With the average value of a new car at just under $50,000, smart cars, especially SUVs, are hard to come by these days.
But they are there.
One example is the Buick Envista, which is all-new for 2024. It’s not only the most affordable of the brand’s quartet of near-luxury crossover SUVs; it’s one of the lowest-priced offerings in the General Motors portfolio.
I recently reviewed a 2024 Buick Envista Sport Touring (ST) with an as-tested value of $29,070. I was inspired by the Envista’s elegant design, its strangely upscale interior, and its smart fuel economy.
Here are 14 features that make the Envista a wonderful small-budget SUV.
The Envista’s front-end design is bold and elegant. The Envista’s front fascia draws heavily from Buick’s recent Wildcat EV concept car and features thin “wing”-shaped LED running lights flanking the brand’s newly redesigned Tri-Shield logo.
Its raked rear roofline blends seamlessly into the vehicle’s overall design. Unlike many contemporaries, the Envista doesn’t look like an SUV with part of its roof lopped off.
The base Buick Envista in Preferred trim starts at $22,400, while the range-topping Avenir trim starts at $28,600.
My mid-range Envista Sport Touring starts at $24,100. Freight costs, premium features and upgraded Moonstone Grey Metallic paint boosted the proven value of the Korean-made crossover beyond the $29,000 mark.
All Envistas are powered by a turbocharged 1. 2-liter direct-injection three-cylinder engine that produces 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. of par.
The turbo three, shared with the Chevrolet Trax, is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and drives only the front wheels. The small engine is the toughest engine on the market and can feel overpowered when the Envista is loaded with passengers and cargo. .
However, it provides solid fuel economy. My Envista ST test car posted EPA fuel economy figures of 28 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined. I was able to easily achieve 30 mpg in combined driving with the Buick.
The cabin of the Envista is well designed with solid and quality materials. The Envista’s cabin is masterful elegance by providing a premium experience on a budget. Obviously, Buick stocked where it could, with hard plastics dominating the lower amounts inside and a single-zone climate formula rather than a multi-zone unit.
But they didn’t cheap out for the high contact areas. The armrests and the steering are covered in soft-touch faux leather. There are different patterns and designs to break up the visual monotony of a black plastic cabin.
As a result, its economy did not harm the user experience.
The Envista comes standard with an eight-inch digital information display instead of a traditional gauge cluster, a rarity for vehicles at this price point.
Heated black leatherette front seats, Santorini Blue accents and “ST” branding on the headrests.
All Envistas come with an 11-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
In front of the driver is a stylish flat-bottom steering wheel. As with other recent GM products, there are handy audio controls on the back of the steering wheel.
The Envista’s engine can be started remotely by pressing the “curved arrow” on the Buick key fob.
Remote Start was part of a $1,195 convenience package that also included heated power seats, keyless entry, and a heated steering wheel.
The Envista’s rear cabin offers a lot for a vehicle of its size. With 38. 7 inches of legroom, the Envista offers 2. 5 inches more than its rival Mazda CX-30 and six inches more than the Toyota Corolla Cross.
Even with the sloping roofline, headroom is more than enough for a maximum of adults.
The Envista comes with a special Teen Mode that, when activated, can limit the vehicle’s top speed, emit warnings when exceeding a pre-set speed, limit the audio volume on built-in and paired devices, and prevent the vehicle from shifting out of Park for 20 seconds when the seat belts have not been buckled.
Open the rear hatch and locate a 20. 7-cubic-foot forged shipping area behind the rear seats. The Envista’s 60/40 split rear seats fold flat to increase shipping capacity to 42 cubic feet.
Today, replacement tires are becoming less common, especially on less expensive cars, where the manufacturer tries to keep their value under control. So I’m glad Buick/GM is sticking with them instead of giving us a repair box.
The Envista ST comes standard with the Buick Driver Confidence Package, which includes IntelliBeam headlamps, a following distance indicator, forward collision alert, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and front pedestrian braking.
To add adaptive cruise control, lane change alert with side blind zone alert, and rear cross-traffic alert, you’ll have to spend $595 on the Advanced Safety Package.
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