Buick Unveils Envista Nameplate for Small SUV

Buick unveils the Envista, a crossover SUV designed to attract migrating sedan owners, young professionals and small families to the Buick portfolio.

Starting at $23,495, the division’s new entry-level vehicle takes many styling cues from the highly lauded Buick Wildcat EV concept vehicle unveiled last June, says Kevin Nougarede, interior and exterior design manager, Buick.

The concept vehicle’s purpose was to convey the brand’s new design language, which will influence future Buicks, including the Envista.

Those design elements include a low-profile silhouette and forward-leaning nose, Nougarede tells Wards during a walk-around of the vehicle last week at the General Motors Design Dome in Warren, MI.

The new Buick emblem is mounted on the body, directly above a sleek, intricate grille design. This design cue is taken from heritage vehicles of Buicks past, he says.

The Envista replaces the Encore subcompact SUV. Depending on trim level, competitors could include Honda HR-V, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taos, Subaru Outback, Mazda CX-30 and Honda Civic.

A 1.2L turbocharged 3-cyl. with a 6-speed automatic transmission is in all three trim levels. The engine is expected to produce 136 hp with 62 lb.-ft. (220 Nm) of torque and a GM-estimated 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) combined. 

The engine’s turbocharger allows it to reach peak torque much faster and maintain that for a longer RPM band, providing great responsiveness and an engaging driving experience, says Scott McLane, lead development engineer, small SUVs.

Buick will reveal and launch three more products in the next 18 months, and one of those will be a BEV that will be in showrooms in second-half 2024, he says. A battery-electric version of the Envista is planned for 2030, McLane tells Wards.

The ’24 Envista will come in three trims: Preferred (starting at $23,495), Sport Touring (starting at $25,195) and the luxurious Avenir sub-brand (starting at $29,695). The Avenir trim level is being offered on other Buick models as well.

With a long wheelbase, low roof and sleek profile, the Envista offers the riding dynamics of a sedan. The athletic stance is in contrast to the Encore’s stubby silhouette. The goal, say Buick executives, is to rethink what a Buick can be in a white space of the small-SUV segment. It will offer the cargo space and utility of an SUV, packaged inside the sporty and sleek proportions typically found in a sedan.

“We see this as a huge opportunity across sedans, small sedans, even hatchbacks, and definitely small SUVs to recapture millions of people who have either been priced out of the market or forced to go into a used car,” says Rob Peterson, marketing manager, Buick.

Buick Envista cabin-1

The vehicle’s infotainment screens encompass 19 diagonal ins. (48 cm) of combined LCD screens. Like the ’24 Encore GX, the Envista has an 11-in. (28-cm)  diagonal infotainment screen, the largest in the segment (pictured, above).

Avenir and ST logos are embroidered on the head restraints of their respective trims and a flat-bottom steering wheel is standard across all trims.

The ’ 24 Envista also comes standard with active safety and driver-assistance technologies such as automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning and auto high-beams. A high-definition rear-vision camera is also standard.

The Envista will also offer available safety and driver-assistance technologies such as lane-change alert with side blindspot alert, adaptive cruise control and rear cross-traffic alert.

GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving will not be available as an option on any of the trim levels due to the vehicle’s entry-level status, McLane says.

Customers can preview the Envista on Buick.com starting April 19, with the ability to build and order online starting later this summer. The Envista will be built in GM's Bupyeong plant in South Korea.

Buick Envista rear 3.4-1