The 2012 Buick Verano

USA Today

No vehicle is perfect, but “among premium small cars,” the Verano is “close enough.” Continuing an encouraging trend at the new Buick, the automaker’s first compact in years “drives so remarkably well that you crave more wheel time.” What’s more, the “seriously high-class interior” will make any driver “feel like somebody special.” Unfortunately, fuel economy disappoints. Highway consumption is supposedly 32 mpg, but in suburban driving our test Verano managed just 17 mpg.

Motor Trend

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“Yep, it’s another case of bad GM timing, of an excellent Buick launching with the wrong engine.” Next year’s Verano will be powered by an all-new, 2.5-liter four cylinder, but the 180-hp, 2.4-liter four in the current model is an obvious “weak link.” It even strains for acceleration at highway speeds. That’s a shame, since the Verano shares its platform with the Chevy Cruze but gets its chassis tuning from Opel. The results are highly competent handling plus a “supple ride over bad roads.”

The New York Times

That “blend of comfort and performance” might serve Buick well. Though it’s “rather audacious” to ask consumers to measure the Verano against small cars from Audi or Volvo, Buick has done “a lovely job” overall with their “fanciful little gamble.”