Buick Verano for 2013 to confuse everyone

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The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]has proven a moderate hit for GM's oldest brand, managing to arrive just as shoppers turned their eyes toward smaller luxury cars. For 2013, GM said today it would give the Verano a little something extra -- a 250-hp turbo engine and an optional six-speed manual transmission. It's no Buick GNX, but it's a step in the right direction.



If there's a knock against the new-era Buicks, it's that they don't have a cohesive image. Every new Buick over the past two years has been a well-done model that improved on its predecessors, but they're not sports cars or even full-boat luxury rides, and haven't yet created the ardor among fans that other brands enjoy. Being the auto industry equivalent of the sensible shoe can be profitable, but it won't make your products popular.



Which makes the 250-hp Verano seem like something the GM engineers snuck into production while the bosses' played fantasy baseball. It has enough power to stomp the new [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], and can hustle to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, outrunning rides such as the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. An honest cross-shopper would have to consider the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and upcoming [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], two hot compacts that will be tuned for handling and speed rather than Buick-esque comfort.



Old GM would have made this engine an SS trim level in the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and turned the Buick version an afterthought, but the new GM has no such plans, giving Buick the performance rights among the company's compact car lineup. If GM execs keep running those kind of plays, Buick may seem slightly less sensible, but finally start wining a few hearts along with wallets.

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This is a mildly downtuned and I believe single scroll turbo version of the LNF engine in my Sky. I'll vouch for it [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I believe this engine will carry the LHU name, but it's still a direct injection 2.0 liter turbo.

Buick should have never gone FWD. Having said that, I'm glad they are at least pulling this out of their sleeves. But I've never been a fan of any small GM engines. They composed 95% of problems people came in with when I managed an auto parts store. But the times are changing, maybe they have gotten their act together since those awful 2.2, 2.4 and 3.1/3.3 days.

oh yes, much much better than the old quad four's. The new 2.2 ecotechs are co built with Toyota so, they're better than the first and second gen 2.2's IMO. The 3.1 and 3.3 have always been a problematic motor