Test Drive: 2013 Buick Verano Turbo

2013 Buick Verano Turbo. Click image to enlarge

Review and photos by Justin Mastine-Frost

We all remember the Buick from days gone by as the stodgy, conservative sedans or cars that parents or grandparents may have driven at one time or another, but in recent years the brand has been on a mission to shake that geriatric image. Much like Chrysler, Cadillac, and most recently Lincoln, Buick has been going out of its way to appeal to a younger, upwardly mobile crowd. Rather than airing on the performance sedan or “Boy-Racer” side of things, as Buick communications group manager Nick Richards put it, Buick has steered the new Verano into a new segment dubbed “Entry-Level Luxury”. Now everyone knows I love a good oxymoron and how easily I’m irked by anything budget masquerading as “premium product”, but suffice it to say that I couldn’t help but hop behind the wheel to see just how lux this little Buick really is.

First things first, the Verano Turbo’s exterior at its essence is pretty slick. The headlamps add a nice bit of character, and that giant grille up front definitely stands out in a crowd. The issue I take with the Verano is all the added “chrome” trim that sits everywhere from the door handles, to the eyebrows over the rear taillights, and right down to the fake vents glued onto the hood that look like something you’d buy at Canadian Tire. I can appreciate that some people with a warped perception of luxury might think these details make the car look more expensive, but anyone with a discerning eye will agree that a less-is-more approach would have been much, much better. Fortunately, Buick decided to option our tester in their bold shade of Luxo Blue Metallic, which in combination with the blue trim on the headlights kept the Verano Turbo from looking any sort of bland.

2013 Buick Verano Turbo. Click image to enlarge

In all fairness, Buick wound up doing a fairly respectable job in the passenger cabin as well. I find it looks remarkably similar overall to the latest Ford Focus and Escape; until you look at button and controls placement, the centre stack is well laid out and aesthetically pleasing. I’m not a fan of such a heavy use of buttons in the grand scheme of things, and although the controls for climate and audio were simple and straightforward, they could have easily presented it all in a somewhat less idiot-proof fashion.

Additionally, having the start/stop button integrated into the centre stack and the same size as its adjacent controls just doesn’t make sense to me. I’m sure Verano owners will get used to it after a while, but there are still plenty of other logical locations for it. As a trade off, the styling of the remainder of the dashboard and especially the instrument cluster is really well executed in form, and the steering wheel controls are kept to a properly minimal level. Buick’s Intellilink system was relatively simple and straightforward to use, and unlike many systems out there it was a very quick one to learn. The option will only set you back an added $795, and is definitely worth the money.

2013 Buick Verano Turbo. Click image to enlarge

Now that aesthetics are out of the way, I can’t help but touch on the choice of materials in the interior. Within minutes of poking around it was quite easy to see where budget engineering came into play. The upper dash pad was reasonably trimmed, but the lower half is not. The gearshift knob is leather clad and feels sturdy, yet the steering wheel feels just a bit cheap. The wood trim on the side of the centre stack looks fairly reasonable however the pieces on the door handle, combined with cheap plastic trim, just look sub-par. This is exactly where the “Entry-Level Luxury” marketing gets on my last nerve. I’ve been in completely respectable cars within the Verano Turbo’s price range that were equally well trimmed, most recently the Kia Optima Turbo (not that it’s a direct competitor size-wise), but they weren’t trying to tout themselves as a luxury product. They were simply trying to be a good car, which the Verano would do quite well at if Buick dropped the charade and set image and branding aside for a minute.

2013 Buick Verano Turbo. Click image to enlarge

Now that that’s out of my system, lets get to the good stuff; how this thing drives. The Verano Turbo is based on GM’s Delta II platform, which was originally developed in Germany for the Opel Astra, and although the Buick is built in the US of A, the European influence is easy to spot. Although it’s meant to be a comfortable cruiser, the Verano is surprisingly well balanced, and quite a bit of fun to chuck around. Steering is precise and though slightly numb it’s definitely better than I was expecting. The six-speed automatic gearbox isn’t exactly quick, nor is it in tune with the needs of an enthusiastic driver. Fortunately, once you throw it in manual mode it is up to the task of swapping cogs with relative speed and precision. For the average enthusiastic commuter the entire suspension setup is firm, yet compliant enough for most of our less than perfect roads, and although the rear suspension architecture is still only semi-independent the Verano never feels awkward or unsettled through the corners.

The other pleasant surprise is the overall performance of GM’s 2.0L turbo engine. Having spent time with a significant number of forced-induction mills over the past couple of years, I’ll admit this one isn’t half bad. Packing 250 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, the Verano Turbo is capable of 0–100 km/h sprints in as little as 6.2 seconds, and unlike some of the boosted powerplants kicking around, GM has done a great job of keeping power delivery very linear. That linear delivery is also a great help in limiting any kind of torque steer, which was one of my biggest qualms with the Kia Optima Turbo earlier in the year. Far too often in front-wheel-drive cars with over 200 hp, torque steer steps in and ruins the drive experience, but GM’s Opel engineers seem to have put the effort in to keep it to a minimum. All told, the Verano is a pretty smooth and comfortable ride, without being boring, and although I could stand to see it be a bit more brash and bold, my only real qualm is with its sales pitch.

2013 Buick Verano Turbo. Click image to enlarge

So the big question is: Whom does the Verano Turbo really fit? Unlike many cars I’ve plunked down in over the years, this one isn’t quite as easy to dissect. Aesthetically they are still playing to an older demographic, as well as to foreign markets with the excessive chrome and fake wood trim. However, their chassis and drivetrain are far stiffer and just plain better than the Buicks of days gone by, which speaks to a far younger audience. If anything it may make a pleasant alternative to younger drivers moving out of Honda, Nissan, or Toyota sedans before getting a taste of Lexus, Infiniti, or Acura. Unfortunately, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it wouldn’t have a chance of making a convert out of any German auto geeks.

That being said, we North Americans aren’t really Buick’s key demographic in the first place, as the brand has been doing gangbuster business in China for a number of years, including this past April where they sold an impressive 66,923 units. As a reference point, GM sold 25,071 vehicles in total in Canada last month. Unlike North America, the Chinese market has a much different perception of what luxury is or can be, and until this label-based vision of luxury goes away we are likely to see this lower tier segment expand.

Pricing: 2013 Buick Verano Turbo
Base Price: $28,695
Options: $4,625 ( 18” wheels $525, Preferred equipment group $2,205, Intellilink infotainment $795, Power sunroof $1,100)
Destination: $1,500
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $34,920

Competitors:
Acura ILX
Volkswagen CC
BMW 320i
Mercedes-Benz CLA

Crash Test Results:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)