Compare the2023 Buick EnvisionVS 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Envision are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Envision (except Preferred) offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Stelvio only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Envision and the Stelvio have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available all wheel drive.

Buick’s powertrain warranty covers the Envision 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Stelvio. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Stelvio ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Envision’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Stelvio’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 14 times as many Buick dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Envision’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Envision’s reliability 72 points higher than the Stelvio.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Alfa Romeo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 72 more problems per 100 vehicles, Alfa Romeo is ranked 27th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 98 more problems per 100 vehicles, Alfa Romeo is ranked 29th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Buick fourth in overall reliability. Alfa Romeo is ranked 29th.

On the EPA test cycle the Envision gets better mileage than the Stelvio:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Envision’s fuel efficiency. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Envision uses regular unleaded gasoline (mid-grade octane recommended for maximum performance). The Stelvio requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 5 to 40 cents more per gallon.

The Envision has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Buick Envision higher (7 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio (5). This means the Envision produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Stelvio every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Buick Envision, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Stelvio.

The Envision stops shorter than the Stelvio:

The Envision’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Stelvio doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Buick Envision may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 200 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

The Envision uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Stelvio doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Envision has 2.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Stelvio (100.4 vs. 97.6).

The Envision has 3.8 inches more front legroom and 7.4 inches more rear legroom than the Stelvio.

The Envision has a much larger cargo volume than the Stelvio with its rear seat up (25.2 vs. 18.5 cubic feet).

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Envision uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Stelvio doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Alfa Romeo. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 71% lower rating, Alfa Romeo is ranked 32nd.

The Envision (except Preferred) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

On a hot day the Envision’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Stelvio can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Envision’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Stelvio’s xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

When the Envision Essence/Avenir is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Stelvio’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Envision Avenir keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Stelvio doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Envision Avenir offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Stelvio.

The Envision Avenir’s Enhanced Automatic Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Stelvio doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Insurance will cost less for the Envision owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Envision will cost $1505 to $2865 less than the Stelvio over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Buick Envision will be $4645 to $9375 less than for the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Buick Envision, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio isn't recommended.

The Buick Envision outsold the Alfa Romeo Stelvio by almost four to one during the 2021 model year.