Americans love SUVs and that’s evident in the sales figures of so many different products. But two words that typically can’t be said in the same sentence are affordable SUV. GM set out to change that with the introduction of the all-new 2024 Chevy Trax and Buick Envista. These two are promising well-under $30,000 price tags loaded, while still delivering all the technology and style that people crave. But it begs the question: who wins in the 2024 Chevy Trax vs. 2024 Buick Envista battle? Let’s go ahead and find out!
Pricing and Equipment
Like we said at the introduction, an important piece of these two is the affordable price tags that come along with them, so let’s start with pricing. We’ll start with the Chevy which with every option still comes in at a very affordable $26,500 with destination.
MSRP (Trax 2RS): $23,900 | Options: $1,545 | Destination: $1,095 | Total: $26,540
Next up, for the new Buick Envista, we opted for the stylish and well-equipped ST trim level. This trim starts at a very similar $24,100 and once you factor in destination and a few more options, it comes in at a little over $29,000.
MSRP (Envista ST): $24,100 | Options: $3,865 | Destination: $1,095 | Total: $29,070
If you’re interested in buying either of these two, heading to here for a tool that will help you find the best price in your local area as well as show you invoice pricing. A link is in the description if you want to find out more.
Let’s get into the comparison!
Exterior Design
Now that we’ve established these two are truly affordable SUVs, let’s dive into the styling. Style was a focus for these two and you certainly wouldn’t guess their price by looking at them. The Chevy has a premium grille with smoked chrome on the inside and the Buick looks like no Buick before with a large and aggressive grille, [p] debuting their new design language and emblem.
They both also have bold paint colors, and then that takes us to the headlights where they surprisingly include full LED projector lighting as standard. Buick goes another step above by adding an LED turn signal, and neither have fog lamps.
Checking out the side profiles, the Trax has grown a whopping 11 inches this year, but somehow the Buick is still about 4 inches longer. We’ll see how that translates to interior space later, [p] but for now, the wheels come in at 19-inches and have attractive designs on both. The only thing point worthy is mentioning the Buick has piano black trim around the wheel arches instead of the less premium matte black.
Length: 178.6-in (Trax) | 182.6-inches (Envista)
Around back, the designs continue to look quite different for vehicles that share the same platform. Obviously, the Buick has a sportback design, and while we won’t be awarding points based on styling, as far as differences, only the Trax includes a rear wiper, and only the Buick has a LED accented taillight.
Neither are recommended to tow.
Additional Features
Now heading on to some of the other features, the mirrors include both heating and blind spot monitoring, and only the Buick has a turn signal indicator built in.
Safety systems don’t stop there, though, as both models are equipped with adaptive cruise, auto high beam headlights, lane keeping assist and forward emergency braking. Both also have identical warranties with the first service visit covered.
Warranties (both): Basic: 3yr/36k mi | Powertrain: 5yr/60k mi | Compl. Maintenance: 1st Visit
Alright, so that’s it for the distinct exteriors, so let’s dive into what you get for that price on the inside.
Interior Design
So, first walking up to the cars, both cars have Smart Entry systems and remote start built into the fobs.
Once we open the door, you’ll begin to see that these two cabins have a much more premium design than you’d expect. Before we dive into all the individual features and amenities, let’s talk about the seats.
They are both finished in black leatherette, and have nice stitching and piping details, finished in blue and red respectively. As far as adjustability, only the Buick has an 8-way power seat, but both models have seat heating for those of you who live in a colder climate.
Now once fully inside, we can talk about the major area of cabin materials. Now, as you would expect, neither of these two will have you thinking you’re in a Mercedes, but the Buick does elevate materials a bit over the Trax. It has a padded armrest on the door trim and a softer material used on the dashboard for a more premium experience overall.
But once you fire these two up, you’ll see one of the most impressive things Buick and Chevy are offering. They both come with 8-inch digital gauge clusters that would put some luxury vehicles to shame. Moving on, both also are also including leather wrapped steering wheels that are surprisingly heated. In addition, the Buick also includes rain sensing wipers.
