Buick Version of Terrain SUV Spied

A new General Motors crossover SUV was recently spotted being tested in Detroit. Although it was heavily disguised, the vertical slat grill with a round center badge and a slightly sloping belt-line mark the new vehicle as a Buick. This makes sense as the tri-shield brand has a gap in their SUV lineup between the subcompact Encore and the much larger Enclave.

The vehicle being tested is also thought to be the basis for redesign of the GMC Terrain models. Although the dimensions are not as large as their current variants. This is in line with recent rumors coming out of GM that their new crossovers would be smaller in order to compete more with the Ford Escape in the US and the Ford Kuga in Europe.

The name of the new model is thought to be the Anthem, which was last seen on the back of an Oldsmobile show car that eventually become the Aurora. A name beginning with E also seems possible, in order to maintain consistency with the Enclave and Equinox , and Envision has emerged as a possibility.

This is not the first time that Buick has explored the possibility of a midsized crossover vehicle. In 2009 the brand was readying for the release of a plug in hybrid variant of the Saturn Vue, but those plans were scrapped after the vehicle was poorly received by critics.

The engines available on the new model are not known, but a lineup of four cylinder power plants seems likely. GMs 2.5 liter direct injection I-4 would be a possibility as well as the 2.0 liter turbo I-4. The turbo produces 259 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, which would be ample for the midsized crossover, while returning good gas mileage. The engine is currently used by Buick in the Regal sedan.

Sharp eyed observers have made mention of what looks like a 360 degree Lidar camera mounted on the test vehicles roof. This is the type of equipment used by Google during the development of their autonomous cars, and has fueled speculation that the 2015 Buick crossover may include some form of computerized control. Another possibility for the roof mounted camera is for testing of an adaptive cruise control system similar to the one offered on the LaCrosse.