Drive Chicago

Envista is Buick's newest model offering. It's a subcompact crossover that shares mechanicals with the Chevrolet Trax. Slightly larger than the Buick Encore GX, Envista seats 5 passengers and comes only as a 4-door wagon with front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is not offered. Competitors include the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Venue, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30, Subaru Crosstrek and Toyota Corolla Cross.

Trim levels include Preferred, Sport Touring and Avenir. All come standard with a turbocharged 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine that makes 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. Sole transmission offering is a 6-speed automatic.

Standard safety features include forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance and a following-distance indicator. Optional on the Preferred and standard on others are adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert. Available features include power liftgate, sunroof and wireless phone charging. Prices start at a reasonable $23,495 and climb to more than $30,000 on the Avenir.

As you might expect, Envista's 3-cylinder provides only modest power. With just a driver aboard, the tiny engine can push the Envista from 0 to 60 MPH in a tick under 9 seconds. That's among the slowest in the class. Adding a few passengers or a load of cargo further blunts acceleration. At least the 6-speed automatic shifts smoothly and the engine isn't overly buzzy.

Offering front-wheel drive only isn't unexpected in this class, but most competitors do offer all-wheel drive at an extra cost.

The Envista is EPA rated at 28 MPG city, 32 MPG highway. Those numbers are similar to class competitors when in front-wheel drive configurations. Like most vehicles in the class, Envista runs fine on regular-grade gasoline. In routine suburban commuting it is easy to best the EPA numbers and average close to 35 MPG overall. Thanks to a large 13.2-gallon fuel tank, Envista has a highway range of almost 400 miles, positioning it as best in class for overall range.

Envista mostly lives up to Buick's mission of quiet and composed luxury -- at least as much as it can given its very low price point. The ride is comfortable and compliant in a way that most competitors cannot match. There's good impact absorption and excellent ride control to minimize secondary motions. Still, there's just too much pitch and yaw in quick changes of direction to call Envista athletic, overall.

Brakes have adequate stopping power, but braking distances increase dramatically with a full passenger load. At least the pedal has a firm feeling and it's easy to modulate and come to smooth stops. The steering is devoid of feel and seems over boosted around town and twitchy on the highway.

Interior noise levels are low, especially for the class. The 3-cylinder becomes a bit unglued in hard acceleration, but no more than other engines in the segment.

Upon appearances, Envista has an upscale and modern interior. While that's mostly true, upmarket shoppers may be disappointed with some of the materials that would seem more appropriate in a Chevrolet. Still the interior design is extremely functional and sports traditional buttons and knobs and an easy-to-use infotainment screen interface.

Drivers face a simple digital instrument cluster that offers limited customization. There's simple controls for the HVAC system and a traditional volume knob for the audio system. Window, lock and mirror controls are conveniently placed and simple to operate.

The front seats aren't as comfortable as Buick owners might expect, but they are class competitive. The main problem is the seat cushion lacks support and is short. The rear seats are similarly lacking support and cushioning. From a room standpoint, Envista is quite spacious for the class. There's good room up front for larger adults and adequate room in the back seat. Thanks a slightly elevated ride height getting in and out is very easy and outward visibility is excellent.

On the tech side Envista matches most others in the class. There's standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support and the basic safety features come standard. Unfortunately, you have to pay extra for blind-spot and a few other features.

Envista's swoopy design eats into cargo space a bit. Rear seats up there's 20 cubic feet and rear seats down Envista offers 42 cubic feet. Both numbers trail class leaders. The hatch opening is wide and liftover low, but low rear roof makes taller objects a no go. Interior storage is scant compared to others in the class.

Bottom Line -- Envista is a very surprising offering at Buick. It's very similar in size to the Encore GX, but comes at a lower price point, giving value-conscious shoppers an option at Buick. The tepid engine and lack of all-wheel drive might be off-putting to some, but the low price, comfortable interior and quiet ride are a plus in a class where those items are at a premium.

Menu

2024 Buick Envista

Buick surprises with affordable and roomy Envista

Mark Bilek