What’s new
- All-new model for 2024
- Kicks off the first Envista generation
Overview
Buick has been trying to lure younger and adult buyers over a long time, but the 2024 Envista looks like the brand’s best hard work yet. Sharing parts with the Chevrolet Trax, the Buick Envista manages a much more luxurious look and still maintains its starting price comfortably below $25,000. This compact SUV is bigger than Buick’s Encore GX and, even with its modern sloping roofline, has a more vacant rear seat. Yet it undercuts the GX by many $1000, and Buick asks buyers to compromise for some instance, as the Envista’s standard equipment includes a fully digital dashboard and a fair complement of safety tech.
Is the Envista a good SUV?
If by ‘good’ you mean available all-wheel drive, then, no, the Envista is not a decent SUV. It’s only available with front-wheel drive. But for the outside buyers of the snowbelt, our answer should be positive. The turbocharged 1.2-liter inline-3’s 136 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque are meager but will properly get the Envista to freeway speeds without interrupting other drivers’ automatic emergency braking, which is fixed on the Buick. It rides comfortably, and there’s sufficient space inside for a quartet of 6-footers, which is hardly the case in new vehicles this affordable. And an EPA-combined fuel economy rating of 30 mpg means it’s cheap to own too. Besides, it looks cool. When was the last time anybody said that about a Buick?
Competitors to consider
We’re in the arena of quality compact SUVs: the Hyundai Venue, Kia Seltos, and the Envista’s corporate alike, the Encore GX, Chevrolet Trax, and Chevrolet Trailblazer, are all strong picks. For a driving experience that gives best on the excitement of its appearance, the Mazda CX-30 is the 300-pound gorilla in the class. It has a lot more standard power and an available turbocharged engine that comes close to 2X the Envista’s output. But most of Buick’s competition is smaller inside, particularly in the back seat. The vacant Volkswagen Taos is another model worth checking out alongside the Envista.
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Which Envista is recommended?
Every piece of equipment that is standard on the top-level Avenir trim is available à la carte on the base model. That’s why the base trim is our choice in the Envista lineup. Buyers can pick and select the alternatives and packages that are essential to them and save significantly compared to a higher trim level.
Buick Envista models
The 2024 Buick Envista is a compact SUV available with a single powertrain: a turbocharged 1.2-liter inline three-cylinder engine (137 horsepower, 162 lb-ft of torque) and a six-speed automatic transmission. The Envista is front-wheel-drive, and all-wheel-drive is unavailable. It’s offered in three trim levels: Preferred, Sport Touring, and Avenir. Latter two does include more standard equipment; nearly all their extra content is available as stand-alone choices on the lower trim levels, making them largely appearance packages.
Preferred
The base trim comes equipped with much of the Envista’s most desirable equipment. Standard features include:
- 17-inch wheels
- LED exterior lighting
- Heated side mirrors
- Keyless starting
- Manual tilt-and-telescoping steering column
- Active noise cancellation
- Single-zone automatic climate control
- 8-inch digital-gauge cluster
- 11-inch touchscreen
- Six-speaker audio system
- Satellite radio
- Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (wireless connectivity for both)
- Wi-Fi
- Rear-seat HVAC ducts
Standard active driver assist features on the Envista include:
- Lane departure warning
- Lane-keeping assistance
- Following distance indicator (displays the amount of time, at the current speed, the Envista is behind the vehicle ahead of it)
Sport Touring
This trim level goes for a more aggressive look, with:
- 18-inch black wheels
- Black mirror housings
- Black body trim
- Black synthetic leather seats with blue stitching
The main option packages on Preferred and Sport Touring include:
- Convenience I package
- Remote start
- Keyless entry
- Eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
- Heated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Convenience II package
- Power liftgate
- Rain-sensing windshield wipers
- Wireless phone charging
- Advanced Safety Package
- Adaptive cruise control
- Blind-spot warning
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Experience the Buick package.
- Sunroof
- 18-inch two-tone wheels (19-inch with an upgraded suspension on Sport Touring)
Avenir
This top-of-the-line trim level reaches upmarket with:
- Upgraded suspension for better handling
- 19-inch nickel-finish wheels
- Power liftgate
- Color-matched body trim
- Keyless entry
- Avenir sill plates
- Perforated leather seats, black with brown stitching, or gray with beige stitching
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror
- Remote start
- Power driver’s seat
- Heated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Wireless phone charging
There is only a single option package available for the Avenir and its safety package. It includes everything from the lower trims’ Advanced Safety packages, plus:
- Heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals
- Rain-sensing windshield wipers