Compare the2025 Kia SeltosVS 2025 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Seltos’ standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Envista doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

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, blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

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 rated the Seltos second among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Envista isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked fifth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 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).

The Seltos has a standard locking fuel door. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Envista. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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 AWD’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 Preferred’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 SX handles at .84 G’s, while the Envista Avenir pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver 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 w/18-19” 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 S/EX/SX/X-Line’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.

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 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.

With standard voice command, the Seltos offers the driver hands free control of the radio and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Envista doesn’t offer a voice control system.

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

The Kia Seltos outsold the Buick Envista by almost five to one during 2023.