Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4VS 2023 Buick Envision

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Buick Envision doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Rav4 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Envision doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Rav4’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Envision doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Rav4 and the Envision have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Buick Envision:

	Rav4	Envision
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Buick Envision:

	Rav4	Envision
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	83	128
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	138 lbs.	139 lbs.
Hip Force	246 lbs.	261 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	311
Spine Acceleration	49 G’s	52 G’s
Hip Force	508 lbs.	572 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	36 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Envision has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The Rav4’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Envision’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Envision.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Buick is ranked 11th.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 gets better mileage than the Envision:

			MPG
Rav4
	FWD	XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		LE/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/33 hwy
		Adventure/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		TRD Off-Road 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
Envision
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Envision requires mid-grade for maximum efficiency, which can cost 5 to 40 cents more per gallon.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 LE/XLE’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Envision’s (36.1 feet vs. 38 feet). The Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Envision’s (37.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

Chassis

The Toyota Rav4 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Buick Envision.

The front grille of the Rav4 Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Envision doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Rav4 has .6 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Envision.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rav4’s rear seats recline. The Envision’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Envision with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 25.2 cubic feet). The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Envision with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 52.7 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4. The Envision doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Buick Envision is limited to 1500 pounds. The Rav4 4WD offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The Rav4’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Envision’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Envision can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Rav4 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Envision doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Consumer Reports rated the Rav4’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Envision’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 and the Buick Envision, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Buick Envision by over 15 to one during 2022.