2022 Buick Envision Is the Rare New Vehicle to Become Cheaper This Year

The second-generation Buick Envision enters its sophomore model year with minor changes to its optional Sport Touring package. Notably, the compact SUV’s sportier getup sees the addition of aluminum accelerator and brake pedals, as well as additional “ST” (for Sport Touring) logos throughout the interior. Specifically, those extra STs appear on the floor mats and front headrests. The real news is that, in a year marked by price increases, inflation, and dealer shortages, the Buick Envision gets, um, cheaper.

Buick Envision Pricing

The luxury crossover’s prices dropped by a few hundred dollars across the board, save for one specific variant. As before, the Envision comes in Preferred, Essence, and top-level Avenir trims, with each version available with front- or all-wheel drive. (Every Envision is powered by the same 228-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4.) Starting at the bottom and working our way up, the 2022 Envision Preferred with front-wheel drive—the least-expensive model—sees its price drop $350 to $33,140. Curiously, the all-wheel-drive Preferred sees a price hike of $1,495, to $36,715; it is the only Envision that costs more than before.

Studying the feature lists for the 2021 and 2022 Envisions, it appears as though Buick has made the $1,850 Comfort and Convenience package standard on the AWD Preferred; without it (and the up-sized 10.2-inch touchscreen, dual-zone automatic climate control, remote engine starting, and power liftgate it includes), the price would, like other Envisions’, be lower than before, so there’s still been value added to that deal.

Stepping up through the Envision’s Essence and Avenir trims, Buick has slashed those models’ prices by $525 (Essence) and $675 (Avenir) regardless of powertrain. Those cuts bring the Essence’s price of entry to $37,165, and the Avenir’s to $42,090 (and as before, add $1,800 for AWD on both models).

Beware Of Markups

Now, we should be clear about things: While Buick has reduced the Envision’s MSRP, that might not translate to lower prices at your local dealer—with demand for new cars wildly out of sync with inventories, would-be Buick customers could still face markups offsetting the official price cuts when trying to actually purchase a ’22 Envision. At least, they might until new car supplies stabilize, which may not be soon.

With the price reductions, is the Sport Touring option, which Buick limits to Preferred and Essence trims (the latter of which now includes red seat stitching in ST guise, too), any better than before? Arguably not, but it is nice to see the American pseudo-luxury brand put a little extra effort into this optional ($1,495) appearance package. Still, we wish the kit also improved the performance of the Buick SUV, which maintains the same 228-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four as all other 2022 Buick Envisions. Come on, Buick, you couldn’t have squeezed an extra 5 horses out of the engine for those willing to drop the dough on the Sport Touring bits?

Otherwise, the Envision carries over primarily unchanged for the new year. That’s no bad thing, as the recently redesigned Buick is a handsome and reasonably competent SUV. While we continue to question its ability to topple similarly sized competitors such as the Acura RDX and Lincoln Corsair, there’s no doubt the Envision is a generally capable option in the competitive compact SUV segment.

Could Buick have done more than add some small interior touches to the SUV’s available Sport Touring package (and offer a new option to the color palette—Sapphire Metallic) for the second-generation Envision’s second model year? Sure. More power and additional standard comfort and convenience features would certainly make the Envision a more compelling value within its crowded class, but it looks like Buick’s price changes hope to take care of that.