We recently spent some a week with the 2012 Buick Verano, and we grew fond of it. The car’s combination of quiet, comfort and value were the main elements that won us over, despite the aged 2.4L engine doing its best to hustle the car forward underneath the hood. There was promise on the horizon, however, as Buick announced some time ago that a turbocharged version with more of a pulse was on its way into the Verano. And just moments ago, Buick officially released all the details regarding backup for the Verano, in the form of a 2.0L turbocharged engine.
The Verano’s optional 2.0L Ecotec engine promises us an SAE-certified 250 horsepower (187 kW) at 5,300 rpm and 260 lb.-ft. (353 Nm) of torque at a low 2,000 rpm that will be paired with a choice of a six-speed automatic transmission or an old-fashioned six-speed manual gearbox. These figures are potent enough to propel the Verano from 0-60 mph in an estimated 6.2 seconds — faster than even the Regal GS, and faster than the Volkswagen Golf GTI, for comparison’s sake. Heck, it’s within spitting distance of the turbocharged Cadillac ATS’ power output. However, we’re told that there won’t be any HiPer Strut found on the car — the same torque-steer-negating setup present on the Regal GS and Opel Astra OPC. But that’s not to say the suspension went unattended to.
Verano Turbo drivers will find that the suspension system is about 10-15 percent stiffer than the base model, while the steering is roughly 10-15 percent tighter. The Verano’s strut and front spring calibration is unique to the vehicle, once again keeping a far distance from other models in the GM family.
Buick estimates that fuel economy numbers will be close to what we see from the Regal Turbo and/or GS, while pricing will be announced closer to the start of production in late 2012.
Comments
im excited but if chevy is listening and looking, they need to spice up the cruze
The lack of a HiPer strut gives me pause, but this should spice things up a bit for the Verano.
It’s nice, but with no interactive drive system or hi per struts, I’ll keep my GS.
Oh, and Trifecta will definitely have a tune that will allow for GS or higher power output.
Loved the three pedal pic this wil be my next car
Does anyone know why the 2.0T makes different power outputs in the Verano, ATS, and Regal GS? Even more surprising is why the Regal has the most power, not the ATS.
The ATS 2L turbo makes 270 HP that is a hell of a lot more than the 270 HP that the gs makes. Torque is torsional force not power. The gs does make more torque but the power is the same as the ATS. and less than the LFX.
270 HP is 270 HP, regardless of the engine. The 270 HP and 295 lb. ft. of twist that the GS makes is a WHOLE lot more power distribution than the ATS; however, the ATS’ engine will be more refined, coupled with less weight, it will be a better performer.
Yes my first sentence was ment to be funny 270 HP is the same as 270 HP. However the Buick does not have more power distribution because it has the same power. You can have more torque with out having more power. An engine with less torque can make more power if it can maintain that torque at a higher RPM. Torque times RPM divided by 5252 = Horse Power. Case in point LFX less torque at a higher RPM more Horse Power.
Does anyone know why the 2.0T makes different power outputs in the Verano, ATS, and Regal GS? Even more surprising is why the Regal has the most power, not the ATS.
Kevin, I believe Buick is only giving the 250 HP as not to step on the foot of the GS, which is perceived as Buick’s top end sports sedan. The different HP ranges puts each car in different categories. The ATS will be about 300 pounds lighter than the GS plus its rear wheel drive. Even with less HP and torque numbers, the ATS is going to kill the GS in performance numbers, plus the engine will be more refined. Remember everybody, high HP and torque numbers can sometimes be just for bragging rights. While the GS executes performance pretty well, the ATS will utilize its HP numbers better and smoother, which will equal a competent 3 Series competitor. It woulld seem that GM is following in suit with BMW by not overexaggerating HP numbers with the ATS.
GM! You are so useless! Who was asking for the high performance engine before the car was even here? Who has the image to actually use a 250 horsepower engine? Definitely not a Buick. If you wach the above video, you will see how all people drive their Buick. Here is what the Cruze does – http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/05/chevrolet-wtcc-routinely-sweeps-in-austria/ Not to mention the falling sales of the Cruze either…
I think I found my next car. It’s exactly what I want/need. A quickerish car but with a nice soft ride.
That’s the main thing that was putting me off of the ATS, it’s got a sporty suspension, I already have a car with that, and my back hurts because of it. I’ve actually been seriously looking at the regular Verano, I enjoyed the ride of it much better than my CTS. But now that this is coming, I’ll have to wait.lol
This will give me that power I currently have in my CTS but the smoother softer ride I enjoyed when I test drove the regular Verano. Hopefully 10-15% stiffer from the regular Verano suspension won’t be to big of a difference.
