Perhaps America could use a strategic reserve of Buick Envistas for when new cars get too expensive and inflation begins to rise, because for under $30,000 this is a lot of car. I spent a week with an Envista Avenir, which is the top trim of the Envista, and it’s full of the stuff I’m used to on nicer cars; nothing about it feels like a penalty or a trick. It’s just nice. And cheap. And, again, nice. Good deals aren’t dead, my friends — they’re just wearing a Buick badge.
There’s a gimmick with new cars where the base price is something absurdly low, but it’s for a car that’s almost impossible to find because dealers don’t order a lot of stripper cars these days, and also most people probably don’t want it, anyway. This is also generally true of press cars handed out to journalists; an automotive journalist might be happy to tell you about how great the Fleegal Warrior is, even though they’ve only driven the Fleegal Warrior XST, and not the penalty-trim Warrior DX.
I asked for an Envista, but was given an Envista Avenir and, at first, I was disappointed. “That’s not the base, $24,000-ish one!” I thought, assuming I’d end up with a car that was optioned all the way up into the high $30k range. Then I looked at the window sticker they sent me and saw that with basically all the options this thing was just $29,395 (or $30,490 with the destination charge).
Maybe this could work…
Why This Car Exists
Did you know that Buick was America’s fastest-growing car brand last year? By a huge margin, Buick is picking itself up and finding new customers. How is it doing this? In America, Buick only sells relatively affordable, reasonably nice crossovers. Two of those vehicles (the Envista and Encore GX) are built in South Korea, one (the Envision) is built in China, and one (the Enclave) is built in Michigan, which is the South Korea of the Midwest. [Ed Note: Huh? Detroit barbecue isn’t nearly good enough; Slows can only carry so much on its back. -DT].Â
Confusingly, Buick used to build the very cheap and generally mediocre Encore. At one point, Buick simultaneously sold the base Encore and the nicer Encore GX (a different model, and one still available). Slotting into the spot once held by the non-GX Buick Encore is the Buick Envista. Consistent with the brand’s history, the Envista is just a nicer version of the also surprisingly nice 2024 Chevy Trax. But the Trax and Envista, while essentially the same underneath, aren’t exactly the same; parent company General Motors has done a good job in giving consumers two distinctly different cars at a low price, which is not consistent with the old Chevy-with-chrome-trim days of yore.
Am I more inclined personally to get a Chevy Trax Activ in Nitro Yellow Metallic optioned up to $27k? Yes. The Trax is a little more my style, even though the Buick is a little more my lifestyle.
[Full disclosure: Buick let me borrow the car for a week and gave me a full tank of gas. I intended to return it with a full tank of gas so I filled it up. Then I kept the car for two more days so it was like 3/4ths full.]
The Basics
Price: $29,395 ($30,490 Delivered)
Engine: 1.2-liter turbo inline-three
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Drivetrain: FWD
Horsepower: 137 horsepower at 5,000 rpm.
Torque: 162 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,500-4,000 rpm.
Fuel Economy: 28 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, 30 mpg combined.
Body Style: five-seat crossover
Curb Weight: 3,115 pounds
How Does It Look?
I don’t mean this pejoratively, but the Envista looks like it was designed for a global audience. Often “global design” means watering down a car until it looks approximately like everything else so it can be sold everywhere.
In the case of the Envista, the car’s designers did an admirable job of creating a new global face that is just simple enough to work to many people, but that also has what they call a “forward-leaning nose” that feels like the more arresting Buicks of the pre-Malaise period. In profile, the car becomes a little more anonymous and gives into aerodynamic sculpting.
My photos are of the Avenir, which includes some chrome-like details that feel very old Buick in a good way. Again, stylistically this is not me. The above ST trim is painted in the same Cinnabar Metallic color but has the blacked-out trim and I think that looks more me, but Buick has, for the first time in a long time, managed to differentiate its designs from Chevy and internally from itself.
Both the headlamps and taillights use Buick’s “wing lighting” and it is distinct in a good way. Compare this to the old entry-level Encore, which just looked like a little turd-shaped economy car:
This is a stratospheric jump in visual presence.
How About The Inside?
There is nothing particularly cheap feeling about the Envista, although this is technically an entry-level model. The plastics aren’t noticeably bad, the steering wheel feels good as a driver, and the Avenir’s seats even have “Avenir” stitched into the headrests for some reason.
