Buick is readying the Verano for the luxury sedan market by giving it a turbocharged engine. The 2.0 liter Ecotec unit in the Verano Turbo is the same found in other members of General Motors family, such as the Buick Regal or Cadillac ATS. In the Verano it makes 250 horsepower (187 kW) at 5300 rpm and 260 lb.-ft. (353 Nm) of torque at 2000 rpm.
If you are wondering what those numbers mean in real life, they mean you can go from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, and have effortless performance at virtually any rpm, save the first thousands. Meanwhile because of the turbocharger you also get good fuel economy. No wonder then this engine was among the WardsAuto World’s 2012 10Best Engines for North America.
Going on sale in America later this year, the Verano Turbo will be available with a choice of a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox. Weirdly, Buick is one of the few car makers that still honors the manual gearbox. They offer more manual models than Ferrari and Lamborghini combined, which of course isn’t saying much, seeing as the Italians are totally in love with automated manuals.
Pricing and official fuel economy ratings will be announced closer to the start of production in late 2012.
The Verano is already a great value. If you can opt for the turbo at say a $1500 premium to the curent 4cyl then it will be the best value that GM offers in terms or price/luxury/value. Buick is making all the right moves save for the Regal which needs to go away or become a real sports sedan (no the GS is not it).