Consulting and advisory firm Strategic Vision has released its automotive 2024 Total Quality Awards, and GM had a strong performance on the list this year. The winner in the Entry CUV category was none other than the Buick Envista subcompact crossover, beating out formidable rivals from the likes of Hyundai, Kia, and Honda.
The study notes the industry-wide price increases and noted that they’re prompting new vehicle buyers to ask, “Do I really love this vehicle at the given price? Is the quality of the vehicle even adequate considering expectations and price?”
Apparently, those questions received positive answers from Buick Envista buyers. Every car on this list gets a Total Quality Index (TQI) score, and the Envista’s score was 584. That’s around the middle of the pack, looking at the whole list of segment winners. Strategic Vision says that the score is “based on responses from over 77,000 new vehicle buyers during their first 90 days of ownership, combining both emotional and rational evaluations of quality and vehicle performance.”
In other words, new Buick Envista owners are very happy with their premium, small crossovers. Other GM vehicles that earned spots on the list include the Chevy Corvette Convertible, the Chevy Tahoe, and the GMC Sierra 1500 full-size pickup, which “impressed customers with its blend of power and versatility.”
The Buick Envista’s trophy case also includes the 2024 Wards 10 Best Interiors and UX Award, specifically for the Avenir trim. The Buick Envista was also a finalist for the North America Utility Vehicle of the Year award. Additionally, Consumer Reports recently called the small Buick one of its top 10 recommended cheap cars, with the 2025 model being modestly priced, starting at $23,995 for the base Preferred model, $25,795 for the mid-range Sport Touring trim, and $29,695 for the top Avenir model.
For reference, the Buick Envista is motivated by the turbocharged 1.2L I3 LIH gasoline engine, which is rated at 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. The GM VSS-F vehicle platform, shared with the Chevy Trax, provides the underpinnings. Production takes place at the GM Bupyeong plant in South Korea.
Comments
LOL. Tell that to Buick dealers. Ours steered us away from them last week, saying how unhappy they were with their build quality. THOSE are also not being discounted a penny, while the GX we bought was, albeit with the insane conquest-only incentive. GX has been around for 6 model years now and that could be why the quality is different (and a different assembly plant). I’ll bet Traxes are worse, seeing how they are flying off assembly lines.
Beachy – it’a laughable that (if the dealer employee actually told you that) you bought it hook, line and sinker. Did it occur to you that the GX is more plentiful in inventory and ages much more than an Envista. The salesperson probably had a spiff on the GX they sold you…congrats. Both vehicles are on the same 9b platform and assembled at the same plant. So if the Envista is so terrible, it should be a nice foreshadowing of what you can expect in your GX.
Beachy. I agree with you. I need a drink.
Why should they discount a car that is selling so well? They shouldn’t and we shouldn’t expect them to. Yeah, I call BS on that whole post. The Envista/Encore GX are built at the SAME plant on the same platform and utilize LOTS of the same parts…..and they rotate the workers to build each car and at different points in the assembly process, just like they do here. Yeah, that salesperson was goooood at their job. Why would the quality of a car be bad based on how fast it’s selling? That’s counterintuitive. If it was built like crap, it wouldn’t sell as well as it is. Funny that the one that is selling slower, the Encore GX, has a discount, and the ones they can’t seem to build fast enough, the Trax and Envista, don’t. Hmmmmm.
The Envista only uses the 1.2 liter turbo. The GX has a 1.3 liter option available. The Envista comes with a 6 speed automatic. The GX comes with a CVT tansmission unless you opt for the AWD model and then it comes with a nine speed automatic. So no, they aren’t the same car
The platform is the same between them, that’s why we’re saying they’re the same car. The engines and transmissions are swappable components. Yes, they are essentially the same car, just as the Camaro and Firebird used to be the same car. Just like the Traverse/Acadia/Enclave are the same and the Equinox/Terrain are the same. It’s not badge engineering, it’s platform engineering. The Trax/Trailblazer and Encore GX/Envista are all built in the same plant, on the same line and utilize most of the same components. Under the skin, they’re the same.
Most important. Engines and transmissions may be different. Your direct comparisons are flawed.
No, they’re not flawed. They are platform mates, which in car-speak means they are essentially the same car. Sure, the engines CAN be different, the transmissions ARE different, but the structure, electrical architecture, suspension, etc., are the same. Of course they aren’t identical cars like maternal twins are identical, no one said that.
The Cadillac Escalade is built on the same platform as the Chevy Tahoe and the GMC Yukon. Why would someone buy an Escalade?
Well, just for reference I live in Phoenix and the dealership is offering $5400 off the hood of the 2024 Buick Envista Avenir, I bought mine in August and at that time they were offering $3300 off the hood. So there are discounts being offered, and I’m very happy with my vehicle.
I bet the dealer add-ons totaled the discount. That new math can be tricky.
Beachy is that you?