Car & Driver Gives the 2024 Envista a Thumbs Up

For anyone ready to buy their first new car and is looking for a bit of luxury that won’t break the bank, the Buick Envista might be the right vehicle for you! And Car and Driver agrees.

For the last few years, the Buick lineup in the US has been entirely made up of crossover SUVs of various sizes, but things might be making a change. The Envista is front-wheel drive only and has the looks of a sleek 4-door hatch rather than an upright SUV. It is Buick’s most affordable model, yet is the first to sport Buick’s all new design language, and is almost a foot longer than the Encore GX with a 4.1-inch longer wheelbase. 

Trading Height for Length 

Length is a theme for the Envista, resulting in a roomy 38.7 inches of rear seat legroom. The roof mostly tapers behind the rear seat occupant’s heads, so the rear headroom is still plentiful. Behind the rear seat remains approximately 21 cubic feet of space with a relatively long floor expanding to 42 cubic feet with the rear seat backs down that can hold 7.5-foot items diagonally.

Car and Driver tested the top-ranging Avenir model, so it had niceties such as heated front leather seats with 8-way power driver’s adjustment, remote start, and wireless charging. It is worth noting that all models come standard with an 8-inch digital driver display, a 10-inch HD touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Wireless Android Auto capability, and a 6-speaker audio system.

Not Fast, But Poised and Quiet

The publication describes the Envista as having “poise and confidence in how (it) drives around town and on the freeway.” They also describe steering accuracy as “Excellent, and the effort and weighting are natural and better than some pricier SUVs from premium brands.”

As an enthusiast magazine, Car and Driver finds the turbocharged 1.2-liter Inline-3 adequate when it comes to acceleration though they found “The powertrain’s low-end torque and short gearing bring up 50 mph in an acceptable 6.7 seconds.” They do state that higher levels of acceleration will take longer than usual. On the other hand, they point out that “Sound deadening and noise cancellation keep the little three’s ministrations largely hidden. Even at full whack, the engine never shouts louder than 71 decibels…”

Of course, a smaller engine means less gas usage. The Envista has an EPA estimated city/highway/combined mpg of 28 / 32 / 28, and the reviewers did achieve the 32 highway figure on their 75-mph highway loop.

They sum up by saying, “The Envista is poised, refined, and a good value starting at under $30,000.” If you are looking for a new vehicle that is practical, comfortable, and looks great while being both economical to both purchase and own, look no further than the Envista, which you will find here at Valley Buick GMC.