Envista Appears as Buick Reimagines the Small SUV

CHATHAM, Mass. – Introduction of new and stylish 2024 Buick Envista ST shatters any brand images that conjure up big, wooden sedans transporting the city’s aging family doctor.

Instead of a gas-guzzling V8 engine, the all-new Envista features a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine that can achieve better than 30 miles per gallon for an affordable SUV.

Powertrain Parts

General Motors brought the three-cylinder engine back to the North American market for the 2021 model year and continues to equip some of its smaller Chevrolet and Buick models — like the new Envista — with this unique design.

The aluminum block and cylinder head powerplant has a double-overhead camshaft arrangement that includes 12 valves, and, according to GM, is lighter and less rigid than its previous 1.2-liter motors.

Thanks in large part to a boosted turbocharger, the massive engine puts out 137 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission to front-wheel drive (FWD). FWD is the only drivetrain configuration available in this compact sport utility vehicle/crossover-utility (SUV/CUV); no all-wheel drive (AWD).

These mechanical bits provide peppy oomph off the line but have to work hard to reach full highway speed (Car and Driver recorded 0-60 mph time of 9.7 seconds).

When it comes to fuel efficiency, the 2024 Buick Envista ST (formerly stands for Sport Touring) delivers. The federal Environmental Protection Agency rates the Envista at 30 miles per gallon overall (28 city, 32 highway) — in a week of heavy-duty driving, pushing the pint-sized machine hard, I saw 33.7 mpg in overall efficiency. of oil.

As usual, these results came from hard driving, up and down the winding roads of Wellfleet (Massachusetts) along the Atlantic coast as well as hundreds of miles of highway along the state’s south coast. Envista never feel on his head regardless of the type of road, providing stability, comfortable ride and handling combination.

A simple and modern platform with modern driver assistance systems

Considering the efficiency of the Envista, the chassis pieces are straightforward. At the front, it moves MacPherson type and at the back there is a compound curve arrangement. GM’s StabiliTrak stability control system helps keep the Envista’s tracking true.

A four-wheel disc brake system with Duralife™ rotors (11.8 inches front, 11.3 rear) and anti-lock braking system (ABS) work inside 18×7.5-inch alloy wheels that wear 225/55R18 all-season tires.

Standard on all 2024 Buick Envista models is the Buick Driver Confidence package. The package includes six active safety and advanced driver assistance (ADAS) technologies such as automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist with lane departure warning, and automatic IntelliBeam high beams .

The ST review was also fitted with an optional Advanced Safety Package ($595) that adds adaptive cruise control, lane-departure alert with blind spot alert and rear cross-traffic alert.

Also standard is HD (high-definition) rear vision monitor.

Clean, functional and modern interior with modern technology

Large windows help give Envista’s interior a sense of spaciousness; a very comfortable place for four, and a fifth if the three in the back are friendly.

The most striking sight when you enter the Envista cabin is the Ultrawide Infotainment Display that runs inside the driver’s door 30-inch dashboard above the right edge of the center console.

The display includes two LCD screens. The left side provides a customizable information cluster for the driver activated via the steering wheel controls.

The right touchscreen is an 11-inch unit (measured diagonally) that is the heart of the infotainment system. The infotainment system has Bluetooth streaming; SiriusXM satellite radio and one of the fastest wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integrations I’ve experienced (after setting up Envista, CarPlay was ready to go before satellite radio got its signal).

The test unit included the Convenience Package 1 ($1,195) and the optional ($595) Convenience Package II. The first brings heated front seats (driver with eight-way power adjustment and lumbar support); heated steering wheel; keyless entry and remote starting.

Convenience II includes a power rear hatch; wireless charging, and rain-sensing windshield wipers.

Buick’s optional Experience Package includes a power moonroof along with black-tinted alloy wheels.

All of these features, optional and standard, combine to make the Buick Envista ST the perfect place for a quick run to the store or a road trip across the state. the ride is supple; The interior environment is quiet – the overall experience is this is a nice little car.

Efficient, modern and affordable

Buick aimed to offer an affordable, premium entry into the small SUV category which it accomplished with the new Envista for 2024. The three-spec model opens with the Envista Recommended at $23,495 and tops out at the well-equipped Avenir at $29,695.

The ST (Sport Touring) has a base price of $25,195 and, with the extensive optional package negotiated with a destination charge of $1,095, comes to a revised price of $29,070.

Next week TBR Drives the 2024 Hyundai Tucson Limited