Hyundai Verna Overview

The Verna has been an under-performer for Hyundai over the last two years. It has managed to clock only about a tenth of the sales of its two key rivals – the Honda City and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. And the Verna’s sales numbers are barely over four per cent of the segment total.The time is then ripe for the new generation of the Verna to make its India debut. Frankly, the entire segment could do with some fresh blood and the key takeaway for a car maker looking to be the disruptor is to offer the buyer in this segment the big car experience. That then translates into more features, more space and more power. For Hyundai, the answer then lies in making the Verna seem like a slightly smaller, but no less significant a sibling of the Elantra. Hyundai Verna price range in India is between 7,98,799/- to 12,86,725/, check for detail pricing of Verna in Carzprice

Hyundai Verna Design

Hyundai dropped a teaser image of a new car with a caption, “Buckle up for a new experience! #New Gen Hyundai”. The car is now built on a new K2 platform which is more agile and rigid at the same time. Now compared to the older sedan the new-gen Verna is actually longer and wider while the new wheelbase has actually helped in also generating slightly more room towards the rear. Now if we talk about styling the new-gen Verna is actually more of a evolution of its predecessor. Although the profile looks sleeker and sharper than before but you won’t miss its predecessor at all, towards the front the sedan gets newly designed headlamps while the front bumper section too has received minor changes. There are not much change towards the side profile though except a new pair of alloy wheels. Towards the rear the Verna gets an updated taillamps and bumpers.

The next generation Verna also uses Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) body structure which promises unmatched safety. Hyundai also promises that the sedan has the best in class body rigidity structural Changes and Crash Performance.The new Verna is bigger as well as more spacious than its predecessor and also gets a slightly lengthier wheelbase which automatically translates into more interior space. The new car also underpins a new reworked Hyundai i20 platform.

Now let’s talk about the styling, shall we? The old Verna was always one attractive looking sedan, and thus Hyundai decided not to mess too much wi9th the overall silhouette of the car and thus decided to make minimal changes to keep things fresh on the new car. As a result of all that the new generation Verna gets a redesigned headlamps and grille towards the front, the new ‘C’ shaped LED Daytime running lamps has also are integrated into the new headlight unit. The headlight assembly, in particular, gets projector units. The front profile now is dominated by a large cascading Hyundai grille. The front profile also gets new fog lamp cluster which is surrounded by a chrome embellishment. There are not many changes made to the side profile though however, the new sedan does feature a new set of alloy wheels for the top end trim. The swooping roofline towards the rear makes things more interesting. Talking about the rear profile, in particular, it gets this newly designed wrap around tail lamps which look quite similar to the ones found in the new facelift Xcent sedan only slightly bigger. The integrated boot spoiler too helps in adding a sporty appeal to the vehicle.Regarding overall dimension, the new Verna is now 4.3-metres in length and has a wheelbase of 2.58 metres which is almost 15 mm longer and has an extended wheelbase of approximately 10 mm.

Hyundai Verna Cabin

In today’s times, appearance is everything and although the Verna’s cabin doesn’t make the best of first impressions, it’s rather functional and very well laid out. More importantly, the build quality is consistent across the cabin and among the best in this class. In our previous report, we talked about the infotainment system and some of its unusual features. This time around, it’s time to look at all the standout equipment which make our top-spec Verna an ideal daily driver. The Verna features keyless access with a dedicated rubberised button on the door handle – one simply has to walk up to the car and press the button to lock or unlock without using the key fob. However, we would like to add that the access button is located only on the driver side door.

In many ways the new Verna is a scaled-down version of the Elantra. Like the Elantra, this car also gets ventilated front seats with cooling function. This segment first feature lets out cool air from the perforated leatherette seats to lessen that sweaty feeling you get on your back while driving under the sun. The Verna has a reasonably big boot with four hooks and a luggage net – a common feature among all Skoda models. The net comes in handy when strapping down loose items such as the first aid kit and the plastic pouch for the reflective warning triangle. The Verna has a host of power outlets below the centre console. There’s a 12 volt outlet, an aux port and two USB ports, one of which can be used only for charging your device and it works like a charm – there have been times when my phone has run out of juice and I have recharged it fully within a couple of hours.

