Buick Verano Turbo

Buick makes a car called the Verano. You might have heard it called the Verona, as in “fair city of...”but that’s wrong.

The fair Verano is a small thing that competes with the Acura ILX and uses the same basic platform as the Chevy Cruze. It is quiet, comfortable, satisfying to drive, and it handily beats the one-size-up Regal in sales.

And now there’s this turbocharged Verano, which offers a manual transmission as a no-cost alternative to the six-speed automatic. The number of stick-sprouting Buick models (two) is now at a level unseen since Zack Morris first picked up his cinder block of a cell phone. The Verano Turbo is also quiet, comfortable, and satisfying to drive. It’s a lot quicker, too, its smooth turbocharged four delivering 250 horses versus the naturally aspirated car’s 180.

The blown 2.0-liter with its six-speed manual lops nearly two seconds off the automatic-only 2.4-liter’s 0-to-60-mph time, but the accomplishment feels fairly underwhelming. It’s not that the car isn’t good. The suspension is well damped, the steering accurate and possessed of some feel, and the body motions are nicely controlled, but any sportiness is buried beneath a layer of marshmallow-like luxury. The car as a whole lacks character even with the manual, which prioritizes silken operation over mechanical feel. In braking and handling, the Turbo is virtually indistinguishable from its compressor-free sibling. Also, they look the same, the Turbo distinction consisting of badges, dual exhaust tips, and a vestigial trunklid spoiler.

All Verano Turbos are essentially loaded and start at $29,990. Options include the manual trans, navigation, a sunroof, and fancier wheels. For reasons unknown, the business case for this car made more sense to GM than did one for a proposed Chevrolet Cruze SS, which would have been more powerful and more compelling to enthusiasts. Instead, the Verano Turbo is just a Buick, albeit a wee one. Still, it has a pile of standard features and a refinement edge over its few competitors, including the ILX. Which maybe isn’t such a small thing after all.