2025 Chevrolet Equinox vs 2024 Buick Envista

Like many brands, crossover SUVs are now Buick's stock and trade. The venerable General Motors division now exclusively sells crossovers, in fact. And for the 2024 model year, there's a new name in the lineup.

The 2024 Buick Envista is the company's new entry-level subcompact crossover, replacing the Buick Encore and slotting below the Buick Encore GX (which confusingly keeps that name despite there no longer being a standard Encore). The Envista shares most hardware with the redesigned 2024 Chevrolet Trax but, as with all Buick models, it aims for a more upscale feel than its Bowtie-badged counterpart.

This new model launches in three guises, with Canada receiving the same trim line-up as the U.S. The Envista Preferred is the base model, the Sport Touring (ST) adds sporty styling touches, and the Avenir is the range topper. We sampled an Envista ST at a first drive event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on some of the same roads GM engineers used to tune this new addition to the Buick lineup.

The latest iteration of this compact crossover takes styling cues from the only Chevy model to outsell it: the Silverado. Its new look comes with new standard tech and safety features, new transmissions, and a new trim bringing something new to the lineup to appeal to the weekend warrior crowd.

Verdict: We wouldn't be at all surprised to see the Equinox remain one of Chevrolet's best sellers. The added value outstrips the price increase in our book, and the makeover is sure to appeal to plenty of compact SUV shoppers.