Compare the2024 Volkswagen TaosVS 2024 Buick Envista

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Taos 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Taos deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Taos’ side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Envista’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Taos has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Envista 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Taos SEL has standard Maneuver 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 Taos offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Envista doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Taos has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Buick charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Envista and the Envista’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the Taos and the Envista 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available rear parking sensors.

The Taos comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Envista’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Taos’ corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Envista’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Taos for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Envista.

The Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 21 more horsepower (158 vs. 137) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 162) than the Envista’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Taos is faster than the Buick Envista:

On the EPA test cycle the Taos FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Envista (28 city/36 hwy vs. 28 city/32 hwy).

The Taos AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Envista (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons).

For more complete vehicle control the Taos has Tiptronic, with the available convenience of an automatic transmission and the complete gear control of a manual transmission without the inconvenience of a clutch. Tiptronic allows the driver to eliminate unwanted shifts and maximize engine braking by down shifting while cornering. The Envista doesn’t offer a transmission that allows complete gear control.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volkswagen Taos FWD, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Envista.

The Taos offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Envista doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

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

The Taos S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Envista’s standard 60 series tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Taos 4Motion 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 solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For better maneuverability, the Taos’ turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the Envista’s (35.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Taos’ turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Envista Avenir’s (35.1 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Taos is 6.8 inches shorter than the Envista, making the Taos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Taos has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 2.5 inches more rear headroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Envista.

The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Envista with its rear seat up (27.9 vs. 20.7 cubic feet). The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Envista with its rear seat folded (65.9 vs. 42 cubic feet).

The Taos’ 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 Envista’s power windows’ switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

The Taos’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Envista’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Taos to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Envista doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Taos SEL AWD keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Envista doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Taos has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Envista.

The Taos SE/SEL’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 Taos and the Envista offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Taos offers optional 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 Taos SEL’s standard 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.