2025 Buick Envista Avenir : Premium Looks at a Bargain Price

The 2025 Buick Envista Avenir offers a premium logo and upscale looks for not much more than most mainstream models.

Summary of the 2025 Buick Envista Avenir

• The 2025 Buick Envista Avenir starts at $36,825 in Canada and $29,995 in the U.S.
• The 1.2L turbocharged three-cylinder engine produces 137 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque
• RN Can reports combined fuel consumption of 7.9 L/100 km; I achieved 8.0 L/100 km
• The Buick Envista is the cousin of the Chevrolet Trax

Strengths

• Attractive, upscale appearance
• Interesting market positioning
• Interior space (especially at the rear)

Weaknesses

• No all-wheel drive
• Lacks a bit of refinement
• Firm suspension

An Interesting Formula

Buick occupies an uncertain position in the General Motors lineup, sandwiched between Chevrolet, some of whose models are very well equipped, and Cadillac, which offers a few surprisingly affordable vehicles.

Despite this, the Envista, its entry-level model, manages to stand out by offering access to a so-called premium brand to consumers who would otherwise have to turn to more plebian options due to budget constraints.

The 2025 Buick Envista is certainly not a luxury crossover, far from it, but its presentation is significantly more upscale than that of its mainstream competitors, especially in Avenir guise.

Like its close cousin, the Chevrolet Trax, the Buick Envista is built in South Korea and is only available with front-wheel drive. Those for whom all-wheel drive is essential will have to turn to the slightly more expensive Encore GX.

Some Chrome and a Unique Design

Much of the Buick Envista’s appeal, particularly in relation to the Chevrolet Trax, lies in its exterior appearance, which has clearly been given a lot of attention.

In fact, the Envista is unlike any other model in its class thanks to its tapered shape achieved by a sloping roofline inspired by the many coupe SUVs offered by German luxury brands.

Up front, the Envista adopts Buick’s new visual signature, characterized by triangular daytime running lights above separate headlights that frame a trapezoidal grille. In my opinion, this is the most harmonious application of this design language in the manufacturer’s lineup.

At the rear, the 2025 Buick Envista also features separate lights, but the result is much less successful than at the front. While the overall look seems quite conventional at first glance, it’s a different story when the driver hits the brakes. It then becomes apparent that Buick had the inexplicable idea of positioning the brake lights (which are also the turn signals) at the bottom of the bumper, a location that is not only inelegant but also dangerous, as they are difficult to see in traffic. It’s even worse on a red vehicle like my test model. As a result, the conventionally-placed clusters are only used for the taillamps and reverse lights.

With the exception of this detail, the Envista’s exterior design doesn’t attract much criticism, as it’s modern, elegant, and even a tad dynamic.

The Avenir trim level, the most expensive of the three available, features chrome accents on the lower bumpers and upper window surrounds, attractive 19-inch silver alloy wheels, a checkered grille, and body-colored lower-body mouldings.

Personally, I like this treatment, which gives the Envista a chic and slightly more traditional style that is impossible to find in other models in this price range.

For those who are allergic to chrome, Buick also offers the ST version, which uses glossy black elements for a more contemporary look.

A Surprisingly Spacious Interior

Despite its subcompact size, which makes parking maneuvers easy, the 2025 Buick Envista offers a surprisingly generous cabin. This is particularly true at the rear, where legroom is ample for passengers of all sizes, aided in part by a completely flat floor, which is rare for gas-powered models.

Both front and rear access is very easy thanks to thin door sills and a seat height that allows you to slide in without having to climb or descend.

Once seated in the Envista, you’ll notice the modern dashboard, which features the brand’s latest design, combining two screens into a single panel shaped like an inverted trapezoid with rounded corners.

This layout is elegant, although it places some of the icons on the central screen behind the steering wheel. The graphics on both displays are of good quality, but their presentation is a little simplistic and we would appreciate more configuration options.

Simplicity is a common theme in the Envista’s interior, reminding us that this is still an entry-level model after all. For example, the climate control system has only one temperature zone, and the front seats are not ventilated.

Another aspect that reminds us of the Envista’s low cost is the abundance of hard plastics, which are a bit disappointing given the upscale exterior.

Fortunately, the seats make up for this with their attractive contrasting stitching and piping, as well as the Avenir logo embroidered on the headrests. They also provide appreciable comfort, although their base cushions are short, which may be a problem for taller people.

Poor rear visibility is often the norm with coupe SUVs, but the Buick Envista does quite well in this regard, with a nicely-sized rear window. It should be noted, however, that there is no rear wiper.

The trunk volume is limited by the shape of the roof, and its 586 L capacity (1,189 L with the seats folded down) is among the smallest in the segment. In fact, only the Mazda CX-30 offers less storage space. Despite this, the Envista remains spacious enough for most buyers.

Forget the Roadmaster

If you still remember the large Buick sedans of the last century, you won’t find many similarities behind the wheel of the 2025 Envista.

