I was okay with the styling until I saw the back lights. Why would they put those silly eyebrows over the taillights? Tacky!

 

Hey Mike, glad you got to check it out, I know you like it a lot. I'll be honest I stopped reading b/c I honestly have zero interest in it and I wish Buick tried to elevate itself or at least keep the Regal as the entry level model instead of going below that. I just don't know if this is what Buick needs. I understand the need to chase volume and this is probably an easy fix for GM from the Cruze but I felt Buick/GM was not going to go this route again. I will take some time to check it out in the future.

It will be somewhat nteresting to see the battle between this BUick and the upcoming Acura ILX since both cars are all new based off bargain sub-compacts.

 

I liked it more in the showroom than I did actually out on the road, where the driving position was somewhat more cramped and the ride a little stiffer (for a Buick) than I would have liked. But, for 23-29K, it seems a heck of a bargain, and, among FWD compacts, still a car I could easily live with as a DD. I liked it far more than, say, the new Ford Focus sedan or even the much-vaunted new Hyundai Elantra.

Buick's reliability, though, compared to a lot of Japanese-nameplate vehicles, still has not totally convinced me. One of the reason, of course, why I drive an AWD Subaru is that Buick AWD just systems don't compare in simplicity and reliability. The AWD verson of the LaCrosse, for example, according to Consumer Reports, is significantly less-reliable than the FWD version. And the Chevy Cruze, which the Verano is based on (though with some important differences), is still less than one year old, which, IMO, is not long enough to accurately gauge long-term reliability.


I suspect that, from your past comments about Acura products, that anything with an Acura nameplate on it is going to get especially tough inspection/scrutiny from you. To be honest, I myself, with one possible exception (the RL flagship) am not as impressed as much with the present-generation of Acuras as in past years.

 

Well, it's obvious where Buick got the Verano's basic interior....the Opel Astra. There seem to be very few differences, outside of some cosmetic trim-features and Buick's ice-blue dash-lights vs. Opel's orange ones. The Buick Regal, BTW, uses the same gauges.

 

Ah! It finally came to me. The positioning of the gear shifter on the vertical part of the center stack is econocar-like. Recent Civics, Prius, and some other compact cars have their shifter on the dashboard. Don't think it looks upclass here.

 

quite ok by me!

 

Can't wait to see how many old grannies are gona be rockin this xD

 

I agree that a minivan-like dash-shifter is more space-efficient, but, IMO, can look awkward, and can sometimes also be more awkward to reach, depending on one's arm-length. The real solution, IMO, is solid-feeling, properly-designed column shift-paddles.

 

it's not actually on the vertical part though, the trim just makes it look that way. it it further forward than on many cars, but that's to give room for controller it looks like and probably cupholders/storage.

my only gripe is the leather boot - hate those on autos.

 

Unfortunately, with console-mounted manual-transmission (and some automatic) levers, automakers often don't have much choice. They have to use a material that is flexible enough to allow the lever to move with it, yet cover up the shift-linkage underneath it. You don't want to pay tens of thousands of $$$$ for a new car and then have to look at the ugly, exposed shift-linkage underneath every time you reach for the lever.

 

don't understand. loads of cars have autos with leather boots and nothing exposed.

 

That's why I said, in my last post, some floor-mounted automatic levers, not all. In the pictures you posted, there is still a flexible-covering to hide the shift-linkage underneath while the lever moves, but it is a series of overlapping-plates (or a fabric-type covering with a hole for the lever) instead of the leather(or vinyl) boot.

Also, I'm not sure, but my guess is that it's a little cheaper to use a simple boot-covering than to install those flexi-moving plates and re-finish the area.

(Both of those pictures, BTW, seem to be of levers from Ford products, but I'm not sure if from the Escape, Fusion, or Explorer. Several different Ford products use that chrome-insert on the lever, around the shift-housing, and have a nice fore/aft shift pattern instead of those annoying zig-zags).

 

the 2nd pic doesn't have the 'plates' and never seen a fabric type covering... there's loads of ways to do it nicely... how about porsche:



i'm sure your guess is right, but the boot on an auto still looks terrible to me, and unnecessary, and a guaranteed dirt/dust collector.

 

By "plates" I meant a series of small flat-pieces that overlap each other and move in tandem with the shifter. Some automatics have them and some don't.





Yes, you're right...they do collect dust and other particles like a magnet. You also have to wipe them with silicone-fluid or a leather/vinyl conditioner every few years to keep them fresh. The nooks and crannies can make that difficult.

 

I saw one of these for the first time on the road yesterday, and when I saw the tail lights, the first thing I thought of was Angry Birds!!!