Buick is turning the entry-level segment on its head with an affordable crossover coupe that starts at $23,495. While the styling and price tag will grab headlines, they’re only part of what makes the 2024 Envista so interesting.
That’s great news for drivers as the carpocalypse has caused numerous sedans to fall by the wayside. That combined with soaring inflation has resulted in a lack of good, affordable vehicles.
This is a big part of what makes the Envista so special as it’s designed to be a ‘premium product with an approachable price tag.’ While it might not live up to its premium ambitions, there’s a lot to like if you’re willing to make a few compromises.
Crossover Coupe Styling On A Budget
One look at the Envista reveals this isn’t your grandfather’s Buick. Quite the opposite as the crossover adopts the company’s new design language, which tosses aside classic styling cues. We’ve had mixed feelings about the new look, but it suits the crossover well as there’s an aggressive front fascia with split lighting units and a wide grille.
The dynamic design continues further back with a rakish windscreen that flows into a long sloping roof. While the crossover coupe eschews third-quarter glass, we didn’t have issues with visibility thanks to generous side mirrors, a rearview camera, and the available blind spot monitoring system.
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Rounding out the highlights are plastic body cladding, an integrated rear spoiler, and 17-inch aluminum wheels. They’re joined by slender taillights, a minimalist logo, and a somewhat busy rear end.
More: The 2024 Buick Envista Is A $23,495 Crossover Coupe For The Masses
Buyers looking to stand out can opt for the $25,195 Envista Sport Touring (ST), which is distinguished by gloss black mirror caps, cladding, and fascia accents. They’re joined by a black mesh grille, LED taillights, and larger 18-inch wheels with a gloss black finish.
The $29,695 Envista Avenir adopts a more upscale design with painted cladding and a dark chrome grille. The range-topper also sports a power liftgate and 19-inch wheels with a pearl nickel finish.
While most entry-level models are small and cramped, Buick decided to buck that trend and the Envista is better for it. The numbers tell the story as the crossover measures 182.6 inches (4,638 mm) long, 71.5 inches (1,816 mm) wide, and 61.3 inches (1,556 mm) tall with a wheelbase that spans 106.3 inches (2,700 mm).
This means the Envista is 11.2 inches (284 mm) longer than the Encore GX, which begins at $26,895 and has a smaller 102.2-inch (2,595 mm) wheelbase. More impressively, the Envista is a hair longer than the Envision, although that model has an extra 3.1 inches (79 mm) between the wheels.
A High-Tech Cabin That Doesn’t Scream Entry-Level
Pictures: Michael Gauthier / CarScoops
While entry-level normally means ill-equipped, Envista buyers will find a classy cabin with an 8-inch digital instrument cluster and an 11-inch infotainment system. The latter is large for the segment and features wireless Android Auto as well as wireless Apple CarPlay.
Speaking of tech, the crossover comes with three years of remote access, which enables owners to remotely lock and unlock doors, start the engine, and see its location with the myBuick app. Buyers will also find a host of standard driver assistance systems including automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, and front pedestrian braking. They’re joined by IntelliBeam headlights, a following distance indicator, and lane keep assist with lane departure warning.
That’s an impressive amount of tech for an entry-level vehicle and the crossover can be equipped with additional features including adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane change alert with side blind zone alert. Those are welcome additions and Buick thankfully offers the safety features on all three trims.
Getting back to the cabin, it features an upscale design with a flat-bottom steering wheel and supportive seats that are wrapped in cloth and leatherette upholstery. They’re joined by a distinctively styled dashboard, metallic accents, and gloss black trim.
Those are nice items to find at this price point, but hints of cheapness are abound. These include hard plastics, a lack of rear air vents, and an underfloor compartment devoid of carpeting or trim. Of course, none of this is very surprising and these are relatively minor tradeoffs to keep the price down.
While the base model comes modestly equipped, customers can get heated front seats and an eight-way power driver’s seat. The Envista Preferred can also be outfitted with a power liftgate, a wireless smartphone charger, and a heated steering wheel which is something of a rarity at this price point.
