Buick, like several other American car brands, is undergoing a transformation as it sheds its passenger car lineup and steams ahead with brand new crossovers. Now, the range of utility-minded cars is expanding, from the diminutive Encore all the way up to the three-row Enclave. The one you see above is a newly leaked version of the “Envision GX”, which we expected to emerge as the Buick Enspire. According to these photos and GM Authority‘s take on the recent news, that no longer seems to be the case.
Instead, it seems the Envision will go the same route as the tiny Encore. Above that, there’s the less tiny Encore GX, which occupies a gap between the entry-level model and the next step up, which would be the standard Envision. Here, the Envision GX could slot below the three-row Enclave, if the naming convention holds up when GM introduces it in the United States. Mind you, these photos show the Chinese-spec models, though that was also the case for the Encore GX before it officially unveiled at last year’s Los Angeles International Auto Show.
As the so-called Buick Envision GX is a step below the Enclave, we expect the car to use a smaller engine as its means of motivation. GM’s 2.0-liter LSY turbocharged four-cylinder is a prime candidate here, as it’s also offered across the rest of GM’s midsize crossover lineup. It manages between 230 and 237 horsepower depending on the application, as well as 258 lb-ft of torque. GM’s nine-speed automatic transmission mates up to the engine, and it’s a rung below the company’s 3.6-liter LFY V6 unit.
The standard Envision may get an update too
While these GX models debut, the oldest current crossovers in Buick’s lineup are now the entry-level Encore (the “standard” one) and the Envision. At the moment, the two crossovers aren’t slated to go anywhere. In the long term, the GX variants may replace both models. As the overall trend is toward larger cars anyway, buyers may just jump straight to the larger and more powerful Goldilocks versions and forego the smaller “original” models entirely. We’ll have to wait and see what the story is there.
Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates!
