2024 Buick Envista a classy bargain SUV

Another day, another compact sport utility vehicle. This time, a 2024 Buick Envista. It’s a new vehicle from the old-school division of General Motors trying to sell its products to younger buyers.

The quandary for Buick, Cadillac, Lincoln and Mercury was determining the best approach. At least with the Envista, the average age of Buick buyers should tumble a decade or two from its current 60-year-old average.

The handsome newbie Buick debuted in the United States in April 2023 as a 2024 model. About 13,000 were sold last year, with a higher volume warranted for this year.

It’s also a vehicle that gives relevance to the brand’s former marketing slogan, “Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?”

The answer for compact SUV buyers is an unqualified “yes.”

The top-line reviewed and fully equipped Envista Avenir slightly surpasses $30,000. It costs about $15,000 less than the current and always fluctuating average price of a new car in the United States. A better bargain is hard to find.

Available only with a turbocharged 1.2-liter inline three-cylinder engine with 137 horsepower and a six-speed automatic transmission, the Envista is also only offered with front-wheel-drive. Its three trim levels are Preferred, Sport Touring and Avenir.

The latter trim levels have more standard equipment, but nearly all the additional equipment is available as stand-alone options on the Preferred trim.

Standard features are plentiful, starting with the base Preferred trim:  17-inch wheels LED exterior lighting, heated side mirrors, keyless starting, manual tilt-and-telescoping steering column, active noise cancellation and single-zone automatic climate control.

The equipment also includes an eight-inch digital gauge cluster, 11-inch touchscreen, six-speaker audio system, satellite radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (wireless connectivity for both) Wi-Fi and rear-seat HVAC ducts.

Active driver assist features on the Envista include forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance and following distance indicator. It displays the amount of time, at the current speed, the Envista is behind the vehicle ahead of it.

Plenty of upgrades are added in the Sport Touring, but the vehicle’s appeal is fully appreciated in the Avenir: perforated leather seats with mixed-color stitching choices to remote start and a power-lift gate to a heated steering wheel.

Beyond its expansive standard features, the Avenir (French for “future”) SUV has several distinct areas.

The sloping roofline and overall exterior styling outclasses plenty of luxury vehicles, BMW to Infiniti, whose once traditional appearances are now staid. The ideally proportioned, four-door Envista stands out with a design reverence to Porsche.

The Envista’s designers did well. The compact SUV has only a 106.3-inch wheelbase with 97 cubic feet of passenger volume. Rear-seat legroom and overall headroom are ample despite the sloping roof line.

Fitted with a sound-suppressing acoustic windshield glass and other noise-cancellation features, the Envista advances quietly, its level also superior to several luxury SUV and sedans.

Not everything is outstanding. The touchscreen is positioned forwarding-leaning, likely as glare prevention. It doesn’t prevent glare and its angle is too extreme for best reviewing. The push button radio start-stop is nearly hidden behind the steering wheel.

The Envista’s exterior styling doesn’t translate into performance. The 0-to-60 miles per hour standard takes 9.3 seconds. Secondary acceleration approaching highway speeds is appreciably better. Gas mileage estimates are 28 miles per gallon in city driving, 32 mpg on the highway. Seating is listed for five, but four occupants are a better fit.

Top-rated compact SUVs include the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Honda CR-V. All of their top trims are more expensive than the new Buick. The Envista, particularly in its Avenir trim, debuts at the right time. Its future is now.

James Raia is a syndicated automotive columnist and a sports and lifestyle freelance writer in Sacramento. Email: james@jamesraia.com.