The 2019 Buick Envision is available in a wide array of trim levels—five, including base, Preferred, Essence, Premium I, and Premium II—but not all offer a good value.

We rate the 2019 Envision lineup at 6 out of 10 on account of its decent standard equipment and numerous option packages that sometimes require deal-breaking compromises. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

At around $34,000 to start, the base Envision is a good alternative to non-luxury rivals. It includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen for infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cloth and synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable and heated front seats, a power liftgate, HID headlights, and keyless ignition. Unfortunately, it’s available only with front-wheel drive and can only be painted white—yes, really.

If that works for you, stop reading. For most shoppers, the Envision Preferred is the gateway to the lineup. It costs a staggering $3,300 more than the base trim, but adds no additional features other than the ability to pay extra for options including one of five colors other than white, all-wheel drive, and a power moonroof.

That’s cruel, if you ask us. We’d bypass the Preferred for the Essence at $39,700 that includes leather upholstery, rear-seat climate controls, blind-spot monitors, memory for the driver’s seat, a roof rack, and a heated steering wheel.

Envision Premium I and Premium II trims add the turbo-4 engine and all-wheel drive for $43,000 to start.

Only the Premium II can be ordered with the active safety tech we consider essential including adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking, which puts our recommended Envision at a hefty $46,500. At least it’s often discounted.

Review continues below