Buick’s land barges of yesterday have been ditched in favor of small SUVs, and its latest Envista sub compact promises to be a big hit with small families and consumers looking for practical transportation in a $20s price point.
Some may wonder why GM wants yet another small SUV when this segment is flooded with corporate siblings and a host of others. We think it’s because the coupe-like hatch stands out and the four-door resembles an electric car with swooping lines front and rear — unlike the boxier look of the Chevy Trax and Trailblazer, VW Taos and Mazda CX-30. Envista is closest to the Trax in production dimensions and undercarriage. Each is built at GM facilities in South Korea or in China by SAIC-GM.
The Envista is the entry point for the Buick lineup, followed by Encore GX, Envision and Enclave. It is available in three trim levels: Preferred, Sport Touring and Avenir — priced at low, mid and upper $20s, respectively. While many cars and SUVs require the buyer to purchase a higher trim for wanted options, Buick bucks the trend and allows most options to be added to lower trims. Nice.
A 1.2-liter turbocharged inline three-cylinder engine develops 137 horsepower and is the only one offered. Each is mated with a six-speed automatic transmission that delivers a compliant ride, albeit with front-wheel-drive only.
In our road testing, the Envista reached the 60 mile-per-hour mark in 8.9 seconds, quicker than a number of its rivals but lacking further staying power.
We found the Envista provides ample acceleration, though it is not quick off the line or while attempting passing maneuvers. It is easy to drive, parking is simple, cabin noise is minimal at highway speed and interior treatment can be dressed up as needed.
Our Avenir test car and the Sport Touring model come loaded with standard equipment including a driver assist package, fully digital dashboard, Advanced Safety Package including adaptive cruise control that can be changed to regular cruise, blind spot warning and rear-cross traffic alert.
The Preferred comes standard with 17-inch tires, Sport Touring with 18-inch rubber and Avenir with 19-inch paws. This is important because the larger the tire, the more grip a vehicle has. More contact with the pavement increases handling around corners and ability to maneuver while reducing braking distance.
The Envista has an eye-catching exterior featuring a blackened chrome mesh grille and color-matched front and rear fascia. GM’s Chevy Trailblazer is close when compared with the Envista. The base Trailblazer also comes with FWD standard but offers all-wheel-drive as a $1,600 option — nice for northern snow climates but not so much in southeastern states.
The Trailblazer leads the Envista in cargo volume — 25.1 cubic feet to Envista’s 20.7 cubes, and with second row seats folded, the Envista loses 12 cubes compared with the Trailblazer’s 54.3 cubic feet of storage.
Of the small SUVs, the Hyundai Venue leads the pack for warranty and three-year complimentary maintenance coverage. We recommend test drives in the Envista, Trailblazer and Venue for comparison.