#2012BuickVerano

Targeted at cars like the Acura TSX and Lexus IS250, the new Buick Verano will undercut rivals by many thousands of dollars, starting at just $23,470 – including the $885 destination charge. By comparison, the Acura starts at just over $30K, while the IS begins at nearly $35K. Plus, Buick is touting that its car has more passenger and cargo room than either of those two, despite the fact that it’s underpinnings are those of the Chevrolet Cruze.

Buick has already announced that it will bring to market a new compact model in the near future, riding on the same platform as the Chevy Cruze and going by the name Verano. Little else has been revealed about the car – until now.

According to a leaked dealer survey, the Verano will be offered exclusively with the automaker’s 2.4-liter 4-cylinder Ecotec motor producing 180-hp and 172 ft-lbs of torque and use a 6-speed automatic transmission. That’s a good step up from the 138-hp 1.4-liter in the Cruze and should provide for decent acceleration – although the Buick is likely to weight a bit more due to added content.

As for content, most models will come with cloth seats, with a top-level luxury trim featuring content like a push-button start, 18-inch wheels, heated seats and even a heated steering wheel – a first for the compact segment.

Pricing will range from $20,900 to $26,200 for the top trim.

As this is just a survey for dealers, it’s intended to gather feedback so GM can make final decisions. That being said, specifics like price and trim levels aren’t set in stone, but expect them to be close.

UPDATE: Buick Verano Officially Revealed, Click Here for Full Story

[Source: GMInsideNews]

Get more Buick Verano news and info at VeranoTalk.com

For a full list of the dealer survey trim levels, see after the jump:

Thanks to some U.S. patent drawings obtained by Carscoop, we now have a good idea what the upcoming Buick Excelle (possibly named Verano) will look like. The drawings are, at this point, a bit redundant, as we’ve already see n spy photos of the car fully revealed in China. The drawings do, however, confirm the U.S. version is essentially identical to the one we’ve already viewed, taking plenty of styling cues from the LaCrosse.

Thanks to the team at GMInsideNews we have two renderings of what Buick’s upcoming entry-level premium sedan should look like. At the official reveal of the brand’s current entry-level offering (the Regal), at the LA Auto Show, Buick announced a newer and even smaller model would join the lineup.