If anything, the biggest challenge of this car is that it almost feels like a luxury car, which it isn’t. When viewed as a luxury car none of it is quite nice enough. This isn’t a car that’s worth $40-50k and, having jumped out of an Alpina XB7 into this, all those little details were fairly obvious.
Here’s a good example of what I mean:
In Avenir trim you get two decent and responsive screens that provide all the details you need and good access to Apple CarPlay. To give the impression that this is one big screen, Buick uses a dark black plastic that gives off a screen-like shine to hide the fact that it’s two screens.
Unfortunately, when the sun is at the right level it makes the Potemkin-like quality of the screens almost comically obvious. Given that it works fine 90% of the time this is a reasonable trade-off. Sometimes “attainable” luxury just means faking it a little, and that’s ok because…
There’s a lot of backseat here! You can see that my daughter has moved into the Envista and made it her car immediately. Buick says the Envista has 38.7 inches of rear legroom! To put that in comparison, my theoretically luxury 5-series BMW has 34.2 inches of legroom. From hip-to-hip a fifth person is a tight squeeze and Buick has tried to recess the buckles to achieve that little fifth seat, which makes buckling in harder, but that’s a minor quibble.
The hatch area is also spacious and usable with a low load-in and room for at least one sports bag and one glove. Also, now I know where that glove went…
How Does It Drive?
The motor in this thing is tiny and it’s not quick. What’s the opposite of quick? Slow. It’s slow. Car And Driver tested it, and it only took them about 6.7 seconds to get to 50 mph. That’s not terrible. To get to 60 mph? It took them another 2.6 seconds. This is the reality of gearing set up for economy and low-speed zip, and it’s completely livable around town, which is where this thing will live for most people.
Did you notice the special word in there? Gearing! This thing has an honest-to-goodness six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission and not a damn CVT. As someone who has logged more miles on CVT-equipped cars than just about anything else for the last year or so it’s a revelation to me to have a real automatic. I thought I’d eventually just get used to CVTs, but like hemorrhoids, the jerk of a CVT is a feeling that’s better to eliminate than acclimate to.
In ST and Avenir trim, the big upgrade is the available watts link suspension out back, which allows for a smoother and stabler ride. This video does a good job of explaining how this works:
I live in a bumpy part of the world, made worse by winter, and the Avenir felt almost luxury car smooth. The steering also felt crisper than most economy cars and more in line with my BMW than even some more expensive premium crossovers I’ve tested. As long as you’re not trying to go fast, the Envista is a great place to be.
It’s a FWD car and it will always be a FWD car. One of the ways Buick keeps the costs down and differentiates it from the rest of the lineup is that it’s only able to spin the front wheels. Oh well.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap Some People Want?
It’s got keyless start, Bluetooth audio for two devices simultaneously, wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Audio, active noise cancellation, six speakers, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, a high-def rear camera, automatic emergency braking… basically all the things.
Do all of those things work well? The sound system is average, the wireless charging is average, and the phone sound quality is also average. The rear camera is quite nice and better than many way more expensive cars. I apologize to everyone on the Taconic Parkway at 5:00 am who experienced the auto high beams when the Buick, possibly due to sensor placement, decided to blind them.
If you put 10 pounds of sausage into five pounds of sausage casing some of it’s going to end up on the floor.
Three Things To Know About The 2024 Buick Envista Avenir:
- It gets precisely the fuel economy that it promised, no more no less.
- It still has a physical hood prop.
- It is trying to make Avenir happen.
Does It Fulfill Its Purpose?
Oh my, yes. The last car to do as good of a job of doing what it says on the tin was probably the WWII Jeep. There’s this weird concept that Costco has with its house brand Kirkland (I think I’m wearing Kirkland boxer briefs right now, come to think of it) where it has the makers of the product create a copy that’s 1% better.
I have always found this confusing. How does Bombay make a gin that is 1% better? I can understand a battery lasting 1% longer, but how does a thing taste 1% better?
Driving the Envista Avenir for a little more than a week made the Kirkland brand concept a little more comprehensible. Except for maybe a Ford Maverick, if you want a crossover-y type thing with good rear legroom and all the car features any human needs I don’t think you can do 1% better than the Envista for the price. In fact, I think you can only do 1% worse.
I’d probably skip the Avenir trim, though, and get the lower-trim ST. I loaded one up with the advanced safety package and it’s a whopping $26,285 delivered. Damn.
Sorry, any “coupe” CUV is stupid.
In a week, this is the only thing I will remember about the article, damn you!
