Compare the2024 Subaru ForesterVS 2024 Buick Envista

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester 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 Envista doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Buick Envista doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Subaru Forester has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Envista doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Forester (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Envista doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Forester has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Envista doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Forester offers optional parking sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Envista doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The Forester Touring’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 Envista doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Forester and the Envista have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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 Forester the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 54 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Envista has not been tested, yet.

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

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Forester’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Envista’s camshafts. If the Envista’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Forester third among compact suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Envista isn’t in the top three in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 4 places higher in reliability than Buick.

The Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 45 more horsepower (182 vs. 137) and 14 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. 162) than the Envista’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Envista doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

The Forester has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Envista (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Forester has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Envista doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the Forester’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Envista:

The Forester Wilderness has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Envista; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Forester has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Buick Envista has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Envista’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Forester’s turning circle is 3 feet tighter than the Envista Avenir’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Forester has 14.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Envista (111.6 vs. 97.5).

The Forester has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front hip room, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear headroom, .7 inches more rear legroom, 7.8 inches more rear hip room and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Envista.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear seats recline. The Envista’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Envista with its rear seat up (28.9 vs. 20.7 cubic feet). The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Envista with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 42 cubic feet).

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

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Forester uses the Vehicle Dynamics Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Envista doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Envista. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

When five different drivers share the Forester Touring, the memory system makes it convenient for each of them. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle and climate settings. The Envista doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Forester’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Envista’s power windows’ switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully. The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches.

The Keyless Access and Start standard on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring allows you to unlock the driver’s door, cargo door and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading groceries, getting in the vehicle in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The Buick Envista’s Pushbutton Start doesn’t unlock the doors or the cargo door.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Forester has a standard rear wiper. The Envista doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Both the Forester and the Envista offer available heated front seats. The Forester Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Envista.

The Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Envista doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Forester and the Envista offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Forester has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Envista doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Forester (except Base/Premium/Sport)’s available GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Envista’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.