I drove a $29,000 Buick Envista Sport Touring. It's an impressive, affordable small SUV with upscale looks.

• The Buick Envista is an affordable, subcompact, near-luxury SUV that's all-new for 2024.
• I was impressed by the Envista's elegant looks, surprisingly upscale cabin, and good fuel economy.
• The Envista lacks engine power when loaded with passengers and does not offer all-wheel-drive.

Founded in 1899, Buick is America's oldest surviving automaker and one of General Motors' founding brands.

Today, Buick's lineup of moderately-priced premium SUVs bridge the gap between GM's mass-market Chevrolet and luxury Cadillac brands.

Buick launched the all-new Envista in 2024. It is now the most affordable of the brand's quartet of crossover SUVs and one of the lowest-priced offerings in GM's portfolio.

The subcompact Envista competes against the likes of the Mazda CX-30, Toyota Corolla Cross , Volkswagen Taos , and its corporate sibling, the Chevrolet Trax .

I recently spent a week behind the wheel of a 2024 Buick Envista Sport Touring SUV.

I was impressed by the Envista's elegant styling, surprisingly upscale cabin, good fuel economy, and affordable price point.

Unfortunately, the Envista's three-cylinder engine felt outmatched when loaded with passengers, and its lack of all-wheel-drive may be a dealbreaker for some.

My test car came to $29,070.

The base Buick Envista in Preferred trim starts at $22,400, while the range-topping Avenir trim starts at $28,600.

My mid-tier Envista Sport Touring starts at $24,100. Freight fees, premium options, and upgraded Moonstone Gray Metallic paint elevated the Korean-made crossover's as-tested price past the $29,000 mark.

The Envista's front-end design is bold and elegant.

The Envista's front fascia draws heavily from Buick's recent Wildcat EV concept car and features thin "wing"-shaped LED running lights flanking the brand's newly redesigned Tri-Shield logo. The crossover's actual headlights are lower down, straddling its large mesh grille.

The design of the mesh grille varies based on the trim level.

My Sport Touring test car has a black mesh grille with a small "ST" emblem.

The base Preferred trim has horizontal chrome bars across the grille, while the top Avenir trim has a shinier mesh grille.

Out back, the Envista features elegant LED taillights.

The Envista's exhaust is hidden neatly behind the bumper. I'm glad Buick's designers resisted the urge to employ large faux chrome exhaust tips that have become increasingly common on everything from mainstream family SUVs to luxury cars.

The Envista looks great and is one of the few crossovers around where the coupe roofline feels natural.

GM's designers did a great job. The Envista is one of the best-looking SUV coupes around. Its raked rear roofline blends seamlessly into the overall design of the vehicle. Unlike many contemporaries, the Envista doesn't look like an SUV with part of its roof lopped off.

The Envista is one of the larger subcompact crossovers on the market.

At 182 inches long, the Envista is roughly seven inches longer than the VW Taos and Toyota Corolla Cross. It's almost a foot longer than the Mazda CX-30.

My test car came with optional black-painted 19-inch wheels.

The base Envista Preferred comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, while the ST trim comes standard with 18-inch wheels. Only the top Avenir trim gets standard 19-inch wheels.

Under the hood of the Envista is a tiny 1.2-liter, turbocharged three-cylinder engine.

All Envistas are powered by a 1.2-liter, turbocharged, direct-injected three-cylinder engine that produces 137 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. of torque.

The turbo three, shared with the Chevrolet Trax, is mated to a shiftable six-speed automatic transmission.

The Envista is front-wheel-drive only and does not offer an all-wheel-drive option.

My Envista ST test car boasted EPA fuel economy figures of 28 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined. I was able to easily achieve 30 mpg in mixed driving during my time with the Buick.

The Envista's engine can be started remotely by pressing the "curved arrow" on the Buick key fob.

Remote Start was part of a $1,195 convenience package that also included heated power seats, keyless entry, and a heated steering wheel.

The Envista was generally pleasant to drive, but its engine could use more power.

The Envista delivered a solid driving experience with confident, composed handling and a quiet, comfortable ride.

