Humble charm or the product born in times of crisis
The Buick Verano is a compact car produced by General Motors for its American Buick brand since 2011. In 2021, the second generation sedan can be found on the market.
The 2009 crisis resulted in GM losing its Pontiac, Saab and Saturn brands and tempering Buick’s ambitions as a manufacturer of large, soft, expensive and ultra-comfortable sedans for sunny suburbs. The new Verano has become smaller, weaker, but stronger and more comfortable.
For this brand, the Buick Verano is a non-typical car that was created as a kind of GM’s response to a severe crisis in the automotive industry. It is well-assembled, high-quality and affordable. Eventually, the Verano became popular not as an economy class, but as the very “luxury compact” car that the manufacturer wanted to create. It happened in China, where the Verano is known as the Buick Excelle GT.
The first generation
It was produced from 2011 to 2017. The first generation five-seater Buick Verano was distinguished by the modest size, but it was quite spacious and comfortable. There was enough space in the back seat for two passengers, provided that the driver and front passenger were not excessively tall or heavy. The trunk held more than 430 liters, which was a good indicator for a car of this class.
The Verano was standardly equipped with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine with 180 hp, coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission. With the new engine, the Buick Verano gained dynamic stability uncharacteristic for cars of this brand, which consumers highly appreciated. The steering, suspension and body structure were made of high-strength steel, the springs, steering wheel and shock absorber maintained the body well in various traffic situations.
The first Verano retained the main features of the Buick’s style: high-quality interior trim, faux wood upholstery, 2-zone climate control, push-button start and parking brake. Options included heated leather seats with contrasting stitching and a Buick IntelliLink system that connected a smartphone via Bluetooth or USB to a standard 7-inch LED screen. Communication and entertainment functions were controlled by touch, voice or push-button controls on the steering wheel.
The Verano became popular not as an economy class, but as a ‘luxury compact’ car. It happened in China.
The first generation Verano is not exactly a successful result of the compact luxury concept. Rather, it is a humble good car, very similar in terms of parameters, driving performance and design to some affordable European car from popular brands. It was average, but surpassed most of the similar European cars in terms of configuration.
The second generation
It has been produced from 2017 to the present (as of 2021). Built on the same platform as the popular Chevrolet Cruze, the new Buick Verano is an alternative to the more expensive compact sedans of other premium car manufacturers. The new Verano is comfortable, discreet and humble, offering the same standard engine. However, the Americans could install a more familiar and powerful turbocharged engine with 250 hp (for the Verano Turbo version) with a 6-speed manual transmission.
The 2019/2020 Buick Verano offers a quality interior, room to comfortably accommodate four people (but no more) and a relatively roomy trunk (for a compact car). The sedan is offered in four trim levels:
- standard Verano;
- Verano Convenience Group (increased comfort);
- Verano Leather Group (leather interior trim and additional options);
- Verano Premium Turbo Group (reinforced engine and suspension).
Differences in trim levels include additional safety features, wheel diameter, presence/absence of cruise control, remote engine start (only for automatic transmission), and other options.
Safety
Standard options of the 2020 Buick Verno include an anti-lock braking system, traction and stability control, front and rear side airbags, full-length side airbags and front knee airbags.
In government crash tests, the sedan received five stars: five stars for overall frontal impact protection and five stars for overall side impact protection.