The Verna probably has the most detailed MID unit in its segment. Set right in between the speedometer and the rev counter, the display shows all the usual readings like trip meter, outside temperature and distance to empty counter. Additionally, it also shows wiper and light setting in real time as you engage them. Speaking of real time, there are some neat graphics for the door opening which come on simultaneously as you open the door. It hasn’t all been plain sailing though as there are some essential features which are missing in this car. The steering wheel, for instance, which can be adjusted for height only. The lack of reach adjustment takes away a lot of driving comfort and it’s especially disappointing when you consider the fact that the older generation Verna had this feature.

The other minor gripe I have is with the window control panel. First of all, only the driver’s side window gets one-touch up and down function. More crucially, only the driver’s window switch is backlit which causes some inconvenience when it’s dark and you want to operate the surrounding buttons. Still, it’s only a minor niggle, which doesn’t upset what has otherwise been an impressive stint on the fleet. Next month I will be talking about the Verna’s city manners and seat comfort so stay tuned.

Hyundai Verna Engine

Powering the new Verna is a 1.6 litre petrol and a 1.6 litre diesel engine. The talking point here are the power figures which Hyundai claims are best in the segment. The petrol motor makes an impressive 120bhp while the diesel makes a stonking 125bhp. It also gets a 6-speed manual transmission on both the engines. The big news however is the introduction of the 6-speed auto box which replaces the dreary 4 speeder in both the petrol and the diesel motors.

We got a short stint behind the wheel in the diesel variants and we must say the engines had us impressed with power delivery and refinement. Hyundai says it has moved the ride and handling game to the next level too thanks to the new K2 platform and by precise tuning of key suspension components that are vital for ride and handling. We did throw the car around for a bit and it seems Hyundai has finally hit the right balance. But we can only talk about the details once we get to drive the car out in the real world.

Hyundai Verna Rideing

Light-weighting and increased torsional stiffness, thanks to the increased use of high strength steel means that the new Verna’s handling gets better than the predecessor. Together with increased width and the longer wheelbase, the new Verna doesn’t understeer as much as the outgoing model.We got to test drive the new Verna on the test track at Hyundai’s Chennai plant and the first impression is very positive. The handling seems to have gotten much better. The overall ride quality and poise on the road is good.

Steering precision has also improved, and though it still lacks in feedback and feels over-assisted, there is a lot more confidence while taking corners in the new Verna. We were driving on smooth, well-laid black top tarmac, so the suspension quality can’t be commented about.But, Hyundai officials say that the suspension has been tuned for improved rear seat ride quality. The rear suspension geometry has been modified by increased vertical angle of the shock absorbers and coil springs on the coupled torsion beam axle. Front suspension gets a hydraulic rebound stopper. View offers on Hyundai Cars from Hyundai dealers in Hyderabad at Autozhop

Hyundai Verna Safety

For the safety of the passengers the new Verna features ISOFIX child seat anchorage points, ABS, and dual front airbags as standard while the top of the line SX(O) trim gets six airbags.

Hyundai Verna Price

Hyundai Verna Ex-Showroom Price in India ranges from 7,98,799/- (Verna 1.6 VTVT E) to 12,86,725/- (Verna 1.6 CRDI SX Plus AT). Get best offers for Hyundai Verna from Hyundai Dealers in India

Hyundai Verna Verdict

The new Verna looks like a scaled down variant of the Elantra sedan which was unveiled last year. The new generation sedan comes with some modern elements on the inside like a new touchscreen infotainment system, but the biggest change that it has received come has to be the new automatic transmission which is much more responsive and smoother compared to the previous unit. Lastly the competitive pricing definitely will also help this sedan to compete with its rival quite comfortably.