2019 Buick Envision vs 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The 2019 Buick Envision was considered one of the most attractive vehicles in Buick's SUV lineup. It had a more athletic and taut vibe compared to the subcompact Buick Encore and the full-size Buick Enclave. The strong body lines along the sides and the upright rear section of the side windows gave it proportions similar to a BMW X1. Inside, the cabin initially appeared attractive with a clean and straightforward layout, but closer inspection revealed that it fell short of the luxury billing Buick aimed for. The matte-finish materials used for some controls and the bezel around the radio and navigation system looked cheap, especially when combined with chrome and light-colored leather. The multifunction steering wheel also felt coarse to the touch, and small details like the one-touch power windows indicated that some corners were cut in the design.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, despite being a decade old, still looked right with its traditional Jeep styling cues like a 7-slot grille and trapezoidal fenders. It had a balanced appearance that was equally at home on forested trails and at swanky valet stands, making it attractive to a wide range of buyers. Prices for the Grand Cherokee started at $32,150 for the Laredo and went up to $52,495 for the Summit, with high-performance SRT and Trackhawk versions available at even higher prices. The Limited X trim, tested at $53,275, featured a ventilated hood design, a sport-themed front bumper, and 20-inch aluminum wheels, giving it a mild-custom appearance. However, for models priced over $50,000, the interior materials were disappointing, with a preponderance of hard plastic that became more irritating as the price increased.

The 2019 Buick Envision offered two engine options. The FWD, Preferred, and Essence trims came with a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engine producing 197 horsepower, paired with an outdated 6-speed automatic transmission. This setup felt underpowered and sluggish in many driving situations. The Premium and Premium II trims featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, making 252 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, paired with a new 9-speed automatic transmission. This engine delivered power well and provided solid acceleration, making it the recommended choice. The Envision's steering was responsive and tight, though it could feel top-heavy in corners. It was best suited for town driving, where its ride was smoothest, and it was impressively quiet due to extensive sound-deadening materials. Fuel economy for the 2.5-liter FWD was 22 mpg city, 29 highway, and 25 combined, while the turbo AWD model achieved 20/25/22 mpg.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee came standard with a 295-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission, offering satisfying acceleration and an EPA-rated 21 mpg in combined driving. The test vehicle managed 19.4 mpg. For those needing more power, three V8 engines were available: a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque, a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 in the SRT with 475 hp and 470 lb-ft, and a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 in the Trackhawk with 707 hp and 645 lb-ft, achieving 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The Grand Cherokee's 4WD systems ranged from a full-time single-speed system to an Active On-Demand system in the SRT and Trackhawk. The Limited X trim featured Quadra-Trac II 4WD with a 2-speed transfer case and Selec-Terrain traction control. On pavement, the driving dynamics were mixed, with impressive grip but excessive suspension movements. The steering and brakes were average, attempting to balance daily driving and off-roading.

The 2019 Buick Envision's driver's seat offered plenty of room and a commanding position with good visibility. The second row had ample head- and legroom, with reclining seat-back positions. With the rear seats up, the Envision provided 27 cubic feet of cargo space, expanding to 57 cubic feet with the seats folded, comparable to the Acura RDX. The Envision made good use of its space with helpful cargo tie-downs, deep door pockets, and a cargo tray above the glove box.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee had seating for five and offered 36.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the backseat, expanding to 68.3 cubic feet with the backseat folded. The front seats were heated and 8-way power-adjustable, though the Limited X trim lacked ventilated seats. The seat heater buttons were integrated with the infotainment system, which could be irritating. The thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel was comfortable, and armrests were softly padded. Backseat passengers, including children, found the Jeep comfortable, with adequate legroom and good thigh support. Interior storage was decent, with a handy tray in the center console and sizable door-panel bins, though the center armrest bin and glovebox were small. Grocery bag hooks on the front seatbacks were a thoughtful touch.

The 2019 Buick Envision came standard with GM's Intellilink infotainment system, featuring an 8-inch touchscreen with a straightforward layout. It included hard buttons and dials below the screen, with customizable drag-and-drop icons. The system supported Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the test vehicle had wireless charging for compatible smartphones, though the charging pocket design was unconventional. Below the touchscreen, touch-capacitive controls for climate and seat heating/cooling were less useful, responding only half the time.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee's Uconnect infotainment system, long an industry leader, included an 8.4-inch touchscreen, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM satellite radio, and SiriusXM Guardian connected services. A 4G LTE WiFi data plan supported up to eight devices. The test vehicle had a 9-speaker Alpine premium sound system, though the 19-speaker Harman Kardon system was available in higher trims. Uconnect's Off-Road Pages app provided important off-roading information, while the SRT and Trackhawk models had Performance Pages for tracking performance metrics.

The 2019 Buick Envision came standard with ten airbags, including side-curtain and knee airbags, and a reversing camera with Rear Park Assist. The Premium and Premium II trims included GM’s Safety Alert Seat, which vibrated to alert the driver to potential hazards. Essence and Premium trims had blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, while the Premium trim added lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, and forward-collision alert. The Driver Confidence Package on the Premium II trim included adaptive cruise control, automatic front braking, and a 360-degree camera. However, many of these features were optional, unlike competitors like the Toyota RAV4, which offered them as standard.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee offered three collections of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS). ProTech I, standard on all trims, included a reversing camera, parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. ProTech II added low-speed forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. Advanced ProTech II included full-speed forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, semi-autonomous parking assist, and rain-sensing wipers. Despite these features, the Grand Cherokee had unimpressive crash-test ratings, with a 4-star overall rating from the NHTSA and poor ratings from the IIHS for driver and passenger protection in certain tests.