An "encore" in a Buick: last call for Verano

[trinacriabob]

I was in the Sunshine State for Easter and the car had to go one way out of the state for a really good rate, so I returned it to Atlanta.  I arrived in Florida and the selection of cars was really dismal, for what I like, that I almost just took a Focus from the pick your car line.  However, I took a Camry.  I didn't really like that car.  With 29,000 miles on it, it idled roughly with the air conditioner on.  Worse yet, there was no fob on the key ring.  I figured that out when I tried to pull my stuff out of the trunk.  I had to use the key for the front door and then use the inside release just to open the trunk.  However, I was tired and went to sleep.

The next morning I woke up, realizing I had to exchange the car.  I went back, the attendant let me park it in a special zone, I went to the counter, and explained what the situation was.  The lady was super nice.  She fished around for keys and was rattling off the names of cars, because this location didn't have the pick your car zone.  She said, "I've got a Veracruz.  You'll really like that."  I was wondering what a Veracruz was.  Perhaps it was something I missed.  Mitsubishi once had the Montero.  She then told me it was a Buick.  I looked at the key ring and saw that it was a Verano.  Haha - Veracuz!?!  I thought Veranos would all be retired from fleets by now, so it was "winner - winner - chicken dinner" for me.

Perfect for the warmer and muggier weather, the Verano was white with a cashmere (read: tan) cloth interior with cocoa (read: dark brown) accents.  I'd putted around in these before, so getting everything set up wasn't too bad.  The Bluetooth was a little fussy, but I was bent on being fueled by 70s and 80s music, along with some Motown.  Also, one has to get radio stations for their genre and for the area.

I love how this smaller car feels bigger than most compact cars I've ever been in.  (That's sort of like Reno's moniker "the biggest small city in the world," or something like that.)  The Verano was nimble, quiet, and fairly quick.  The "habitual" 2.4 liter 4 cylinder is mostly sedate but can get riled up under throttle.  It likes freeways, or interstates.  A lot.  The car can move right on up to higher speeds and you won't hear it or feel it.  For this, the cruise control with the typical GM digital set up was useful and it was always on stand-by.  The rocker toggles on the steering wheel feel good to the touch and are easy to use. There was one unusual thing about the powertrain on this unit.  Most of the time, when I've gotten a car with over 30,000 miles and an issue to go along with it, it has usually been a wheel hub bearing that was going sideways.  Not this time.  There was a noticeable feel at the first two shift points.  The 6 speed transaxle in these units is usually silky smooth.  Something was off.  However, it didn't cause any problems, it didn't get worse, and it didn't set off the check engine light for a solenoid or a sensor. 

As for fuel economy, it's supposed to get between 21 and 32 mpg, IIR the past EPA stickers.  In an almost all city situation, my worst tank got 23 mpg.  Then, I usually baby a car for one pure interstate jaunt, and that tank came in at about 37 mpg.  I've gotten that sort of a reading once before in a Verano, so I figured it made some sense.  Because it is a 4 banger, cruise at 65 mph spins the engine at about 2,000 rpms.

I really like the ergonomics and greenhouse of the Verano.  For my taste, its seats are incredibly comfortable.  They are sort of old school, if you will, because they're not thin and they don't have overly defined bolsters that hem you in.  Their thickness seems to rob the rear of the cabin of some knee room, but that's where I temporarily tossed empty plastic water bottles.  (What's with these Southerners?  Finding places to put recyclables isn't all that easy.) I like the dashboard design, the simple instrument cluster with the blue/white lighting, and, mostly, the fit and finish.  It may be on the same chassis as the last-gen Chevy Cruze, but the attention to detail make this compact car stand out.  It's a pleasure to sit in its cabin.

This then brings around the question everyone asks.  The now gone Verano sat on the outgoing Cruze chassis and was much more car in every which way, with the manners of a larger and better appointed automobile.  Now, with its redesign, the current Cruze is far better than the previous Cruze.  With that said, one can only imagine how appealing a new Verano could have been if it had been piggybacked onto the current Cruze chassis and Buick-ed up.  Not only that, it could put a consumer into a Buick at a MSRP in the mid $20Ks and they could pass on looking at other marques, domestic or foreign, in the same niche.  I guess this last trip in one was sort of my "last call" for the likeable Verano.

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* photos forthcoming *

 

Edited May 16, 2018 by trinacriabob

[trinacriabob]

Photos:

 

1. Sort of front 3/4 view on the Gulf side of FL

2. Sort of rear 3/4 view on the Gulf side of FL

3. Side view with Stone Mountain (Atlanta, GA) area looming beyond

4. Front view with Stone Mountain (Atlanta, GA) area looming beyond

5. Rear view in Stone Mountain (Atlanta, GA) with peak azalea and dogwood blooming time around Easter

6. Love the instrumental cluster, the stitched leather wheel, the colors, and the ease of use

7. A great vibe, whether in the cockpit or a passenger

8.  Not a bad center stack.  The climate control section (lower) is fairly intuitive.  Anymore, the audio section (middle) takes more time to figure out

9. Now THIS is why it's not a Chevy Cruze

10.  I've got a thing for opera windows or facsimiles thereof

11.  Where the hell do you propose finding bucket seats articulated like this in this day and age?  They remind me of the early Cutlass Salons.  This car was so comfortable that I didn't want to give it back to them!

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Mileage readings (mpg):

30.23

24.34 (low)

35.20 (high)

26.42

27.06

29.20

31.28

27.40

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Yes, perhaps a little OCD.  C'est la vie.