Storage and Technology
Okay, so the next major thing to talk about is interior storage. Since these two are heavily related to one another, they have nearly the same storage solutions and neither takes the lead in this regard. Phones will stay charged on since they have wireless charging at this price tag.
I’m sure many of our viewers will appreciate that they have a traditional shifter, and when in reverse, both have high resolution cameras with active trajectory.
Next up is climate, where both have single zone automatic setups with simple and easy-to-use controls. Alright, now let’s talk about audio. Both are rocking a standard 6-speaker system that has better sound quality than you’d expect.
Trax: 6-speaker audio
Envista: 6-speaker audio
Now it’s time to dive into the main infotainment displays. You can tell Buick and Chevy are targeting a young clientele because both models come with a surprising amount of technology. In these trims, both have an 11-inch-high resolution display with the most up-to-date software. Additionally, both have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto abilities which makes up for neither having built-in navigation.
And finally, both have manual-dimming mirrors and have standard size moonroofs.
Rear Seats and Cargo
While subcompact, these are still SUVs at the end of the day, so let’s see how much room you have. Both have identical legroom figures that are spacious for the segment, and headroom figures are about 2% less in the Envista due to its sloping roof line. However, that’s not a big enough difference to score a point.
Trax: Legroom: 38.7–inches | Headroom: 38.1-inches
Envista: Legroom: 38.7–inches | Headroom: 37.3-inches
Looking at the features back here, they are going to be rather sparse with no USBs, vents, or armrests.
More importantly, let’s move on to the cargo areas. Before we get in, only the Envista offers a power tailgate, and this is where the Envista’s more stylish sloping roof line starts to really cost you over the Trax. You sacrifice about 5 cubic feet behind the second row and with the seats folded you’re looking at a large 25% difference in favor of the Trax.
Trax: Behind 2nd Row: 25.6 cu. ft | Max: 54.1 cu.ft
Envista: Behind 2nd Row: 20.7 cu. ft | Max: 42.0 cu.ft
Alrighty, so now we’re done with the interiors, so now let’s see who takes the lead out on the streets!
Powertrains
While they have very distinctly different styling on the outside, the parts you can’t see is where these two are pretty much identical. For the engine, they have the same 1.2L Turbo 3-cylinder making 137 horsepower. While some of you may have reservations about a 3-cylinder, in our testing, we found it to be a very torque rich engine that feels faster than the figures would suggest.
Both: 1.2L Turbo I-3: 137 hp | 162 lb. ft of torque
The transmissions are also the same with a traditional 6-speed automatic on both. Performance is good, but one thing to consider is that neither the Envista nor Trax can get all-wheel-drive. That’s why Chevy and Buick offer the Trailblazer and Encore GX in their lineups respectively, but for those of you wanting the Trax or Envista you will be stuck with front-drive exclusively.
Test Drive and Fuel Economy
Moving past that, we found both ride qualities to be nice and smooth, but the Buick does ride a bit better with its Watts Link suspension that is optional on this ST model.
Let’s talk about noise entering into the cabin. The Trax did test higher in our sample, but unfortunately, due to the media drive location we cannot score this since it was tested on a rougher road surface. Stay tuned to the channel for when we can get an official sound reading in Kentucky.
Trax: 61.0 dB @ 55 MPH
Envista: 59.6 dB @ 55 MPH
Finally, as far as fuel economy, both get the same 30 MPG combined and hybrids are not offered.
Trax: 28/33/30 MPG
Envista: 28/32/30 MPG
2024 chevy trax vs. 2024 buick envista winner!
So, there you have it; these two fought it out until the very end! But, who’s your winner?
Trax:
- Maximum cargo space due to more SUV design
- More affordable
- SUV like shape
Envista:
- Stylish, coupe-like design
- More available features; power tailgate, special suspension
- More premium brand
Now we want to know your opinions, so make sure to head to the comment section and let us know which one you would pick!
Thanks for joining us for another Car Confections Comparison! We’ll catch you next time as we sample the latest automotive delicacies!
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