Compare the2024 Buick EnvistaVS 2023 Volkswagen Taos

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 Envista are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Taos doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Envista’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Taos.

Both the Envista and the Taos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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

There are over 3 times as many Buick dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Envista’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Envista has a standard 760-amp battery. The Taos’ 640-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 87 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 31st, 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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 70 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Buick 12 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Envista 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 Taos doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better traction, the Envista has larger standard tires than the Taos (225/60R17 vs. 215/50R18). The Envista’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Taos (245/45R19 vs. 225/45R19).

The Envista has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Taos doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The front grille of the Envista uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Taos doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

The Envista has 1.8 inches more front legroom and .8 inches more rear legroom than the Taos.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Envista offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Taos doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 39% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Envista’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Taos doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Envista’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Volkswagen charges extra for heated mirrors on the Taos.

The Envista Avenir’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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 Taos offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.