lean rocker panels. Black 20-inch wheels under muscular shoulders. What a difference a generation makes.

The first-gen Envision landed in 2015 with a whimper. Sandwiched between the brand's cute subcompact Encore and handsome three-row Enclave ocean liner, Envision should have been the brand's crowning glory. Buick's bestseller in the industry's most popular segment. An exclamation point that Buick had completed its historic transformation from stale sedan brand to hip SUV brand.

But the Envision didn't shout premium. Behind the signature grille was a jowly facia punctuated by old school Buick portholes — er, Ventiports. What were '50s portholes doing on the brand's breakthrough compact SUV? The interior was OK, the ride OK, the experience OK. Not what was expected from a brand that had wowed autodom with Encore and Enclave. Envision became better known for the UAW protesting its made-in-China origins.

Sales were, well, OK.

Gen two is an extreme makeover. Driving the Naples, Florida coastline with Mrs. Payne, my Envision may have been white like everything else, but it was vanilla no more. It looked sharp in lots choked with Mercedes GLCs, Audi Q5s and Lexus RX 350s.

The west coast of Florida is teaming with Midwest retirees and snowbirds who have escaped down Interstate 75 from the cold. Yet the auto mix is not much different than the state's east coast populated by northeasterners who've migrated down I-95. German and Japanese luxe brands are everywhere. Like the European (Rolex, Gucci) and Japanese (Uniqlo, Canon) brands that litter ritzy shopping centers.

"We sell fashion," a GM exec always reminds me, and its Cadillac and Buick brands have struggled in that pursuit.

It's not just Euro-fashion Buick must contend with. Japanese-made Lexus has been dominant in Naples for years, its mix of affordability and customer service irresistible to monied Floridians. Especially the mid-size RX 350, often referred to as the official vehicle of Florida.

So it's significant that the Envision turned our Delray-resident pal Alice's head. She loves her similarly sized Lexus ES 350 sedan, but the Envision checked all her boxes.

Start with that athletic SUV exterior — some two inches lower and wider — which carried none of the baggage that might have reminded her of old Buick sleds. No portholes. No jowls. It looked like no Buick she had ever seen before.

That's where Buick's wholesale change to SUVs has been brilliant (even if it meant ditching my favorite Regal sedan sportback. Sigh). It's a fresh start. Alice might have been a character right out of those Buick TV ads:

"That's not a Buick!"

Pleased by the toned exterior, 60-something Alice slipped easily into the ute's raised seat (the older you get, the harder it is to get into sedans, am I right?). The interior sealed the deal.

Reworked like the exterior, the quiet cabin is a pleasing place to be. Comfy front thrones. Roomy rear bench. Sculpted dash. Familiar GM steering wheel volume and cruise controls. Taking a page from Corvette — Corvette! — the center console is driver-centric, its big 10.2-inch infotainment screen rotated toward the driver.

Not that you'll confuse the Envision's handling with a 'Vette. The Buick is a Goldilocks ute: not too stiff, not too soft. Just right. Its suspension, 9-speed tranny and 228-horse turbo-4 are plenty peppy without tempting you into stoplight drag races.

But the driver-focused layout puts the touchscreen within easy reach — whether the pilot is your long-armed 6'5" reviewer or wee Alice, who, like a lot of Lexus customers, isn't enamored with her vehicle's remote touchpad controller.

"It's annoying," she said rolling her eyes. The same affliction dogs the Acura RDX, one of my favorite SUVs in segment — save for its Tru Touchpad screen controller. Oh, I've gotten an earful from owners.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, Buick has stuck with a touchscreen just like your smartphone. Alice loved it. And the lack of a remote controller also opens the console for storage space for her multiple thermoses, keys, etc.

Not that Buick isn't immune from innovation. Where Lexus and Acura try (unsuccessfully) to impress with touchpad tech, Envision opts for a button "trigger" transmission. A console space saver, it's easy to learn. It joins other GM innovations that have stood the test of time: head-up display, safety alert seat.

Both these inventions (first found on cousin Cadillac) come with Envision's $2,500 Tech Package. It's worth it. The safety seat buzzes your butt when you get too close to an object. Mated to "HD surround vison" — as sharp a front-rear camera as you'll find — the two systems combine for worry-free mobility in tight spots. Like the Lemon Tree Inn parking lot where my wife and I stayed in Naples.

The tech package also includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which further unclutters the console while enabling the best nav apps on the planet.

Given this obsession with detail, noticeably absent from my $40,000 ST tester was Adaptive Cruise Control. It would have come in handy on Florida's highways — choked with sunbirds fleeing cold temps and nanny-state governors.

GM has been curiously tight-fisted in offering ACC on its vehicles. It's a notable omission and reminded me of mainstream brands like Nissan, Subaru and Mazda that offer it (and other standard items on the Buick like blind-spot assist and emergency braking) for under $30,000. Technology has shrunk the difference between mainstream and luxe brands, and a loaded AWD Subie Outback or Mazda CX-5 can be had for $5,000 less than a comparable Envision or Acura RDX.

Brand matters, of course. And, within its competitive set, Envison is every bit the value of its Japanese peers. That's a big step up.

Oh, yes — and be sure and step up with the Envision's $1,350 Sport Touring package. Those big black wheels and trim details will really show off your Buick's toned, white beach bod.

2021 Buick Envision

Vehicle type: Front engine, front- or all-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact SUV

Price: $32,995, including $1,195 destination fee ($40,820 FWD Essence ST as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-4 cylinder

Power: 228 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, NA; towing, 1,500 pounds

Weight: 3,732 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg, 24 city/31 highway/26 combined (FWD); 22 city/29 highway/25 combined (AWD)

Report card

Highs: Athletic styling; driver-friendly console

Lows: Numb handling; standard adaptive cruise, please?

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.