2012 Buick Verano: Up Close
The 2012 Verano is handsome in person, and it definitely looks like a Buick, though it’s based on the Chevrolet Cruze. Viewed head-on, its signature Buick grille looks balanced — just about right. From the side and three-quarter view, however, the grille protrudes more, as it does on the LaCrosse sedan. Of the three, I’d say the Regal’s waterfall grille is the best executed.
More details and photos of the 2012 Buick Verano
The show car’s interior is pretty lush, with the requisite low-gloss surfaces and warm tones — the color equivalent of comfort food.
Buick might have a problem, though, and the problem’s name is the Chevrolet Cruze. The duplication of models for sale under different brand names is risky, often frowned upon and difficult to execute successfully, especially for a company like GM, which has done it poorly in the past. But that’s not the issue. In this case, building versions off the Cruze is a reasonable approach because this time the “donor” car is a very good one.
That’s also the potential problem. The Verano’s interior is high quality, but so is the Cruze’s interior, and I wonder if Buick has done enough to distinguish it and justify its higher price — apart from the obvious drivetrain and feature differences.
It reminds me of my reaction to the Cadillac SRX, which is a good model but whose biggest problem is the Chevrolet Equinox. In this example, even more than the Cruze/Verano, I don’t think the SRX is sufficiently “nicer enough,” if you will, than the Equinox. We’ll have to see what Buick buyers think.