I’ve been oddly freaking out over this car and the Trax lately. They’ve been my recommendation for everyone around me that complains how expensive cars have gotten. Both of these throw out the BS that people who just want a reasonably comfortable new car don’t need. AWD? Gone. Needlessly powerful engine that regular people never tap into? Gone. Stupidly tall body that only fucks with efficiency? Gone.
This is basically a wagon. It’s not even 2″ taller than the Elantra Touring I used to own. And it does everything that the Elantra Touring did right for a similar price adjusted for inflation.
These are the cars that most people actually need right now. I hope GM actually churns them out (they seem to be). I think if they end up being even reasonably reliable, they have a chance to be big winners by converting people who wouldn’t normally consider Chevy or Buick.
I hate CUV’s. But this Buick, in ST trim, as well as the Trax RS (Rally Sport), I love. I love the almost Corvettian-like shark nose. Hard not to love the price of the Envista and Trax twins, almost unheard of in this time and era. The ST trim gives the Envista ST the look it deserves, while the Avenir reminds us of everything we don’t like about post Buick Grand National cars. I don’t like the leadership of GM and the course they have set going all-electric, but I think they have a winner here and I hope they sell a zillion of them.
It looks like it’s good value for an entry level CUV. And the fit and finish, features and comfort seem a notch above most competitors. The base price under $24K is a nice bonus.
Then I realized a base Mazda CX-30 and a VW Taos are within $1K of the Envista and get you a much more compelling powertrain, better fuel economy and as good if not better interior quality. The only thing lacking might be rear legroom, though
It’s always seemed to me Buick was the least problematic of the famous GM brand ladder. It’s usually written off as an old person’s car, but Buicks are also usually….nice?
These are really handsome, even in “base” trim, and the interior is nice. I’m annoyed at the lack of a rear wiper (esp. because the Trax has one), and I’m disappointed that dual-zone climate isn’t even an option. Mostly, I share many Autopians’ concerns about the long-term durability of the engine … though I’m not too salty about its relaxed performance. Maybe I’ll check the CPO lot in a couple of years …
Probably don’t need a rear wiper with how slanted the rear deck is in these
Do you still have to wear a hat when you drive a Buick?
And really, Buick drivers don’t really drive, they just aim…
Well well well apparently Autopian now has a Fancy Matt, or should that be a Fancy Matthew? Auto journalist doesn’t want a basic car when they get to drive it around free for the cost of gas. Coming from the guy who just bought a 235,000 2007 Toyota Camry for $3,000 out the door, which has features I have never had before like heated seats, phone hook up, traction control, tpms sensors, sunroof, and more… I can tell because a lit updashboard and many switches I do t know what they do. But this Buick is too Fancy. Get me the bases model and allow me to strip it of more features without paying more for it. Manual hood prop? He’ll yeah those gas shocks wear put and Noone ever replaces them. Heated seats? Beans for dinner and I heat my own seats the next day. Automatic windows? Cranking the windows up a d down and curling beers is the only exercise I get. 4 tvs and 20 speakers in a space 4 people feel crowded? Too much.
That brings up another point. Room? Whether it is head, feet, hip, shoulder, or sexual what is it? Empty space. Auto manufacturers have us convinced we should pay more for empty space. WHY? Because of $20 more metal? Why don’t they try that drop down foot space the VW like car featured yesterday had. For all the crap crammed into a small-scale in the engine compartment there is design empty space under neath a car.
Another problem manufacturers using plastic to build important parts in hot/cold locations while using metal in areas that get wet, rusty need fiddled with regularly. Give me a decent built easy to work on fuel system instead of rusty metal hard to get to. A plastic hood prop would save money and weight but no experience metal strut. But a plastic T fuel filter under the hood that becomes brittle in a year creates a fire hazard?
Can we agree car manufacturers are idiots when it comes to deciding what parts should be plastic and/or metal or some alloy. Possibly cause a fiery death quality materials. Needing constant replacement cheap materials.
Good luck Charlie Brown!
$30k and it only has a 1.2L 3-banger? I’d expect that in a mitsu mirage maybe, but not this. I’d sooner drive an LS bolted to a bare metal frame than this.
That would be fun
They couldn’t even be bothered to put their more powerful 3 banger in it. $30K for this thing is a travesty.
There’s 1.2l 3-bangers and there’s 1.2l 3-bangers. Some aren’t bad at all. The Stellantis (well, it dates to PSA days) 1.2l 3-cyl turbo engine is great. I rented a Vauxhall Grandland once, which is the replacement for the Antara which was a rebadged Chevy Captiva. It had that engine and it was perfect for the car. It wasn’t that quick, sure, but it was very economical, the engine was quiet and smooth, and in a car like that, that’s what’s needed.