Jeff…..I will drive ATS when it is at dealer in a month or so,,,,,drove Verano and was very impressed with quiet, smooth, Cadillalc-like ride…..will have to compare the two and see….the new 2.5 base engine is same as ATS….sure it won’t be as fast or peppy as ATS but, for normal driving should be very good…..let me know what you buy…….
Jeff,,,,,turbo Verano? Super choice….I bet the ride wil still be nice and lots of zip to go with the quiet…….excellent. Let us know what you think when you test/buy.
I’m with Jeff on this one fun with out feeling beat up when the drive is over
Although the current GM offerings are their best efforts to date, Buick is terribly missing the mark in one key area…price. If you’ve read any of the Regal GS reviews it’s getting slayed for the window sticker. After a quick visit to the Regal configurator, I arrive at a Regal GS retailing for quite a pricey sum of $37,325. That window sticker is within spitting distance of a BMW 3 series, a car the automotive press is comparing to the Regal GS. A car which handily beats the Regal GS in every objective measure according to numerous publications, both print-based and web-based. The obvious conclusion is that the Regal GS is overpriced by a large amount. This pricing strategy will hurt Buick in the end.
Now, when comparing the upcoming Verano Turbo to the VW GTI, and it compares favorably as this article states, it would be wise for Buick to price it accordingly. If the Verano Turbo matches the VW GTI in pricing strategy it will likely be a tremendous success. Here’s hoping Buick/GM learned their lesson from the Regal GS.
Steve…..yes Turbo Verano….I bet it will please all the people and critics who say this car has no power….it should be priced accordingly as you say. I hope it is a huge success…..I would get the 2.5 for my purposes
Okay, as the owner of a GS, I feel that I can state facts. I currently have 11,580 miles on my 2012 GS. Why not get a 3 Series you ask? Easy, after owning two BMW sourced Coopers, I will never buy another BMW product again. Okay, so BMWs are engineered very well. This comes at a price. $45 for a thermostat in my Cooper S plus $40 for the housing as they are prone to warping. Not too mention the 3 hours it took to change it. The clutch started acting up at 53,000 miles. Just 3K past the warranty. I could go on about the problems. Coopers aren’t “really” BMWs you say. I can attest to several of my friends 3 Series giving them trouble. One guy is not even an enthusiast and babied his 3 Series. So many intake problems it wasn’t even funny.
So, yes, I could have bought a 3 Series for the price unpaid for my GS. Would the BMW come with “real” leather seats, racing steering wheel, Harmon Karson stereo, 3 selectable modes of driving, Brembo brakes? In all honesty, the GS whooped butt in Motor Trend’s shoot out, but in the end, they said it didn’t “feel right” to them. Drive a GS before making any BMW comparisons. You might just be surprised.
Tim, yes BMW sounds great until you own one and have the expensive problems with them; have a friend in La who leased both Merceds and BMW….nothing but problems…..she is lookng at Cadillac
I think a large problem with the various comparisons of a Regal GS to a BMW 3 series is they really compares apples to oranges in that one is FWD and the other RWD. FWD cars simply don’t stand up in objective measures and the automotive press knows this going in.
Still, the point of my post remains. I love the Regal GS looks and content but I don’t love the price point. If it were more realistically priced, I would likely shop it.
Also, I’m aware that the German makes typically have high cost for parts and service. I’ve owned several VW’s and always got killed on repairs. However, which current make has cheap…let’s say reasonable…cost on parts? There just aren’t any anymore. Current JD Power ranks BMW 10th and Buick 17th (below industry average) for problems/100 vehicles. I have, and also have friends who have BMW’s that have been bullet proof in terms of repairs. Heck, I had a ’95 VW that was flawless and a ’96 that was a nightmare. Any and all of them are potentially a repair and service problem.
And you’re correct, the Cooper is definitely not a BMW.
And one more…if you re-read my post above, it started with my praising GM for their current products. I think they are doing a great job right now, but I also think they could do better, especially on the retail end. Around here we have 2 Honda dealerships within 30mins drive or so. One dealer likes to play hardball and typically gets as close to sticker price as they can, while the other is more sales-friendly often discounting sticker by a good margin. Which dealer do you think sells more product? Doesn’t it make sense from a business perspective to sell as much product as possible, even if not maximizing profit margin per sale? With this type of business model, GM sales would rise sharply and that’s the goal of every auto manufacturer.
Steve…good post. Yes, it gets down to price really…that is why I think Buick and Chevy are doing pretty well…..I am inteested to sales final sales figures at end of year. I wonder how may bmw and mercedes buyers will cross over???