2013 Buick Verano

Not Luxury. Not Sport. Not Buick. Not Bad. Those of you who still think of the Buick Verano as some sort of callously badge-engineered, gussied up version of the Chevrolet Cruze ("Why would anyone spend that much money on Buick's Cruze?" you may have been heard to mutter) have got the wrong idea. Entirely. Even in its most modest form, the Verano turns out to be a sedan that is feature-rich, insulated from wind and road noise in proper luxury car fashion, pretty good to drive and not bad to look at in the new school of high-nosed pedestrian-impact-regulated fashion. In a less modest form then, one that attaches the word "Turbo" to the moniker and plops a force-fed 2.0-liter four-cylinder under the hood, the Verano is downright interesting. Of course, "interesting" is rarely a descriptor that fills one with lust – and so it goes with this example. There are two competing forces within this near-premium subcompact sedan, and the balance struck between them must resonate with any potential customer before the Verano Turbo can become a serious purchase consideration. The first, and arguably most potent of these forces, is the overarching "new Buick" tuning and vibe that percolates through the Verano. The interior is clad in soft but not particularly rich leather; the seats are quite comfortable but a long way from sporting or very supportive in dynamic situations; the car is whisper quiet pretty much all of the time, even under full-throttle acceleration; and the sound system offers clear and bright audio, without an overabundance of power or depth. Everywhere we look and feel in the Verano, we're met by materials and workmanship that offer a clear cut above the average, without ever being truly exceptional. Just a few degrees of throttle has the Verano Turbo doing its best Mazdaspeed3 impression. The other force evident in the Turbo is headlined by the eponymous 2.0T engine, and to a lesser extent, in the case of our test car, the six-speed manual gearbox that manages its power. In the accessible, forceful thrust of this 250-horsepower, 260-pound-feet four-cylinder engine, we feel something that is pretty un-Buick-like – at least in terms of existing brand stereotypes. The company lists a 0-60 miles per hour time of 6.2 seconds, and we'd believe it if someone told us that a few tenths quicker than that is easily possible. And the run up to 60 mph is hardly the point with this mill. The real fun is had by way of its broad torque curve, at mid-range speeds (say, 50-70 mph), where just a few degrees of throttle has the Verano Turbo doing its best Mazdaspeed3 impression. Yes, that means it's pretty quick. The aforementioned 6MT may not be a standout in the increasingly small world of do-it-yourself transmissions, but it's pretty slick. The short throws and positive, light action of the gear lever are bolstered by a clutch that is progressive with an easy-to-find take-up point. There's a fair amount of slop in …
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