Have you heard the rumor? GM may be getting back into the sedan and coupe game.
Word has it that along with a new Chevrolet Camaro, a Buick sedan – the first since 2020 Regal – is under consideration on an updated version of the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 underpinnings.
But until and if that happens, there are some serious coupe and sedan lines in one Buick – the 2026 Envista crossover we tested.
And in fact, this fastback CUV carries some serious hint of one of Buick’s last concepts – the 2022 Wildcat with a long, low-profile silhouette and a forward-leaning nose. You can watch a video on the Wildcat in the EV Rider archive.
The Envista is the baby of a 4-vehicle line of Buicks that includes nary a coupe or sedan, unlike its glory days of rides like the Riviera and Skylark. All starting with “E,” there’s the Enclave, Encore, Envista and Envision. And the one with the slickest look, introduced in 2024, is this week’s test car.
Some may liken its sharp-edged nose to the exotic Lamborghini Urus.
There’s the sharp nose line over a black grille framed in flaring smoked chrome winglets. LED headlights are inset in intake-like housings, and slim LED DRLs are glaring out of top corners. There’s the slim lower center intake with silver air dam. Yes – it seems to share the aggressive look of the quarter-million dollar Urus.
There’s a coupe-like roofline, similar to the BMW X4 Coupe, which despite the name, is also a 5-door hatchback. It’s dramatic, especially with dagger point accents flowing off black side window trim, following the fastback rear hatch. Gently-flared fenders frame black 10-spoke alloy wheels shod in P245/45 R19-inch Continental ProContact rubber, framing gently angular lower sills.
The tapered rear roofline’s D pillars get black angular slashes that frame the hatchback and add some dash to the rear. Tightly slim LED taillights wrap around the rear fender edges, carrying edges from the rising beltline accents. A big Buick tri-shield emblem accents the slightly be-spoilered tail over a black bumper accent with blades that match the lower nose. There’s a low, wide stance to the Envista Sport Touring in tan, the black accents offering a nice touch.
Sleeker, simpler and slightly more upscale – that’s the direction seen in the Envista, albeit in mostly gray and black, with some chrome and silver accents – and sporty perforated steel pedals.
The Buick and Chevrolet Trax both get upgrades in the form of a sweeping glass panel that contains an 8-inch screen for driver instruments, then an 11-inch infotainment touchscreen.
There’s stitched grained leatherette on the dashboard top, and wavy stitched accents on seat and door inserts, although it is hard plastic on dashboard lower sections and doortops.
The driver gets a simple display with digital speedometer and circular 7,000-rpm tach next to a bar graph gas and temperature displays. Our 4,000- mile-old Envista also showed some basic info like cruise control status and miles-to-empty.
The center touchscreen is basic as well with 6-speaker audio system, which sounded fine. It also contains phone, other audio sources, main menu and a traction/stability control panel. It offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to run navigation and Google, plus a handy volume knob. But the dashboard screens washed out in Florida’s bright noonday sun, making them tough to see at a glance.
Along with that neat diagonal stitching over dash, door panels and leatherette seatbacks, there’s embroidered ST logos on the front head restraints and white piping on seat bottoms and backs. But those perches are a bit flat. Only the driver gets power adjustments. We liked the neatly tucked-in inductive phone charge slot with twin USB ports and a 12-volt port under the single-zone climate control, its temperature and fan speed knobs including buttons for more adjustments. But I wondered, why black rubber floor mats in a semi-lux Buick?
This subcompact’s long wheelbase means the back bench seat has pretty decent leg room for adults, even when tall folks sit in front. They also sit higher than in front for a nice view out, but there’s not much else here bar a USB port. There’s no center armrest.
The 20.7-cu. ft. rear cargo area is deep and long for the overall size, although the fastback will limit the height of some stuff. The fastback does leave us with a small oval rear window opening in the rearview mirror, framed by rear head restraints. It could do with a wiper as well.
Do not look for a Buick Nailhead under that Envista bonnet. Instead of a V8 you’ll find a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder with 137-hp and 162 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,500 to 4,000 rpm. It runs through a 6-speed automatic transmission with low range, and a rocker switch to manually shift. There is only front wheel drive. All-wheel-drive is not offered. It is quiet at speed, with just a bit of dashboard noise on bumps. There are no drive mode options.
This 3,060-lb. crossover is quick enough, starting a bit moderately off the line before it gets a turbo head of pressure and hits 60 mph in 9 seconds. That’s compared to 9.2 seconds in a 2024 version I tested with the same drivetrain for retired website. The 2026 Envista does have some decent passing power. The three-cylinder engine sounds busy, even a bit sporty from the exhaust, but not strained. Its best torque is under 4,000 rpm.
There’s McPherson strut front/Watts Link rear suspension on those decent-sized 19-inch rubber tires, making for a stable and fairly agile l’il Buick that did well on curves. The ride was just taut enough, but supple. It handled speed bumps with a decently-buffered rebound and no harshness or head bob at full depression. It also tracked nicely around corners, neutral with a bit of body roll. Push harder in a curve and there’s controllable understeer, but nothing major. It pulls out nicely, call it collected and capable.
The 11.8-inch front/11.3-inch rear disc brakes had a precise bite high on the pedal and lots of control, offering fade-free stops with some nose dive and a bit of ABS action time after time. The steering had a precise, well weighted feel. The Buick offered a decent turning circle. For safety, it includes lane-keep assist with departure warning, automatic emergency and front pedestrian braking, auto high beams and adaptive cruise control with full stop and go.
A base Buick Envista Preferred starts at $26,495, and the top-line Avenir starts at $31,295. Our ST (Sport Touring) starts at $26,100, with a $4,360 Studio Series package with heated steering wheel, power driver’s seat, power liftgate, wireless phone charger and a bit more – final price – $31,855.
Bottom line: It’s sleek, roomy and agile – style and handling with an adequate powertrain.
2026 Buick Envista ST: 5-passenger, 5-door subcompact crossover
Base price – $26,100 (As tested – $31,855)
Engine type –Turbocharged DOHC, in-line three
Displacement – 1.2 liters
Horsepower (net) – 137 @ 5,000 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 162 @ 2,500 – 4,000 rpm
Transmission – 6-speed automatic with manual shift mode
Wheelbase – 106.3 inches
Overall length – 182.6 inches
Overall width – 71.5 inches
Height – 61.3 inches
Front headroom – 39.4 inches
Front legroom – 41.9 inches
Rear headroom – 37.3 inches
Rear legroom – 38.7 inches
Cargo capacity – 20.7 cu. ft./42 w/rear seats down
Ground clearance – 9.3 inches
Curb weight – 3,060 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 13.2 gallons
Mileage rating – 28-mpg city/32-mpg highway