While the old Buicks were characterized by cozy comfort, a large, slow-revving engine, and uncertain handling, the opposite is true in this case.

First of all, the Buick Envista is powered by a tiny 1.2L turbocharged three-cylinder engine. This unit generates 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque, figures that made me fear the worst.

Surprisingly, this engine proves to be quite sufficient for the Envista’s purpose, thanks in large part to the six-speed automatic transmission, which does a good job of exploiting the engine’s resources. While not particularly powerful, the Envista performs much better than one might think, and passing on the highway is no problem. However, I would expect better fuel economy from such a small engine, as I averaged 8.0 L/100 km even though most of my trips were on highways and country roads.

The suspension is also surprisingly firm, which sometimes detracts from comfort on rough roads, especially with the 19-inch wheels of the Avenir trim level. On the flip side, handling is competent, without being sporty. The brakes also inspire confidence thanks to a nicely-weighted pedal, and the steering doesn’t attract much reproach, except that the turning circle is a little wide given the size of the vehicle.

One typical Buick feature that the Envista benefits from is good powertrain soundproofing. The engine is quiet during normal driving, and only at full throttle can the characteristic sound of the three-cylinder engine be heard.

Unfortunately, road noise is not as well filtered at highway speeds. In addition, the engine transmits vibrations to the cabin when idling and to the front end during heavy acceleration, which once again reflects the Envista’s modest origins. The air conditioning system in our test model also emitted strange noises that varied with engine speed.

Nevertheless, Buick’s entry-level model remains quite pleasant to drive on a daily basis, particularly in urban areas, where it easily weaves through traffic.

2024 Buick Envista Replaces Encore with Bigger, Swankier New Metal

What to Watch For

Transport Canada currently lists only one recall for the Buick Envista, a campaign affecting 4,412 vehicles whose dashboard could turn off while driving.

While the Envista is too new for us to have a good idea of its long-term reliability, we can take a look at the Buick Encore GX, which is mechanically similar.

The overall reliability of this model seems good, but some owners have reported fuel pump problems on online forums.

In addition, General Motors does not have a very good track record with turbocharged powertrains, and the Envista’s 1.2L engine uses a wet timing belt, a configuration that has caused headaches for some manufacturers, especially in Europe.

That said, the mechanical elements used in the Buick Envista/Encore GX and Chevrolet Trax/Trailblazer have not revealed any particular problems since their arrival on the North American market in 2019.

Speaking of the Chevrolet Trax, it may be a good alternative to the Envista, because if the Buick’s more upscale look isn’t a priority for you, it will save you a few thousand dollars at purchase and provide a fairly similar driving experience.

2025 Buick Envista Pricing

The 2025 Buick Envista is available in three trim levels: Preferred, Sport Touring (ST) and Avenir.

The Canadian range starts at $32,025 for a Privilege model, whose list of options is limited to metallic paint costing $495.

The ST version, at $33,225, can be equipped with the Convenience II package ($700), which adds automatic windshield wipers, a wireless phone charger, and a power liftgate. The Buick Experience Package ($1,195) includes a sunroof and 19-inch black wheels, which are combined with revised rear suspension geometry (standard on the Avenir). Together, these two packages result in an Envista ST equipped like the top-of-the-line model.

Finally, the Avenir version starts at $36,825, and only the triple-coat frosted white paint requires a $700 surcharge.

By comparison, the most expensive Chevrolet Trax costs around $33,900, and the all-wheel-drive Buick Encore GX Avenir costs just over $41,000.

In the United States, the lineup is priced as follows: Preferred ($25,195), Sport Touring ($26,695) and Avenir ($29,995).

Looking beyond GM products, we see that you can get an Envista Avenir for about the same price as a Mazda CX-30 GS with the Luxury package, a Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid SE or a Honda HR-V LX AWD. All of these competitors are equipped with all-wheel drive and offer as much, if not more, interior space, but they look decidedly less premium.

So, depending on your priorities, the Buick Envista can be a good value in its segment.

Conclusion

The 2025 Buick Envista Avenir is an interesting small crossover because it offers a vehicle that looks much more expensive than it actually is, which is increasingly rare in today’s market. While its interior and powertrain lack a bit of refinement, its practical size and unique style earn praise. For those for whom appearance is a determining factor, it’s hard to find anything better than the Envista without spending a lot more.

Model	Buick Envista Avenir	Mazda CX-30 GS Luxury	Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid SE
Base Price (CAD)	$36,825	$37,565	$37,792
Horsepower	137 hp	191 hp	196 hp
Torque	162 lb-ft	186 lb-ft	139 lb-ft
Transmission	6 Speed Auto	6 Speed Auto	eCVT
All Wheel Drive	NA	Standard	Standard
Combined Fuel Consumption (NR Can)	7,9 L/100 km	8,2 L/100 km	5,6 L/100 km
Max. Cargo Volume	1,189 L	1,280 L	1,133 L (estimated)
Cargo Volume (behind 2nd row)	586 L	572 L	609 L
Size of Touch Screen	11 in	10,25 in	8 in