2025 Toyota Sienna 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.

In addition to promising 6.6–6.8 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving, the 2025 Sienna distinguishes itself in several ways. It offers an available all-wheel-drive (AWD) system for extra traction. And while its maximum cargo capacity measurement falls short of rivals, you never need to remove the second-row seats to use it.

Verdict: Saving money on gas, making life simpler, and the option of AWD are all good things in a minivan. They make the Toyota Sienna worth considering if you’re also looking at cars such as the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, and Kia Carnival.