My only complaint is that 1.2-liter engine could use more power to haul around the 3,000-lb SUV.

The 137 horsepower turbocharged, three-cylinder under the hood emits a surprisingly pleasant noise and is plenty peppy for a relaxing jaunt around town.

However, the engine lacks the muscle for anything beyond that.

Fill the Envista with passengers or cargo, and you'll immediately feel the little engine struggle; throttle response feels lethargic, and there's noticeable turbo lag.

Spirited runs up highway onramps are similarly challenging for the powertrain.

According to Motor Trend , the Buick Envista ST can do 0-60mph in a relaxed 9.4 seconds.

The Envista's cabin is well designed with solid material quality.

The Envista's cabin is a masterclass in delivering an upscale experience on a budget. It's clear that Buick saved where they could, hard plastic dominating the lower portions of the interior and going with a single-zone climate control system instead of a multi-zone unit.

But they didn't cheap out for the high contact areas. The armrests and the steering are covered in soft-touch faux leather. There are different patterns and designs to break up the visual monotony of a black plastic cabin.

As a result, their penny-pinching didn't really detract from the user experience.

The black leatherette front seats are heated and feature Santorini Blue accents.

The Envista's front seats offered good lumbar and thigh support but lacked adjustability.

In front of the driver is a stylish flat-bottom steering wheel.

The Envista's steering is well-contoured with intuitively placed multimedia controls.

Instead of a traditional gauge cluster, the Envista comes standard with a digital information display.

The Envista's eight-inch digital display looks good but lacks the configurable layouts found in screens on GM's pricier offerings.

Atop the front dash is the Envista's standard 11-inch infotainment touchscreen.

The Envista is equipped with a fairly limited but easy-to-use built-in infotainment system.

There's also standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Below the infotainment screen are the Envista's climate controls.

The single-zone climate control system's clearly labeled buttons and dials are pretty much idiot-proof.

The Envista comes standard with a high-definition rear vision camera.

A 360-degree surround-view camera is not available.

The Envista's rear cabin offers great room for a vehicle of its size.

With 38.7 inches of legroom, the Envista offers 2.5 inches more than the Mazda CX-30 and six inches more than the Toyota Corolla Cross.

Even with the raked roofline, headroom is more than adequate for most adults.

My test car came equipped with a power rear liftgate.

The feature is standard on the top Avenir trim but optional on lower-tier models.

Behind the rear seats, the Envista boasts a solid 20.7 cubic feet of cargo space.

The Envista's 60/40 split rear bench seats can fold down, expanding cargo capacity to 42 cubic feet.

Under the rear cargo floor is the Envista's spare tire.

Spare tires are becoming increasingly rare these days, especially in lower-priced vehicles where the manufacturer is trying to keep the price point under control. So I'm glad Buick/GM has decided to keep them instead of giving us a can of fix-a-flat.

My Envista ST test car came with an array of standard safety and driver-assistance features.

The Envista ST comes standard with the Buick Driver Confidence Package, which includes IntelliBeam headlamps, a following distance indicator, forward collision alert, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and front pedestrian braking.

To add adaptive cruise control, lane change alert with side blind zone alert, and rear cross-traffic alert, you'll have to spend $595 on the Advanced Safety Package.

My Verdict: The Envista is a new Buick for a new generation of buyers; a true hidden gem in a sea of crossover SUVs.

I genuinely didn't know what to expect when Buick dropped off my Envista test car.

The Buick brand has long struggled to shake its image as the hulking mass of Americana your grandmother drove to church on Sundays.

But the look and feel of the Envista say something very different.

It's sleek, stylish, and modern.

Not to mention, it's also a compact SUV made in Korea.

I found the Envista to be a delight. It's comfortable, looks great, its tech works well, and has plenty of cargo room.

But what's most astonishing about the Envista is that Buick has delivered this in such an affordable package.

With a starting price of just $22,400, the Envista isn't just cheap for a Buick; it's one of the most affordable cars on sale in the US.

To me, it's an ideal fit for a young family looking for style and utility at a price that won't break the bank.

So, no, this isn't your grandma's Buick anymore. It's a Buick for someone's future grandma.

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