This isn’t a car for you and me. It’s a car for someone like my mother-in-law, who currently drives a Buick Encore slowly around the Cincinnati suburbs, and who finds the interstate mildly scary. She wants comfy, easy to park, easy to drive, and cheap to run. This thing would be spot on for her.
For the same price I can get a Hybrid Camry with more power, much better mileage.
So…how long until you trade in the Subaru for one of these?
I was going to ask how much of this was “it’s good!” vs. “it’s not my Forester!”
My wife and I went to the auto show recently and we sat in a Trax and then this. The Trax looks pretty good, but it feels like the cheap car that it is on the inside. The Buick also looks pretty good and felt really nice on the inside. I wish it was AWD, but I guess you can’t win ’em all. My wife loved it, so I guess we might be Buick owners soon. I never thought I would see the day.
Sadly while it is not your dad’s Buick anymore, we at least the guys do become our dads. Comfortable over speed, more car less computers, keeping kids off our lawns. The only way to prevent this is death.
Hope everyone is having a great day!
And we all had a nap!
I recently went to the auto show in my major city, my takeaways were: I actually fit in a Miata, Sedans are all but dead, and the new Trax/Envista are the only cars on the market one can conceivably consider a deal. Everything else is priced to the moon, the Honda Civic starts at $25k! I was thoroughly disappointed at the lack of new cars I am remotely interested in, the bottom of the market (and the non-truck/suv/cuv market) is just… gone.
I too discovered that I fit in a Miata at the auto show! You know what I didn’t fit in though? The Supra. Weird.
The battery was dead in the Supra I tried to sit in, so the power seats wouldn’t move.
Hey never say die. When I was growing up my dad wore a casual button down shirt untucked, plaid shorts, and sandels with socks. Me?never decals on tshirts tennis shorts, and flip flips. I have no kids but my siblings kids wear untucked buttoned down shirts to work, plaid shorts and something called crocks. If the parents turn against it the kids will adore it. Of course now kids hate any cars so who knows. I myself recently bought a sedan and my fat old @ss enjoys entering, sitting and exiting a lot more.
One can hope
Haven’t seen you commenting here before. I like your style. However agreeing with me here is a good way to get banished.
I’ve been around for a little bit, hopefully I avoid that future
Amen my brother from a different alien species.
Vorp.
The truth is out there.
Can we not turn into a website that posts click bait thumbnails with stupid reaction faces? Thanks.
It’s very YouTube-y, and I don’t mean that as a compliment
And one thing I love about this site (basic lede text) is also waning for the “Hey, I just stepped on a turd, you aren’t going to believe what happened next!” It reminds me of those looper sites that post a slide show, one on each page that just pushes ad clicks.
Yes. That trend killed my ability to enjoy the old site.
To the powers that be: Please, please, please don’t turn this site into that one.
It’s not that but allow members to be themselves.
easy there, um, everything on this site is executed with a little nudge, wink and a bit of satire. don’t take it at face value.
I don’t think Korean and Freedom barbeque can even be compared. I am in the mountain south, but just about everywhere I’ve been implies that barbeque is some kind of slow-cooked-on-a-fire or meat. Or slow-smoked, whatever.
The Korean Barbeque I have enjoyed seems to speak more of the cooking style – meat over flames. Like when your neighbor says ‘come to my barbeque’. At the neighborhood barbecue you’re probably getting a flame-cooked burger or sausage.
My wife is from the south-south and says the latter use of the word is incorrect. Barbecue is a product, not an event. We love Korean barbeque, though, but they get a pass since the language is different. I think.
Been all over the country. BBQ depends on where you live. Northeast hamburgers and baked chicken drowned in kraft sauce. No. Southeast a mustard based sauce over smoked meat. Pretty good. Texas meat over flames. Depending on the cook. California Santa Maria slow cooked dry rub tritip on a indirect heat grill. I would kill anyone for this again. Also Texas has the best Mexican food. And in most places Mexicans working in Chinese restaurants and Chinese workers in Mexican restaurants. WTF is going on.
Also spicy in the northeast is anything not boiled and not spicy.
Having lived in El Lay I am going to go ahead and disagree on the Mexican food. And If I never eat bbq brisket again I will be fine…maybe I just have an aversion to Texas.
Good writeup, but FFS stop with the YouTuber thumbnail OMG face.
Thank you
You too, Tavarish.