A modern 4-spoke steering wheel, indulgent woodgrain interior accents, 2nd-row climate control and an Alpine® navigation system (available later this year). These are just a few of the amenities that make the Veracruz one of the best-value premium CUVs.
Step up to the LIMITED for 18-inch 5-spoke Hypersilver alloy wheels, a power tilt-and-slide glass sunroof, a convenient one-touch power tailgate, plush leather seating surfaces, and heated seats in both the first and second rows. The Infinity® audio system, complete with a 6-disc CD changer, subwoofer, and eight Infinity speakers, will keep you tapping time on the power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, while dual front automatic temperature controls help maintain driver/co-pilot harmony.
When you choose the LIMITED with the Alpine navigation system (available later this year), you get the audiophile-quality, 10-speaker, 605-watt Infinity audio system. Each speaker has titanium-laminated drivers, which reduce distortion to a nearly unmeasurable level and reproduce sound with faithful fidelity.
Mounted in the center console, the available Alpine premium navigation system (available later this year) has the capability to not only help you get where you’re going, but to inform and entertain you en route. The 7-inch touchscreen is your window into all it can do. Hate stopping to ask for directions? The nav system offers 2D and 3D mapping plus gives you access to 6 million points of interest. Want options with your stellar audio? Whatever radio signal you desire, this system will tune it in; choose from AM/FM/XM®/HD. There’s a CD player for trips down memory lane. And you can use your iPhone® to access Pandora® internet radio.
Simple and intuitive are two often-overlooked measures of luxury. The Veracruz offers an available single-touch Bluetooth® hands-free phone system, and straightforward iPod®/USB and auxiliary input jacks that allow you to plug in your iPod, hit play and go. Window switches, power locks, and mirror controls that are engineered to look, feel and sound purposeful. While many small details, from the placement of buttons and dials to the positioning of vents and handles, have been carefully considered and optimized, informed by the latest in ergonomic research.
The interior is as purposeful as it is sophisticated. A reinforced dash panel, four layers of insulation underneath the carpeting, and electronic motor mounts effectively minimize engine noise and vibration in the cabin. The combination of these and other sound dampening elements help make the Veracruz a very quiet, refined ride.
Open the driver’s door; thanks to low door sills, expanded head room, and larger doors, getting in and out is easy. In fact, the Veracruz has over 150 cubic feet of total interior volume—more than the Mercedes GL—yet its total length is ten inches shorter. That tidier length helps give the Veracruz a smaller than normal turning diameter: a mere 36.7 feet. The convenience of this quickly becomes apparent when sighting a free parking spot on the other side of the street.
The 8-way power driver seat for the LIMITED model is wonderfully compliant and addictively comfortable. It’s also connected to an intelligent Integrated Memory System that remembers precisely how you (and a second driver) like your mirrors, seat and steering wheel positioned. The Proximity Key senses when you approach and unlocks the doors when you touch a button on the door handle.