2015 Buick Verano Review

What Is It? 

• Small-mid-size sedan
• Buick are way off the mark by offering this as a luxury car
• Up against similar cars like the Honda Civic and Ford Focus, this car is a true, fierce competitor

How Does It Look?                              

• I hate to admit it, but it’s a good-looking car – I really like it in white
• Its proportions are nice – nothing awkward about the way it looks – something you can’t have said about Buick’s in the past
• Could almost pass as a European car
• From the outside the trunk looks small, open the lid and it’s huge!

What’s It Like Inside?       

• The driver’s position is almost perfect, although I didn’t like the height of the shifter – too high for when you use the sport shift
• The seats were quite comfortable – a HUGE improvement over any other GM I’ve driven – they’ve always felt like the lumbar area was removed – these seats are much better than anticipated, however…
• a lumbar adjustment is glaringly missing and definitely needed for both front seats
• The driver’s seat is height-adjustable and there is plenty of seat under the legs – right up to my knees. My biggest beef with GM seats over the years has always been their obsession with only giving us ½ a seat to sit on, with it usually ending around the middle of my thighs
• Rear seats are likewise very comfortable and unlike a lot of similar-sized cars, you don’t feel claustrophobic – there’s plenty of light back there
• Getting in was easy, but getting out was extremely hard due to the very small lower door opening for your feet, combined with the recline angle of the rear seat. I’ve got small feet and found it hard to get them out of the car and then pivot my body out
• The dashboard and instrument cluster are top-notch – very nice to look at and I really like the shade of blue used
• His ‘n’ her climate controls was a surprise – as were the missing heated seats. In Canada all cars should have heated seats as standard.
• The centre console was logically laid out – very un-Buick
• Fit and finish was way above what I’d expected and almost bordering on luxury – loved the nice touches like the pull handles and the fake wood in the door insert – classy, not tacky
• Visibility out and about town is very good, but reversing is a challenge with the very high rear parcel shelf. Spring for the optional back up camera – you won’t regret it
• The ‘Fuel Remaining Until Empty” gauge was all over the map. At one point it said I had 207.5 miles before empty, but just 5.6 miles later I had 286 miles left before empty and after travelling another 15 miles it registered I had 280 miles before I had to refuel! On another occasion I travelled 63 miles, but the car said I’d only used 46 miles worth of fuel. So if you see a Verano at the side of the road, you’ll know that the driver was trusting the gauge and not the fuel needle.