2019 Buick Envision vs 2019 Toyota RAV4

The 2019 Buick Envision stood out as one of the most handsome vehicles in Buick's SUV lineup. It had a more athletic and taut vibe compared to the stubby Buick Encore and the attractive but bulkier Buick Enclave. Strong body lines along the sides and the upright rear section closely mirrored the proportions of a BMW X1. Stepping into the Envision, one would initially appreciate the clean and straightforward cabin layout amidst a market often plagued by overly busy dash designs. However, closer scrutiny revealed that the interior did not quite live up to Buick’s luxury billing.

The matte-finish material used for some climate controls and the bezel around the radio and navigation system appeared cheap, especially when paired with chrome and light-colored leather. The multifunction steering wheel, which also featured a matte finish, felt coarse to the touch. Comparatively, vehicles like the 2019 Mazda3, with its attractive lines, top-notch materials, and well-integrated tech, outdid the Envision at a lower price point. Details like the power windows, where only the driver’s door had a one-touch power-up feature, indicated potential corners cut during design.

The Envision came in five trims: base FWD, Preferred, Essence, Premium AWD, and Premium II AWD. The base trim offered 18-inch wheels, a hands-free power liftgate, heated front seats, and an 8-way power driver’s seat. The CarGurus recommended trim, Premium AWD, boasted additional features such as a Bose premium stereo, 19-inch aluminum wheels, bi-LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and an upgraded 8-inch semi-digital instrument panel. The range-topping Premium II AWD added heated and cooled front seats, a head-up display, navigation, leather seating, and all-wheel drive.

Conversely, the 2019 Toyota RAV4 exhibited a bold, chunky exterior inspired by the Toyota Tacoma pickup. Its aggressive and futuristic design conveyed a sense of strength, both in side-profile styling and at the back, where Lexus-inspired taillights elevated its look. However, the RAV4's character line breaking up the rear C-pillar received mixed reviews. For monotone color schemes, this strip felt more like unnecessary clutter.

Inside, the RAV4’s cabin surprised with its simplicity and elegance. The use of a floating touch screen for many features and a pod design housing the remaining controls made for a practical layout. Trim options included the LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure, and Limited. The XLE trim, which CarGurus recommended, added features like 17-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels, automatic high beams, integrated fog lights, color-keyed side mirrors, a power moonroof, push-button start, sport bucket seats, and dual-zone climate control.

The Adventure trim offered rugged features, such as unique 19-inch wheels with matte accents, a split-bar front grille, black fender cladding, upgraded roof rails, and orange interior accents. The top-tier Limited trim aimed for luxury with 19-inch chrome-finished alloy wheels, a unique grille design, puddle approach lights, chrome door handles with passive entry, heated front seats, dark brown interior accents, ambient interior lighting, and navigation.

The 2019 Buick Envision's performance varied notably between its trims. The FWD, Preferred, and Essence trims featured a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engine producing 197 horsepower. Paired with an outdated 6-speed automatic transmission and either FWD or available AWD (for Preferred and Essence trims), this setup generally felt underpowered and sluggish.

The Premium and Premium II trims offered a significant upgrade with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine delivering 252 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, paired with a new 9-speed automatic transmission. This combination provided solid acceleration and commendable power delivery, with AWD as standard. The Envision's steering was responsive and tight, though the vehicle felt somewhat top-heavy in sharp corners. The ride quality shone best during town driving, where its smoothness and the quiet cabin, attributed to extensive sound-deadening materials, could be fully appreciated.

Fuel economy for the 2.5-liter engine with FWD was 22 mpg city, 29 highway, and 25 combined. The turbo AWD model was rated at 20/25/22 by the EPA, and real-world driving yielded an average of 21.3 mpg.

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 was powered uniformly across trims by a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine generating 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, coupled with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Buyers could choose between FWD and two variants of AWD: a base AWD available in most trims and a torque-vectoring AWD in the Adventure and Limited trims. Our test XLE model, equipped with the base AWD, provided drive modes for Snow, Sand & Mud, and Rock & Dirt.

The torque-vectoring AWD promised real-time power distribution to the wheels needing it most, offering enhanced off-road capabilities. Despite this, our experience was limited to the base AWD setup. The 2.5-liter engine sufficed for highway cruising but revealed its weak points in low-end power during stop-and-go traffic. The engine noise was noticeable, especially during acceleration.

Ride quality on the RAV4 was generally satisfactory, absorbing bumps well. However, the steering felt twitchy, and body roll was evident. The vehicle’s rear-heavy feel further added to its somewhat awkward handling, particularly in fast corners.

The FWD RAV4 returned 26 mpg city, 35 highway, and 30 combined. Our AWD test model managed an impressive 27 city and 34 highway mpg, with a combined observed fuel economy of 29.3 mpg. The torque-vectoring AWD variants achieved slightly lower ratings of 25 mpg city, 33 highway, and 28 combined.

For the 2019 Buick Envision, the driver's seat offered ample room and a commanding position with great visibility. The second row provided decent headroom and impressive legroom, with the ability to recline the seat-backs. Cargo space was competitive, offering 27 cubic feet with the rear seats up and expanding to 57 cubic feet when folded. Practical touches included helpful cargo tie-downs, deep door pockets, and a cargo tray above the glove box.

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 featured a clean, upscale cabin design emphasizing practicality. The center stack included climate controls, drive-mode buttons, and a shifter, with additional storage options provided by a deep center console bin and a tray for small items. Cargo capacity was robust, offering 37.6 cubic feet with the rear seats up and expanding to 69.8 cubic feet with them down, although slightly reduced from 2018. This still surpassed rivals like the Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Cherokee but fell short of the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester, both boasting around 75 cubic feet.

The 2019 Buick Envision came equipped with GM's Intellilink infotainment system, similar to Chevy’s MyLink. The 8-inch touchscreen featured a straightforward layout with hard buttons and dials below the screen and customizable icons. Standard connectivity included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and our test vehicle included wireless charging, albeit with a quirky pocket design instead of a flat pad. Touch-capacitive controls for climate and seat functions below the screen were less responsive and felt more like unnecessary tech additions.

The 2019 Toyota RAV4's LE trim introduced a 7-inch touchscreen running Entune 3, Toyota's user-friendly infotainment system, featuring Apple CarPlay but lacking Android Auto. The LE also offered Bluetooth, a USB port, and a WiFi hotspot. Additional USB ports were found in the XLE trim, along with a 7-inch instrument panel display. The Adventure trim received an upgraded panoramic reversing camera and an 8-inch Entune screen. The Limited trim could be further enhanced with a JBL premium stereo. The system's intuitive interface relied on real dials and simple menu navigation, offering a blend of touch and physical controls, though the absence of Android Auto persisted.

The 2019 Buick Envision came standard with ten airbags, including side-curtain and knee airbags, and a reversing camera with Rear Park Assist. The Premium and Premium II trims added GM’s Safety Alert Seat with front and rear parking sensors. Advanced safety features like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert were standard on the Essence and Premium trims, while lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, and forward-collision alert were standard on the Premium. The Driver Confidence Package, available on Premium II, included adaptive cruise control, automatic front braking, and a 360-degree camera.

In contrast, the 2019 Toyota RAV4 provided a full suite of safety features as standard, including front- and side-impact airbags, a reversing camera, traction control, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 added forward-collision warning and avoidance, lane-departure warning, automatic high-beams, and dynamic radar cruise control. Traffic-sign detection and Lane-Tracing Assist were additional benefits, reinforcing Toyota's leadership in standardizing advanced safety technologies.