2025 Buick Envista

Performance

Buick equips a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine, making 136 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. It’s combined with a six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. The new powertrain is lighter and less complicated than previous iterations, making it more reliable and efficient than ever before. That focus paid off: The Envista offers up to 28 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 30 mpg combined. The three-cylinder engine is tuned more for efficiency than performance, though it has received mostly positive reviews in its short time on the market. It’s a competent performer in town, where it’s more than capable of delivering the short bursts of acceleration needed to enter traffic and merge onto the highway.

As a Buick should, Envista irons out the worst road imperfections and maintains a quiet, mostly smooth ride throughout. The ST and Avenir trims add a Watts link suspension system that further improves the ride quality.

Exterior

The Envista feels more expensive and premium than its price tag suggests. Buick employed a new design language for the SUV, which is based on the Wildcat EV concept car. The shift brings Buick’s new logo, unique grille designs, and other styling elements not usually found at this price point.

Exterior accents differ between trims, with the ST getting dark exterior trim and others adding satin chrome accents. LED daytime running lights come standard, and the Envista’s headlight design mirrors Buick’s signature wing shape. Wheel sizes include 18- and 19-inch wheels, with the range-topping Avenir trim getting pearl nickel 18-inch wheels, which Buick said give the vehicle an elegant, luxurious look.

Interior

Buick focused on light and space with the Envista, giving it large, long windows that give the cabin an airy feel. Its extended wheelbase affords excellent interior room, especially in the second row, where legroom is more generous than in any small SUV Buick has offered to date. The Avenir and ST trims come with stitched logos in the upholstery, and most models get contrasting stitching. All models get a flat-bottom steering wheel, and Buick said it scrutinized the most minuscule details throughout the cabin. The automaker also equips its QuietTuning noise cancellation tech.

Cloth with leatherette upholstery comes standard, while the range-topping Avenir trim adds leather, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, and a heated steering wheel. It also brings a host of exclusive styling and interior features, including an air filtration system with dust and particulate filtering, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, keyless open and start, and more.

The Envista’s five-seat cabin offers generous space, with 39.4 inches of front headroom and 37.3 inches in the back. Legroom measures 41.9 inches in the front and 38.7 inches in the back. Cargo space is surprisingly decent, at 20.7 cubic feet with the rear seats upright and 42 cubic feet with the 60/40 folding bench folded flat.

Technology

The Envista comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, features missing from GM’s newest electric models. It gets an 11-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone mirroring, an eight-inch driver information display screen, Bluetooth with two-device connectivity, a Wi-Fi hotspot, HD radio, SiriusXM radio, and more. Higher-level trims get a remote start system, wireless device charging, a keyless entry keypad, and more robust OnStar functions.

Buick benefits from GM’s excellent infotainment interface, which is simpler and easier to use than many competing systems. That simplicity also makes the interface less distracting to use while driving. At the same time, it offers a generous set of standard features, and the large touchscreen runs flawlessly.

Safety

The Envista has many standard driver assist features, including lane departure alerts, lane keep assist, forward collision warnings, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, and a rearview camera. Buyers can also add adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts, and rear parking sensors.
Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has crash-tested the new Envista. However, the IIHS recently updated its testing criteria with a more intense side-crash evaluation, and the Envista should perform well in the new tests.