Buick Verano 2012 Review. Approaching from behind in the parking garage, the 2012 Buick Verano looks askance from its scowling chrome taillight eyebrows. "You were expecting, what, a Skyhawk?"
Frankly, I kind of was. This is a car, after all, with something to prove--that one could buy any Buick worthy of the brand's history is only a recent development. But a good small Buick? I honestly don't think there's ever been such a thing, in part because there's never really been a good General Motors small-car platform upon which to build one.
The Chevrolet Cruze has changed all of that, of course, and it's from those capable bones that the Verano springs. Stylewise, the new small Buick isn't going to win any avant garde art awards, but much like the Cruze, it has an attractive, inoffensive design ethos. The aforementioned taillight brows are perhaps an exception, coming off as tacked-on and unnecessary. Without them, though, the Verano would look remarkably like aLincoln MKZ from behind.
Buick's cockpit school of interior design is well-represented in the plush Verano interior. It's small, to be sure, but soft-touch materials, contrasting colors and positively gorgeous brushed dark-nickel accents abound. Design is one thing; assembly is another, and the Verano's fit-and-finish, at least on our tester, is among the best I've seen from General Motors. The busy center-stack button cluster was present, a theme present on the current Regal and LaCrosse, and the absence of a rearview camera seemed out of place on an upscale car, small or not. The heated steering wheel was a lovely touch, but the fact that Buick traded it for what's becoming an essential safety feature strikes me as a misplacement of priorities.
On the road, the Verano really shines. No, the four-cylinder isn't going to snap necks, but the car never felt underpowered, transmission-shift points were nigh well perfect (and nearly seamless as well), and there were no surprises, unpleasant or otherwise, with steering, brakes and overall handling.
More important for the market Buick is after, the Verano is actually luxury-car quiet. No, really. The sound deadening is simply outstanding, and no one is going to mistake this car for a rebadged Cruze once they've spent any amount of time on the road.
And, unlike my typical refrain lamenting new-car prices, the Verano strikes me as a relative bargain. Nicely loaded up as our tester was, it slots into a sparsely populated premium small-car niche for an attainable $27,000 and change. With Volkswagen moving the Jetta out of the premium category (at least in the United States), Mercury dead and the Japanese scattered all over the segment, if Buick can convince younger buyers to visit its showrooms, the Verano could be a minor hit.
EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I'm impressed. Here we have a really nice small car that happens to wear a Buick badge, and it's priced right in my opinion. The exterior looks good to my eye, and the interior is a comfortable place to spend time, with nice seats and plenty of sound insulation for quiet freeway cruising. It feels upscale for a small, Cruze-based sedan with admirably low NVH levels.
As noted above, the four-cylinder isn't going to set the world on fire, but it's competent and smooth--not Honda smooth but smooth nonetheless. Shifts were imperceptible. Probably my only beef is that it does shift up a tad early and the engine can feel and sound as if it's lugging at times. I have no issues with the suspension so long as it's taken in the context that this is a Buick and not a performance sedan. That is to say that the ride is soft, soaking up potholes nicely, but at highways speeds and the like it doesn't feel floaty. Body control is good and at times it can feel downright German.
Walking down to the parking garage with the Verano keys in hand I was wondering whether I was about to spend my weekend driving a car that would do more than remind of Skyhawks and Skylarks. I needn't have wondered--this is a good little car.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: Full disclosure: Having spent some time inside the Buick PR machine more than a decade ago, some might consider my opinion suspect. Feel free, but in the case of this new small Buick, you'd be selling yourself short to disregard my take. As noted, the car drives well (it is really almost too responsive to steering inputs), rides nice and displays nary a hint of wallow. The powertrain runs quiet and smooth, with a level of refinement in a four-cylinder for which GM can finally be truly proud. What's going on with these Buicks lately?
To be sure, it's no Acura TSX--no super-high-revving VTEC engines here--but it's not just a rebadged Chevrolet Cruze, either. The styling is Buick strong (I'd argue that maybe Buick is trying a little too hard with the oversized grille treatment), and the interior is well-trimmed and well-executed. I found ample space inside for such a small car, never feeling cramped.
As for the electronics, there's no rearview camera but there are audible rear-obstacle warnings. What's missing for me is blind-spot detection, which would help with locating cars that disappear between the side-mirror view and the huge B-pillars. And while keyless entry and ignition are nice, after fumbling around in the dark trying to locate the small, nondescript ignition switch up high on the center stack, I'd like to see a slightly more prominent treatment for that key button.
Like the Regal and the latest LaCrosse, the Verano is another surprising Buick.
ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: I had an interesting conversation with a friend last night about the Verano, which is clearly part of Buick's plan to attract younger buyers to the brand. But my buddy brought up an excellent point about the Verano being a downsize option for older folks looking for a smaller, more efficient vehicle to replace their Lucernes and Park Avenues. So the Verano could potentially be a double whammy by providing an entry-level luxury vehicle for younger people and helping to retain the current Buick faithful.
Moving onto the car itself, it surprised me. It's true that the Cruze sits on a worthy small-car platform from GM. I had my reservations knowing that there is a torsion-beam suspension out back and wondered whether Buick could button up the interior to provide a quiet ride, but the Buick boys certainly did it. The Verano rolls down the expressway with a planted feeling and soaks up small bumps with ease, with only the smallest thuds reverberating into the cabin. Tire noise is almost nonexistent and wind noise is deadened well. However, there is a little bit of noise coming from the B-pillar area.
When I did push it some on my overnight stint, there's noticeable lean and understeer. Steering is responsive enough with some weight tuned in, but in typical GM-car form the brake pedal is squishy.
The 2.4-liter, 180-hp I4 is fairly smooth and provides sufficient motivation, but the six-speed automatic was a bit disappointing. Raynal said that shifts happen too early, and I have to agree. It was also slow to downshift at times when I needed extra muscle for passing.
I'm not a fan of the exterior. Buick's signature grille looks too oversized for the front end of the car, and the rear treatments don't do much for me. It didn't hit every branch of the ugly tree when it fell out of it, but it hit at least two. Inside, the brushed-nickel trim on the door and center console gives it a premium touch along with quality plastics throughout. Soft-touch surfaces are smartly placed throughout, and the heated seats and steering wheel were nice to see on a cold morning. Though, as others have mentioned above, I was expecting a backup-camera image to appear on the central screen when I popped the Verano in reverse.
The bottom line is that the Verano is a nice addition to the Buick lineup. With Acura coming soon with the Honda Civic-based ILX, you can say that the Verano is ahead of the curve. However, Acura says that the ILX will be available with three different powertrains that include a hybrid and the company's high-revving 2.4-liter K-series four-cylinder with 201 hp. On top of that, it will be available with a six-speed manual.
As for the Buick, you can have any transmission in it as long as it's a six-speed automatic. Buick Verano 2012 Review.
Base Price: $26,850
As-Tested Price: $27,175
Drivetrain: 2.4-liter I4; FWD, six-speed automatic
Output: 180 hp @ 6,700 rpm, 171 lb-ft @ 4,900 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,300 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 25/22.2 mpg
Options: Crystal red paint ($325)
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120312/carreviews/120319970#ixzz2D897OHfs
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