Compare the2023 Buick EnvisionVS 2023 Toyota Rav4

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Envision has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Rav4’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Envision has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Toyota charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Rav4.

Both the Envision and the Rav4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and around view monitors.

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

	Envision	Rav4
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21.3%	29.3%
Neck Stress	195 lbs.	306 lbs.
Neck Compression	25 lbs.	56 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	153/386 lbs.	400/388 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	223	284
Neck Injury Risk	23.1%	37.4%
Neck Stress	111 lbs.	258 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	95 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	221/21 lbs.	340/190 lbs.

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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Envision is safer than the Toyota Rav4:

	Envision	Rav4
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	249	299
Hip Force	313 lbs.	835 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Envision’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Rav4’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 58 percent more Buick dealers than there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Envision’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 14th.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Envision’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 25 more horsepower (228 vs. 203) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 184) than the Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Buick Envision is faster than the Toyota Rav4:

	Envision	Rav4
Zero to 60 MPH	7.5 sec	8.3 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.4 sec	4.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.9 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	88 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Envision’s fuel efficiency. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Envision FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rav4 (15.9 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Envision AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rav4 (16.1 vs. 14.5 gallons).

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Buick Envision higher (7 out of 10) than the Toyota Rav4 (6). This means the Envision produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rav4 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

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 Rav4.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Envision’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4:

	Envision	Rav4
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	11.1 inches

The Envision’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Rav4 are solid, not vented.

The Envision stops shorter than the Rav4:

	Envision	Rav4
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	131 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	140 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Envision has larger standard tires than the Rav4 (235/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Envision’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rav4 (245/45R20 vs. 235/55R19).

The Envision’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Envision’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Envision has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Rav4 LE/XLE. The Envision’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited.

Suspension and Handling

The Envision offers an available continuously variable suspension system. Using sensors on steering angle, speed and other driver inputs, the shocks soften to improve ride, or stiffen when appropriate to aid handling on tricky roads or off-road. The Rav4’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Envision’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Rav4 (109.4 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

Chassis

The Envision uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Rav4 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Envision has .1 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front hip room and 1.5 inches more rear legroom than the Rav4.

Servicing Ease

The Envision uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rav4 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 24% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

Ergonomics

The Envision Essence/Avenir’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Rav4 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Envision’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Envision’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Rav4 LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Envision Essence/Avenir offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Rav4 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Envision’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Toyota charges extra for heated mirrors on the Rav4.

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 Rav4’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Envision’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Rav4 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 Rav4.

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

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