Subaru Forester Hybrid vs Buick Envista

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 model, 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. 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 in Ann Arbor, Michigan on some of the same roads GM engineers used to tune this new addition to the Buick lineup.

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Subaru may as well be the automotive mascot of the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast, thanks to the ability of models such as the Subaru Outback and the Ascent to conquer challenging conditions. The redesigned 2025 Subaru Forester reinforces those advantages, and this time around, a new Forester Hybrid model adds efficiency as another plus, along with more power and a few extra features. It’s due to be followed by the smaller Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid in fall 2025.

Verdict: A more efficient version of Subaru's rugged and evergreen compact SUV.