Volkswagen ID.4 vs Buick Envista

Thanks to a new, more powerful rear-drive motor, increased maximum driving range up to 468 kilometres, a next-generation infotainment system with substantial user-experience improvements, and a handful of comfort and convenience upgrades, the 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 is a better electric SUV than before. In Canada, it also includes complimentary DC fast charging for four years or 1,400 kWh with Electrify Canada.

Verdict: With the technology better sorted, improved comfort, an impressive sound system, and more power, performance, and range, VeeDub’s ID.4 electric SUV need not make apologies.

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.