After a slew of small CUV misses, General Motors has landed a solid hit in the second generation Chevy Trax, which manifests in Buick land as the Envista. The Envista’s Avenir trim is outfitted with many luxury and wannabe-sporty goodies, yet the compact crossover is available solely in front-wheel-drive guise and with a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder (137 horsepower) engine. An odd pairing, but the Envista Avenir is an oddly attractive looking vehicle, too, and it has a quite attractive price of entry.

The 2024 Buick Envista starts at a low $22,400, with the Avenir trim seen here starting at $28,600. Our test vehicle had the optional moonroof ($750), Advanced Safety Package ($750), and Rear Park Assist ($145), which brings the total (with a $1,095 Destination Charge) to an extremely palatable $31,430. That’s still over $30k for a FWD compact CUV with a tiny motor, but in the world of new vehicles selling for an average of nearly $50k, it’s pretty inexpensive. That’s especially so when you consider that the Envista Avenir has features like an 11” touchscreen, wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a comprehensive safety suite, and so on.

Thing is, it drives like its price; no better, no worse. The little three-pot makes fun noises and is a hard worker. It’s adequate at motivating the ~3,200 pound car, while the six-speed automatic transmission is sufficiently smooth and reactive for the use case. It’s more in the construction of the car that you feel its low-cost roots, like mediocre materials, a unibody that creaks when the suspension is cross-flexed, and a bit of a jittery sensation when it’s unsettled around town.

Still, it’s a very respectable offering, and GM would sell more of these (and its Trax twin) if it was available with all-wheel-drive. Even so, many buyers will find the level of content, the Envista Avenir’s curb appeal (“Is that a Buick?” “Yes, it is”), and its approachability enough to seal the deal, possibly even before a test drive.

Yay

• Aggressive, mini-Urus styling
• Lots of content for the money
• Spacious, comfortable cabin (up front at least)

Nay

• Missing AWD in a segment that effectively demands it
• Could use another 50 horsepower
• Sloping roofline compromises utility and rear headroom

The Takeaway

• The 2024 Buick Envista Avenir touts a good look and a strong level of content for the price. It could benefit from a power bump and all-wheel-drive, but you can’t have it all, and buyers who don’t want or need the full gambit will find a lot to like here.