SAFETY | 9 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
'Good,' frontal, side, and rear impact protection; 'good,' roof strength; Top Safety Pick
IIHS
Five stars overall
NHTSA
With both crash-test agencies reporting its scores, and new safety gear for the model year, the Buick Verano earns major kudos for passenger protection.
Every Verano comes with standard safety gear that's exceptional in the class. There are ten airbags (including knee airbags in front); anti-lock brakes, traction and stability control; and new for this year, a rearview camera. It also has standard OnStar with Automatic Crash Response, and a new opt-in service called FamilyLink that allows parents to see where their teenage drivers are at all times.
Among the other opt-in features on non-Turbo Veranos are rear parking sensors, and blind-spot monitors with cross-traffic alerts. The Turbo has rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, and blind-spot monitors standard.
As for crash-test scores, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the Verano five stars overall, with the same rating in all categories save for a four-star score in rollover resistance.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has, and with "good" scores on all its tests, it dubs the Verano one of its Top Safety Pick winners. It hasn't performed its new small-overlap crash test on the Verano yet, which means its TSP+ rating isn't available to the compact sedan.
Finally, the issue of connectivity in cars has been addressed with IntelliLink, which uses an LCD touchscreen and Bluetooth and steering-wheel controls to give drivers a less distracting way to control audio, phone, and navigation while on the go. It's simpler in function than Ford's MyFord Touch, but has less functionality as well.
Conclusion
Safety scores are excellent in the Verano.
