Compare the2024 Kia SeltosVS 2024 Buick Envista

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Seltos 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 Seltos offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Envista doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Seltos and Envista offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Seltos S/EX/X-Line/SX has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Envista’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The Seltos’ 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 Seltos 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and blind spot warning systems.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Seltos the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 162 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Envista has not been tested, yet.

The Seltos comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Envista’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Seltos 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Envista. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Envista ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Seltos’ 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.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Seltos has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Envista’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked second.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 2 places higher in reliability than Buick.

The Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (146 vs. 137) than the Envista’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The Seltos X-Line/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 58 more horsepower (195 vs. 137) and 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 162) than the Envista’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos is faster than the Buick Envista:

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Envista (28 city/34 hwy vs. 28 city/32 hwy).

For more complete vehicle control the Seltos offers optional Shiftronic, with the available convenience of an automatic transmission and the complete gear control of a manual transmission without the inconvenience of a clutch. Shiftronic 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 Kia Seltos X-Line/SX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Envista.

The Seltos 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 Seltos X-Line/SX’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Envista:

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Envista:

The Seltos’ 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 Seltos AWD 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.

The Seltos S AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Envista Sport Touring pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Envista Sport Touring (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Envista’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Seltos’ turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Envista 19” Wheels’ (34.8 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Seltos is 10 inches shorter than the Envista, making the Seltos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Seltos has .6 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 7 inches more rear hip room and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Envista.

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

The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Envista with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 20.7 cubic feet). The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Envista with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 42 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Seltos’ liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Envista doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Seltos EX/SX’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control. The Envista’s driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Smart Key standard on the Seltos S/EX/X-Line/SX 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 Seltos has a standard rear wiper. The Envista doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Seltos SX 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.

Both the Seltos and the Envista offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Seltos S/EX/X-Line/SX 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 Seltos S/EX/X-Line/SX’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.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Seltos, based on reliability, safety and performance.