Not Your Grandpa’s Buick

The first Buick I remember really paying attention to was a friend’s ’96 LeSabre that used to belong to his Grandfather. Getting behind the wheel, it felt like I was driving a Sleep Number mattress, meaning it was both awkward in size but incredibly comfortable. It had an interior that resembled something comparable to velvet and even though there were only six seat belts we fit eight comfortably. Buick used to make large, comfortable cars that were very popular with the elderly, there’s no getting around that.

Now, if you were to take that old LeSabre and park it next to a something more recent that just happened to also be made by Buick, you could never tell the two were related. Buick has taken some long strides in its evolution from comfy couch car to sleek daily driver. One of those long strides comes in the form of the 2015 Buick Verano.

This car made for a very comfortable driving experience and felt surprisingly classy. I use the word “surprisingly” because not only can you find a leather loaded Verano for under $15,500 easily but for the class that it’s under-classy and sleek don’t usually fit into that category. Usually when you buy a car of this size, you buy it strictly for the fact that it has an engine and four wheels and not because of it’s stack of safety features, all leather interior, dual climate control settings, full entertainment package and so on. It is definitely a luxury vehicle at an extremely affordable price. In fact, if I was someone who was about to have their first day at a new job, I wouldn’t be the slightest bit embarrassed to show this off to my new boss.

While driving, I felt the most comfortable being on city and back country roads as the Verano is low to the ground and made corners easily. On the highway where I hit higher speeds, the car did seem to jump lanes a little too easily. With a slight flick of the wrist, the car would jolt to the left or right depending on where you were aiming. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it is definitely something to consider when you ask yourself if that is something that you could get used to.

As a driver that is both on the tall and broad side, I didn’t get the slightest feeling of being claustrophobic. The backseat is definitely a little tighter but nothing too unmanageable. The trunk space as well was a pretty good size which is definitely an attribute that Buick manages to keep alive.

The 2015 Buick Verano comes with a 2.4L engine with a six speed automatic transmission. With the size and weight of the car factored in, the Verano does produce about 180 hp which provides a good bit of get up and go for the size.

All in all, the Verano isn’t the largest car but it is definitely a more classy car for a very modest price.