Compare the2023 Volvo XC60VS 2023 Buick Envision

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC60 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Buick Envision doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The XC60’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Envision doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC60 and Envision have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC60 Plus/Ultimate/Polestar has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Envision’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Buick doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Envision. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC60 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC60’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Envision’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The XC60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Envision doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC60 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Envision doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC60 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Envision doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The XC60’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Envision doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the XC60 and the Envision have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Buick Envision:

	XC60	Envision
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	175
Neck Compression	15 lbs.	25 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	178	223
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	55 lbs.	61 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Buick Envision:

	XC60	Envision
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	128
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	126 lbs.	139 lbs.
Hip Force	190 lbs.	261 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	185	311
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	52 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	15 inches
HIC	237	249
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	36 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Envision has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The XC60 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Envision’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 6 years and unlimited miles longer than the Envision’s (12/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Envision.

Reliability

The battery on the XC60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the XC60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Envision’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

Engine

The XC60 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 19 more horsepower (247 vs. 228) than the Envision’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The XC60 B6’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 67 more horsepower (295 vs. 228) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 258) than the Envision’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The XC60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 227 more horsepower (455 vs. 228) and 265 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 258) than the Envision’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Envision:

			MPGe
XC60
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	66 city/60 hwy
		T8 Electric Motor	59 city/55 hwy
Envision
			MPG
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Envision:

			MPG
XC60
	AWD	Extended Range 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
Envision
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy

The XC60 can travel with zero emissions for 19 to 36 miles (dependent on model). The Envision can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the XC60’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Envision doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The XC60 has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Envision FWD’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The XC60 has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Envision AWD’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 16.1 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Envision:

	XC60	XC60 Recharge Polestar Engineered	Envision
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	15.7 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	12.6 inches	12.4 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC60’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Envision (265/35R22 vs. 245/45R20).

The XC60’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Envision’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC60 offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Envision’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The XC60 Ultimate has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The XC60’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Envision doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The XC60 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Envision doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC60’s wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the Envision (112.8 inches vs. 109.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC60 is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Envision.

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Envision’s (37.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

Passenger Space

The XC60 has 2.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Envision (103 vs. 100.4).

The XC60 has 1.1 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 8 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Envision.

Cargo Capacity

The XC60 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Envision with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 52.7 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC60. The Envision doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The XC60’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Envision’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Envision Essence/Avenir, the XC60 Ultimate/Polestar has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The XC60’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Envision’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the XC60 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Envision can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The XC60 has a standard locking fuel and charge port door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Envision doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The XC60’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Envision’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Envision doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the XC60’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Envision’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Envision doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The XC60 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Envision.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Envision has never been chosen.

The Volvo XC60 outsold the Buick Envision by 40% during 2022.