The Sport Touring features a classier cabin with blue accents and embroidered headrests, while the range-topping Avenir has heated leather front seats that feature eight-way power adjustment on the driver’s side. Buyers will also find additional standard equipment including the aforementioned power liftgate, wireless smartphone charger, and heated steering wheel.
Putting equipment aside, there’s tons of room up front. That isn’t surprising, but the rear seats are easily some of the most impressive in the segment. There’s an astounding 38.7 inches (983 mm) of rear seat legroom and that’s 6.7 inches (170 mm) more than the Toyota Corolla Cross, despite the fact that the Buick costs nearly $1,500 less.
The good news doesn’t end there as the crossover coupe design hasn’t impacted headroom too much. This 6’ 2” scribe could easily fit in the second row, although it would be tight for anyone taller.
On the topic of space, there are 20.7 cubic feet (586 liters) of luggage room and that can be expanded to 42 cubic feet (1,189 liters) by folding the rear seats down. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done as there are no releases in the cargo area and the load floor isn’t flat when the seats are lowered.
A Turbocharged Three-Cylinder That Asks ‘What’s The Rush?’
Popping open the hood reveals a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder, which produces a mere 137 hp (101 kW / 139 PS) and 162 lb-ft (220 Nm) of torque.
That’s enough to outshine the 1.6-liter four-cylinder in the Nissan Kicks, which develops 122 hp (91 kW / 124 PS) and 114 lb-ft (154 Nm) of torque. However, that’s not saying much and the Envista competes in a crowded segment with no shortage of more powerful competitors.
The engine is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission, which is another nod to cost cutting. While it might not have as many cogs as we’d like, the transmission delivers smooth shifts although it feels more focused on efficiency than performance. That’s understandable and it’s not surprising that acceleration can best be described as leisurely. The model initially feels strong off the line, but it takes a considerable amount of time to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) and the engine screams the whole way there.
The 3,030 lbs (1,374 kg) crossover could certainly benefit from some extra oomph, but there’s plenty of power for driving around town. Entrance ramps might get your heart racing a bit, but performance is thoroughly adequate as long as you keep your expectations in check.
Unfortunately, the engine isn’t the only tradeoff as the Envista is front-wheel drive only. That will likely limit the crossover’s appeal but, on the bright side, the model is expected to return 28 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined.
A Capable Commuter, But You’ll Have To Get Your Thrills Elsewhere
The relaxed feel extends to the driving experience as the Envista is a capable and relatively comfortable cruiser. Two different suspension setups are available and they consist of MacPherson struts up front and a compound crank or Watts link out back. The latter comes standard on the Avenir and is available on the ST, like the one we drove.
The Watts link is designed to deliver better ride and responsiveness, and it seems to largely do the trick. The crossover is perfectly comfortable on smooth pavement, although road imperfections make themselves known and a few bumps came across rather harsh. Thankfully, those incidents were few and far between.
On twisty back roads, the Envista proved to be capable in corners with stable and secure handling. However, even when pushed, no joy was to be had.
Part of that can be chalked up to the steering, which is fine but unremarkable. A more direct ratio would liven things up and so would a sport mode, which is curiously absent on a trim that has sport in its name.
The Envista comes with a capable braking system that features discs at all four corners, unlike some competitors. They measure 11.8 inches (300 mm) front and 11.3 inches (288 mm) rear, which is more than enough for the task at hand.
Buick was also quick to point out the Envista’s QuietTuning and active noise cancellation technology. They work together to create a fairly quiet cabin, although it didn’t seem overly hushed.
Entry-Level No Longer Means Small And Cheap
A 137 hp (101 kW / 139 PS) Buick doesn’t sound terribly exciting on paper, but the Envista stands out thanks to a bold crossover coupe design and a spacious cabin. The latter is tech-forward and offers upscale options that are rare at this price point.
Buick deserves a lot of credit for this as customers don’t have to shell out a ton of money to get a well-equipped crossover with adaptive cruise control, heated front seats, and a wireless smartphone charger. That’s good news for people who are looking for an affordable SUV with room to spare.
That being said, there are hints of cheapness throughout and performance is understandably lackluster. However, Buick seems to have made the right tradeoffs as there’s more to like about the Envista than its price tag.