Review: 2013 Buick Verano Turbo (Autoblog)

[EJD1984]

2013 Buick Verano Turbo
Autoblog
January 3, 2013
by Seyth Miersma

Those of you who still think of the Buick Verano as some sort of callously badge-engineered, gussied up version of the Chevrolet Cruze ("Why would anyone spend that much money on Buick's Cruze?" you may have been heard to mutter) have got the wrong idea. Entirely. Even in its most modest form, the Verano turns out to be a sedan that is feature-rich, insulated from wind and road noise in proper luxury car fashion, pretty good to drive and not bad to look at in the new school of high-nosed pedestrian-impact-regulated fashion. In a less modest form then, one that attaches the word "Turbo" to the moniker and plops a force-fed 2.0-liter four-cylinder under the hood, the Verano is downright interesting.

Just a few degrees of throttle has the Verano Turbo doing its best Mazdaspeed3 impression.

The car certainly benefits from having a well-tuned basic chassis to start with, especially because Buick hasn't really touched the underpinnings of the Verano for this go-fast iteration. The Turbo doesn't offer the same torque-steer reducing HiPer Struts of its big brother, the Regal GS, but its independently sprung MacPherson units still manage to keep the nose headed quickly in the requested direction. And, critically, they offer a smoothly modulated ride over bumps, swales and potholes

Buick hasn't really touched the underpinnings of the Verano for this go-fast iteration.

Pushed towards the true luxury buyer, the Verano might shine brighter as well. We've mentioned that we do like the car's overall cabin design and suite of technology, but the truth is that a few more dollars spent on metal, leather and real wood (if you must) in the cabin would make it more of a credible premium space. A slightly glitzier center stack in place of the dull, button-heavy unit there now could potentially net Audi comparisons. Don't misunderstand – the Verano Turbo's insides offer quite a good luxury-like value, but that's a different thing than being luxurious.

The Verano Turbo could be one hell of a Chevy Cruze SS.

The Verano Turbo, like the Regal GS introduced before it, will likely be pointed to as an example of Buick turning the corner, if, years from now, General Motors' most ill-understood brand can start to build a reputation for itself again amongst youngish American shoppers. Dual-natured though it may be, the high-po Verano is, quite honestly, entertaining to drive, and priced and spec'd very well against a pretty weak set of direct competitors. But that future is both uncertain and likely to be pretty far off.

It easily outpaces the few other quasi-luxury players in the country.

Full article at link.

[FenwickHockey65]

Those of you who still think of the Buick Verano as some sort of callously badge-engineered, gussied up version of the Chevrolet Cruze ("Why would anyone spend that much money on Buick's Cruze?" you may have been heard to mutter) have got the wrong idea. Entirely.

Should shut up a few people here.

[Al63240]

Should shut up a few people here.

True or not, guarantee it won't.

[ne_one]

As a proposition for buyers in the here and now, then, the confusing messages abound: Buick's core values have never really included having cars that are small, tech-laden, quick and fashion-forward – at least not all of those, all at once.

I'm not sure that I would use the word "confusing."

Anyone expecting a luxo-barge with velour seats has been in a coma for a while.

[EJD1984]

Buick hasn't really touched the underpinnings of the Verano for this go-fast iteration.

Is this hinting that there is future additional performance being planned for the Verano?

[supraracer]

I'm seriously considering this for my next short. The handling I can fix myself...

[91Saturn]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the 2014 Verano if it goes "all turbo" with a base 1.6T. If they could hit ~200hp with the base engine, this car definitely could be a leader in terms of features and value.

[johnstarnes]

The few times I've seen a Verano here in Florida that same word came to mind...."pudgy".

[ponchoman49]

The cramped interior, especially the rear seat deletes this car from my shopping list sadly. My friend's Hyundai Elantra has more front and rear seat room and is classified as a compact so that is rather unfortunate.

[Quickening]

The cramped interior, especially the rear seat deletes this car from my shopping list sadly. My friend's Hyundai Elantra has more front and rear seat room and is classified as a compact so that is rather unfortunate.

Is rear leg room the new measurement that makes or breaks cars?! Who are these people that actually use their back seat? I can count on my hands how many times people have been in my back seat since I purchased the Evoque (roughly 6 months ago).

[LGRpup]

The cramped interior, especially the rear seat deletes this car from my shopping list sadly. My friend's Hyundai Elantra has more front and rear seat room and is classified as a compact so that is rather unfortunate.

The interior volume differences, save height, are pretty marginal. It's a 50/50, with Elantra having the bigger number on some spacial metrics, and Verano, the others. But I'm glad you like the Elantra so much...

[MCGARRETT]

Is real leg room the new measurement that makes or breaks cars?!

Eveyone now needs a Checker cab all of a sudden

[MechEng]

Should shut up a few people here.

There are people on here that think the Volt is just a gussied up Cruze. So obviously the Verano is just then a slightly warmed over re-badge of the Cruze I suppose :sarcasm:

Seriously the Verano is a nice C segment car. One of the best. I really like this car. When I was younger I always liked the Skylark. I'm glad to see GM doing a C segment semi-luxuary car I think it will be a great and growing market going foward.

Eveyone now needs a Checker cab all of a sudden

I hear you. All of a sudden it seems like everybody is driving around with 4 other basketball players all the time. The packaging of cars seems to be getting better and better all the time as far as being able to fit bigger people in smaller spaces. I find i'm far more comfortable in cars today than I was 10 years ago. Heck I found the back seat in the Verano just as comfortable as the current Impala.

[MCGARRETT]

I hear you. All of a sudden it seems like everybody is driving around with 4 other basketball players all the time

Remember when it was weight everyone was crying about? Like bulemic 14 year old girls?

[bballr4567]

If you can truly compare the Elantra and Verano Turbo then something is wrong with ya.

I need to go drive one of these guys.