Jump to content
Create New...
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Interactive Review: 2012 Buick Verano

    William Maley

    Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

    May 16, 2012

    As the Chevrolet Malibu Eco leaves the Cheers and Gears Detroit garage, another vehicle arrives to take its place. The vehicle is the smallest Buick of them all, the new Verano.

    The Verano is equipped with a 2.4L four-cylinder producing 180 HP and 171 lb-ft of torque, and a six-speed automatic.

    First impressions so far: The Verano is very, very quiet. Something I appreciate very much. Also, I'm finding the 2.4L to be an ok powertrain in the short time I had it.

    I will be updating with my thoughts about the Verano throughout this week. In the meantime, send your questions in.


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    So on those Detroit Roads from Hell, how is the suspension holding up to the Hell Holes?

    How is the line of site for the front and back? To me the pictures make it appear as being a bit hard to gauge your corners due to the round off edges.

    Does this car have the latest InfoTainment system from GM? If so how does it work in comparison to the Ford Sync system?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I had the brief opportunity to test drive and then be a passenger in the Verano CXL on the streets of Philadelphia in February, courtesy of GM and the Philly Auto Show. It seemed to have a pleasant ride, and the power was certainly enough for Philly traffic. Back seat was tighter than I'd like, especially since I have an almost 2 y-o in a car seat and an almost 7 y-o in a booster seat that can easily put their feet on the seat backs (one of the reasons I liked the '13 Taurus rental I had - lots of rear seat legroom space :smilewide: ).

    Curious about your reply on how it handles the poor street conditions of Detroit. Also want to know how fuel economy is with the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine. And overall impressions - good, bad, and ugly!!

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    After spending time with it, is it really less boring, more appealing than an average sleepy family sedan like the Malibu you gave back? How do the back seats compare?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    So on those Detroit Roads from Hell, how is the suspension holding up to the Hell Holes?

    Curious about your reply on how it handles the poor street conditions of Detroit.

    So far, the Verano is doing a great job with the Detroit Roads: soaking up the bumps and potholes.

    How is the line of site for the front and back? To me the pictures make it appear as being a bit hard to gauge your corners due to the round off edges.

    Coming from the Malibu Eco, I'm finding the Verano an improvement. Its somewhat hard to gauge corners and backup in certain situations, but I'm ok with it.

    Does this car have the latest InfoTainment system from GM? If so how does it work in comparison to the Ford Sync system?

    Yes, it has Buick IntelliLink. I can't really answer the comparison with SYNC since I haven't played with it. I hope to fix that soon.

    Also want to know how fuel economy is with the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine.

    Somehow I'm averaging 28 MPG in mixed driving at the moment, I keep updating on this.

    After spending time with it, is it really less boring, more appealing than an average sleepy family sedan like the Malibu you gave back?

    I think both are very appealing, it depends on what you want. For me, I would with the Verano at the moment. But that could change when I get the chance to drive the 2.5L Malibu

    How do the back seats compare?

    I'm finding the back seats comfortable with a good amount of headroom. Legroom is ok, but taller passengers will complain

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    How are the ergonomics and controls? Adjustability? Headroom? Cupholders?

    Ergonomics and controls: On the Verano, the controls are laid out in a good way. It make senses where everything is and are good to the touch.

    Adjustability: Steering adjusts for height and reach. Seats are a mix of power and manual controls for the driver and manual for passenger, which was a bit of surprise for where its in the market. Maybe its just me.

    Headroom: Front seat is ok. Back seat is ok for me, taller passengers might complain.

    Cupholders: Yep, there on the Verano

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Your impression on build quality and if the car feels solid overall.

    My particular Verano felt very solid and had pretty good build quality. Others haven't been so lucky. I talked to couple of people who also drove Veranos and they saw some bad build quality; panel gaps (inside and out) and some interior pieces being broken. I'm guessing these were first runs and I think some of them had been damaged by someone.. But still.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The ones I've seen look very nice inside and out. I think my favourite colour be Cyber Gray wit black inturior. The low-pressure 2.0t with a six speed manuel would liven up this little cruiser quite nicely, I think.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The ones I've seen look very nice inside and out. I think my favourite colour be Cyber Gray wit black inturior. The low-pressure 2.0t with a six speed manuel would liven up this little cruiser quite nicely, I think.

    Mine would be the Crystal Red with either the Titanium/Ebony or Cocoa Cashmere. Also like the new 2013 Blue colour with the Ebony/Titanium and the Mocha Bronze with the Cocoa/Cashmere.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Chbrystal red would be nice, I think.

    How is the dashboard at night....?

    And how is this car for night driving, and longer highway hauls?

    ...and also please the brakes in a panic situation or nearly so. How do they feel? How did the ABS feel?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Posts

    • I know a Greek guy in New York and he was just telling me that he used to take Olympic Airways to and from Greece.  He said that it was Aristotle Onassis's airline ... I didn't know that.  He told me they had a 747 named Olympus and another one named Zeus.   Olympic never put out much of a reach to North America ... just NY and Toronto, I believe.  They bankrupted sometime post-9/11.  Now, Greece only has much smaller Aegean, but they stick mostly to Europe, the Middle East, etc. Here's one of their 747s approaching Athens Airport next to the sea at Ellinikon. In looking up this airline and jet, they had a write-up on Olympic Airways Flight 411 which was using the 747 Zeus in 1978, so this was a fairly new unit. Fairly shocking for a veteran crew - 418 people on board - close call ...
    • I watch a ton of shows and follow quite a few YouTubers, but it's because I have about 80 minutes a day on a bus to and from work. 
    • Most TV shows and sitcoms that take place in the same 1 to 3 rooms test my patience.  Maybe that's why I might watch documentaries and police shows, and very rarely at that, or watch movies I've read about in advance and want to see.
    • I honestly have tried a couple times and Seinfeld is just not funny nor interesting to me, I feel like I deserve a refund for my time wasted on that show.  That also is why I tend to not watch much TV unless I stream a movie as I would rather be out living life than sitting in front of the tube being programmed at.
    • Several of my friends have asked me, "What, you never saw that Seinfeld episode?!?" I'm seeing it for the first time.  It's funny. I thought "Seinfeld" was boring ... too slow. The only episode I've watched was the "Assman" episode.  Kramer, in my mind, was the only funny character on the show.
  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search