Buick‘s popular compact sedan gets a literal boost later this year with the arrival of the new 2013 Buick Verano Turbo. In addition to this enthusiast-oriented variant, the entire Verano lineup receives a number of welcome feature enhancements for the coming season.
Motivation for the new Verano Turbo is supplied by GM’s 2.0-liter direct-injected Ecotec 4-cylinder with continuously variable valve timing that develops 250 horsepower at 5,300 rpm — 70 more ponies than the Verano’s standard 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four. It also churns out a stout 260 lb-ft of peak torque at just 2,000 revs — and has over 90 percent of that twist in hand from 1,700-5,500 rpm to sharpen the car’s low- and mid-range response.
Like its Regal Turbo/Regal GS siblings, this new turbocharged Verano will offer the choice of both a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration times with either gearbox are projected to be about 6.2 seconds. Although EPA numbers for the new Verano Turbo have not yet been released, Buick expects they’ll be "in line with" the division’s other force-fed offerings. If so, that should put its city/highway marks somewhere in the 19-21/30-32 mpg range.
To help make the most of its additional muscle, the range-topping 2013 Verano Turbo – aka the Verano Premium 1ST — gets fitted with a full sport suspension that’s about 15-percent stiffer than baseline, retuned power steering that offers a similar bump in effort, a freer-flowing dual exhaust system, sport pedal set and unique rear spoiler. On the creature-comfort side of the equation, the Verano Turbo also comes with the full roster of upline standards from the Leather and Convenience models, highlighted by a heated leather steering wheel and seats plus a premium nine-speaker Bose audio system.
Enhanced features for all 2013 Buick Verano models
While the new VeranoTurbo may end up grabbing the lion’s share of the limelight, all four variants (base/Leather/Convenience/Turbo) boast more standard kit for 2013. Buick IntelliLink is now found across the board — including on models fitted with the available GPS-enabled navigation system – as is a rearview camera. All but the base Verano also add Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert systems. Expanding the exterior color palette are new Luxo Blue Metallic and Carbon Black Metallic paints.
The 2013 Buick Verano is slated to arrive in dealerships sometime during the fourth quarter and pricing for all models will be released closer to their actual on-sale date. However, Buick has confirmed that the new 2013 Verano Turbo will sticker for less than its prime competitors, the most notable being the Acura ILX 2.4 as well as the Audi A3 and Lexus IS250.
