 2012 Buick Verano. Click image to enlarge |
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Review and photos by Jil McIntosh
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2012 Buick Verano
Toronto, Ontario – If I had to name the brand that’s turned around the most in the last five years, it would have to be Buick. I remember when its cars were so bland and boring that just saying the name might put you to sleep. I always wondered what triggered that moment in the aging process where older drivers woke up one day and just had to have one, giving the brand the most elderly demographic in the industry. And I couldn’t figure out why GM put Pontiac to sleep when Buick seemed like the one on life support.
That’s all changed. The company has since stepped up with a line of impressive models, starting with the Enclave and most recently with the sporty Regal GS. And later this year it will take on the compact segment with the all-new 2012 Verano.
 2012 Buick Verano. Click image to enlarge |
Do not think this is a Chevrolet Cruze with a rapper-sized ring of signature Buick shields on its grille. Yes, it’s based on the same global Delta platform and shares some of its suspension components, but it pretty much ends there. From its outward appearance to its performance and quiet ride, the Verano feels more like a downsized Regal, a comparison the company is happy to promote.
It doesn’t have a lot of direct competition. The Canadian-only, Civic-based and front-wheel drive Acura CSX has been discontinued for 2012. Other sedan competitors are rear-wheel drive – the Lexus IS and slightly larger Infiniti G25 – and they start at more than $10,000 over the Buick. That price jump is similar for the upscale coupe and hatchback compacts: Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Volvo C30, and the upcoming redesigned Mercedes-Benz B-Class. Full pricing hasn’t been released for the Buick, but it will start at $22,595. Its four trim lines will top out at $27,620, with a few options available beyond that. My car had the whole shebang with leather interior, heated steering wheel, upscale wheels, navigation radio and sunroof and would be about $29,500, according to GM’s rep.
The Verano uses a 2.4-litre direct-injection four-cylinder engine, borrowed and tweaked from the Chevrolet Equinox and producing 180 horsepower and 171 lb.-ft. of torque. The transmission is a six-speed automatic, and official fuel figures are 9.9 L/100 km (29 mpg Imp) in the city and 6.2 (46) on the highway. I wasn’t able to do a proper fuel economy test, since it was only a day’s drive without a fill-up, but the on-board computer indicated 8.0 L/100 km for a leisurely spin through the countryside north of Toronto.
 2012 Buick Verano. Click image to enlarge |
As with the Regal and its GS sibling, the Verano will also go sporty. Its 2.4-litre will be joined for the 2013 model year by a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine that will be available with a six-speed manual transmission in addition to the automatic. If the GS is any indication, expect this forced-air Verano to have some spice sprinkled into its suspension as well.
Like the turbocharged Cruze, the Verano uses a rear suspension that incorporates a Watt’s link, also called a Z-link and an unusual feature in the segment. It uses a pivoting centre link between the rear axles to keep the back end stabilized on turns or rough roads. I’ve driven the similar set-up in the Cruze on intentionally bad pavement in GM’s test centre, and it does make quite a difference in keeping the car firmly planted no matter what’s under the tires. The front suspension is the usual MacPherson strut set-up, but with larger dampers than the Cruze and with urethane bushings on the springs. It’s strictly front-wheel drive; a GM rep said there are no plans to offer all-wheel, which would add considerably to a price that already soars high in the upper levels.
