Buick may be bringing a sharper focus to the still-forming new generation of "affordable luxury" cars with the addition of a 250-horsepower turbo model to the Verano lineup for 2013. Like a six-speed manual with that? Yep, that's on the menu, too. Buick says the Verano Turbo, which goes on sale in October, will snap from zero to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds and turn a quarter-mile in around 14.7 seconds. That's speedy enough to give fits to the Ford Focus ST we just drove, and the Verano Turbo's performance numbers should be the same with the optional six-speed manual (the same F40 transmission used in the Regal GS) or the standard six-speed automatic.
The new-for-2012 Verano so far has been a moderate success for General Motors' Buick division (selling on the order of 3,000-plus a month), but the 180 horsepower from the standard Verano's direct-injected 2.4-liter four-cylinder isn't overly ambitious, even for an entry-luxury car. So Buick is turning up the wick on the competition — Acura ILX, Audi A3, Lexus IS 250, maybe even VW Jetta GLI — by wedging into the compact Verano sedan the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Buick already uses for the Regal GS.
In the coming 2013 Verano Turbo, the direct-injected 2.0-liter falls 20-hp short of the high-output version Buick uses for the Regal GS, but the Verano Turbo should have a similar power-to-weight ratio — and it's 30 horses stronger than the current Regal Turbo (although we suspect the Regal Turbo might get its output pumped for 2013 to match the Verano Turbo's 250 horses). In the Verano Turbo, the 2.0-liter is tuned for 260 pound-feet of torque at 2,000 rpm versus 295 lb-ft at 2,400 rpm for the Regal GS.
The new Verano Turbo weighs 3,550 pounds with the standard six-speed automatic transmission and 3,520 pounds with the optional six-speed manual. That gives the manual version of the Verano Turbo a power-to-weight ratio of 14.08 pounds per horsepower, barely more than the 13.74 pounds-per-horse the Regal GS carries. The Turbo will be the top-of-the-line trim level for the 2013 Verano line, with all the content of the Verano's Convenience and Leather trims — plus dual exhaust, aluminum pedal covers, a Turbo badge and the covert rear spoiler that can be installed on standard Veranos.
For 2013, all Veranos get a standard rearview camera and Buick's IntelliLink smartphone connection, a couple of new colors — Luxo Blue Metallic and an extra-cost Carbon Black Metallic — and blind-spot and cross-traffic warning for the higher-trim models.
Courtesy: Edmunds Inside Line
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