The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Slick styling
- Lots of tech
- Decent fuel economy
- Impressive value
Dislikes
- No AWD version, if you really need it
- Not much power
- No “wow factor” features
- Not as spacious as Encore GX
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Buick Envista is cheap but cheerful, with a nice cabin and a good feature set. It’s all the car many shoppers really need.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Buick Envista? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Envista is a small crossover SUV that squeezes between the company’s subcompact Encore GX and its compact Envision. Even though it’s not the smallest Buick, it’s the cheapest. Shop it against the similar Chevrolet Trax, plus the Mazda CX-30, Hyundai Kona, and Lexus UX.
Is the 2025 Buick Envista a good SUV?
It’s a strong contender in terms of value and style, plus its interior is pretty comfortable. But the Envision could be quicker. It’s a 6.0 out of 10 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Buick Envista?
New last year, the Envista enters 2025 with no notable changes.
This low-slung Buick has a hatchback profile but a nearly SUV-like stance. It doesn’t tower over traffic, but it’s bigger than its pert proportions otherwise suggest. With its crisply toned lines, the Envista is one of the most striking inexpensive cars around. We love its sleek front end, its hunkered-down stance, and its well-integrated tail. ST versions have slightly dressier trim, while the top Avenir tosses in some brightwork. But even the base preferred trim looks good enough for us.
That sense of style carries inside, where two screens are housed in a single panel mounted high on the dash. The Envista is light on buttons and knobs, which helps keep costs low but gives it a somewhat sparse look and feel.
It’s plenty spacious, though, thanks to a fairly long wheelbase and a 183-inch overall length that makes it bigger than most cars at this price point. Don’t look for an especially large cargo area, however; that sleek roofline means tall items will need to find another way home.
The little 1.2-liter turbo-3 musters a meager 136 hp, which is sent to the front wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission. Fine around town, the Envista runs out of steam for highway passing. Its ride is good but neither particularly coddling or sporty. Same’s true for its quick, accurate, but uncommunicative steering. At 30 mpg combined, though, who’s complaining?
While it has yet to be crash tested by the IIHS or the NHTSA, the Envision comes with a good array of collision-avoidance features. Buick charges extra for adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitors, however.
How much does the 2025 Buick Envista cost?
The Envista rings in at $24,490 with its standard 11.0-inch touchscreen, wireless smartphone mirroring, and good array of crash-avoidance tech. Add heated seats with a power-adjustable driver’s seat and you’ll pay $995 more—stop there for the best value.
Where is the 2025 Buick Envista made?
In South Korea.
2025 Buick Envista Styling
More hatchback than SUV, the Envista is a dashing small car.
Is the Buick Envista a good-looking car?
Very much so. This small model has a fluid, graceful shape that’s more like a hunkered-down hatchback on stilts than it is a bulky SUV. Its detailing likely points toward Buick’s electric future thanks to a tall front end that buries the large grille below a pair of slim LED lights. Unpainted fender flares give it a subtly rugged vibe from the side, where the roofline slopes wonderfully toward a pert tailgate with lights that echo those up front. Wheel sizes range from 17 to 19 inches, though the mid-level 18s fill the wheel wells sufficiently.
Inside, look for a clean design with two curved displays that give off a cockpit feel. There’s plenty of black trim inside, even if you select different upholstery. Overall, the look is smart and tailored, if not exactly dressy—but then again, this is Buick’s cheapest model.
We award the Envista 8 out of 10 points, with two of those above average allocated to its exterior and one assigned to its cabin.
2025 Buick Envista Performance
The Buick Envista is hardly a sporty choice.
The Envista is quiet enough, but it’s no scorcher and its handling is just acceptable. We rate it a perfectly average 5.
Is the Buick Envista 4WD?
Nope. This small crossover is front-wheel drive only.
How fast is the Buick Envista?
It is not as rapid as its hunkered-down stance might otherwise indicate. The Envista uses a small 1.2-liter turbo-3 paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. With just 136 hp on tap, the Envista moves away from a stop leisurely and runs out of steam for highway passing. The 6-speed automatic has fewer cogs than many rivals, but it suits this low-power engine just fine.
Underneath, the Envision employs a low-tech suspension with a torsion-beam setup out back. That keeps costs down, but it does little to endow this vehicle with particularly sharp moves. Top-end Avenir versions have a Watts link that limits rear axle motion, but it’s paired with 19-inch wheels that give a somewhat firmer ride. The best balance here is right in the middle with available 18s.
All Envistas have quick steering and good brakes, but again the setup is geared more toward daily driver competence over all else. It’s just fine.
2025 Buick Envista Comfort & Quality
The Envision’s cabin is plenty spacious for a small crossover.
The 2025 Buick Envista rates a 6 on the TCC scale for comfort and quality thanks to its decent cargo area, which bests similarly sized sedans but trails some SUVs. Thought of as a compact hatchback, the Envista is actually quite spacious.
Stretching nearly 183 inches long, the Envista is on the big side for its segment. That length—and the 106.3-inch wheelbase—endows it with good interior space for passengers in any outboard seat. You’ll have to spend up for a power-adjustable driver’s seat, which has better fine-tuning than the standard manual setup, but even then the front seats are acceptable but hardly lavish. Headroom is good all around without the optional sunroof; it can be tight in row two with it. Long rear doors make it easy to climb into the second row.
The Envista’s cargo area holds a reasonable 20.7 cubic feet of stuff with the rear seatbacks upright and 42.0 cubes with them down. Those figures trail the Encore GX, which has a more conventional roofline.
This small Buick has cabin materials in line with pricing. They’re a step above the related Chevrolet Trax but no match for any luxury brand—then again, Buick doesn’t ask luxury money for this model.
2025 Buick Envista Safety
The 2025 Envision comes well-equipped with safety gear, but it has not been crash tested.
How safe is the Buick Envista?
Since neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has weighed in yet, we can’t say for certain.
That said, the Envista comes with automatic high-beam headlights, automatic emergency braking, and active lane control. Rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitors, and adaptive cruise control are available, though Buick doesn’t offer a surround-view camera system.
2025 Buick Envista Features
The 2025 Buick Envision is a great value.
The smallest Buick in the lineup is the automotive equivalent of a better big-box store like Costco or Target. Some care has been taken to make it stand out against rivals, but it still offers a lot a value in any level. It’s an 8 thanks to good standard fare, a big touchscreen, and plenty of options. The 3-year/36,000-mile warranty is nothing special, though.
The lineup starts at $24,490 for the base Preferred trim, which is pretty decent. It has an 11.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a digital instrument cluster, manual front seats, combination cloth and synthetic leather upholstery, and good safety tech.
Which Buick Envista should I buy?
To the base version, we’d probably add option packages that include a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, a wireless device charging pad, and adaptive cruise control.
A well-equipped Preferred is more compelling than the mid-level $26,290 ST, which has stylish 18-inch alloy wheels but otherwise doesn’t justify its price premium.
How much is a fully loaded Buick Envista?
Buick offers its smallest model in its top Avenir trim for $29,695. Its leather seats, power tailgate, 19-inch wheels, and automatic climate control are nice extras, though you’ll still have to pay extra for a sunroof or adaptive cruise control. Even then, a loaded model rings in around $32,000.
2025 Buick Envista Fuel Economy
The 2025 Buick Envision’s low-power engine delivers low fuel consumption.
Is the Buick Envista good on gas?
It’s pretty frugal. EPA estimates come in at 28 mpg city, 32 highway, 30 combined. That’s no match for some competitors with hybrid powertrains, but it still helps this smallest Buick qualify for a 4 on the TCC scale.
