Car Review: Attractive and Affordable New Buick | Business

Buick’s barges of yesteryear have been ditched for small SUVs, and its latest Envista compact promises to strike a chord with small families and consumers looking for practical transportation in the $20s.

Some may wonder why GM wants another small SUV when this segment is filled with its sibling and many others. We think it’s because the coupe-like hatch looks like a hatch and the four-door looks like an electric car with dashing lines in the front and back — unlike the boxer look of the Chevy Trax and Trailblazer, VW Taos and Mazda CX-30. . The Envista is close to the Trax in production dimensions and the base car. Each is built at GM facilities in South Korea or in China by SAIC-GM.

The Envista is the entry point of the Buick lineup, followed by the Encore GX, Envision and Enclave. It’s available in three trim levels: Preferred, Sport Touring and Avenir — priced low, mid and high $20, respectively. While most cars and SUVs require the buyer to buy a higher trim for the options you need, Buick embraces the style and allows more options to be added to the lower trims. Good.

The 1.2-liter turbocharged inline three-cylinder engine develops 137 horsepower and is the only one offered. Each is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that provides an agreeable ride, with front-wheel drive only.

In our road test, the Envista hit the 60 mph mark in 8.9 seconds, faster than a number of its rivals but lacking more staying power.

We found the Envista provides adequate acceleration, although it’s not quick off the line or when trying to pass maneuvers. It’s easy to drive, parking is easy, cabin noise is minimal at highway speeds and the interior treatment can be customized as needed.

Our Avenir test car and Sport Touring model come with standard equipment including driver assistance package, fully digital dashboard, Advanced Safety Package including cruise control that can be switched to cruise control standard, blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert.

The Preferred comes with standard 17-inch tires, the Sport Touring with 18-inch rubber and the Avenir with 19-inch wheels. This is important because the bigger the tire, the more grip the car has. More contact with the pavement increases cornering and handling while reducing stopping distance.

The Envista has an attractive exterior with a black chrome mesh grille and color-matched front and rear bumpers. GM’s Chevy Trailblazer is close compared to the Envista. The base Trailblazer also comes standard with FWD but offers all-wheel drive as a $1,600 option — good for northern snowy climates but not so much in the southeastern states.

The Trailblazer leads the Envista in cargo volume — 25.1 cubic feet to the Envista’s 20.7 cubic feet, and with the second-row seats folded, the Envista loses 12 cubes compared to the Trailblazer’s 54.3 cubic feet.

Among small SUVs, the Hyundai Hall leads the pack with a warranty and maintenance coverage of three additional years. We recommend trial drives in Envista, Trailblazer and Hall for comparison.

Contact freelance automotive columnist Len Ingrassia at editor@ptd.net.