After ruling the segment for years, Verna slipped into second place as Honda City recovered its crown. There has always been a tug of war between the 2 versions, and the competition toughened with the entry of Maruti Suzuki Ciaz from the segment. As the demand for Ciaz surged, Verna further slid to number 3 in the midsize sedan area. Back with a vengeance, the all-new Verna gets a generation shift, but is it good enough to recover pinnacle, we find out from our review.
Hyundai Fluidic Verna Detailed Review
The baby Elantra or the new-generation Verna shares underpinnings and several components with its larger sibling, Elantra. Up front it gets cascading multi-slat grille reminiscent of Elantra, even though it includes a single slat chrome bar unlike Elantra’s double bar slats and the honeycomb treatment. The chrome has been used efficiently that provides front and upmarket look.
Hyundai verna Design
The sloping roofline, window design, chrome shoulder, and 16-inch diamond-cut metal wheels seem to be made from Elantra, however, we feel Hyundai should have used a darker color for those alloys.
Hyundai Verna Interior Review
One of the prominent changes inside is your brand new sporty leather-wrapped steering wheel that’s fantastic to grip and features multiple buttons. The dual-tone beige and the black dash have no rough edges, but we feel that the feel could have been improved. Fit, finish, material and plastic quality is in line with other Hyundai cars which is among the strongest features of the automobile maker. Hyundai has packaged an all-new 7.0-inch infotainment system supported by Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink and it also gets IPS panel for a better view. Though the 7.0-inch touchscreen system can be obtained only with the top-spec versions, the rest of the trims from the carline feature a 5.0-inch infotainment system. The signature response on the display is better compared to competitions and the majority of the vital functions can be controlled through buttons provided on the steering wheel.
In terms of practicality, Verna has multiple storage issues including the huge cubby hole in the center console that can be used for keeping cellular telephones, charger, wallet, etc.. The front center armrest comes with a large storage compartment, there are two cup holders on the floor console and every door receives a bottle holder (1.0-litre). Moreover, the chilled glovebox facing has decent space for storage.
Another significant feature on the new Verna is the Hyundai automobile Connect which gives access to all the vital details about the automobile such as driving history, driving information, speed data, etc..
Hyundai has given prominence to comfort, the ventilated front seats are snug, though the leather covers are restricted to the top-end variant whereas the rest of the trims include fabric seats. With ample leg, knee, shoulder and headroom, front seats offer excellent comfort, although we believe that the thigh support might have been better.
The rear side of the cottage features AC vents and an armrest with two integrated cup holders. While the back seats are comfortable for 2 full-size adults, it seems a little cramped for a 6-feet tall person who has limited legroom and narrow mind space courtesy the sloping roofline.
In a bid to make it more upmarket, Hyundai has equipped a plethora of features such as the electrical sunroof, rear parking, engine start-stop button, cruise control among several others, the majority of which are only available on the range-topping trim. Additionally, the boot area has also been increased to 480L which offers more space within its predecessor for storing luggage.
In comparison to other Hyundai models, the all-new Verna also provides improved performance. While it stocks K2 underpinnings using Elantra, the 121bhp, 1.6L petrol, and 126bhp, 1.6L oil burner is retained from the last version. In a bid to provide a much better performance, Hyundai has calibrated the motors, as for its 1.4L petrol & gas units, they’ve been dropped from the carline.
We first tested the 1.6L, four-cylinder diesel engine using 126bhp of top power and 260Nm torque, which includes both 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmission. The oil burner is more refined, likely the most tasteful in the section and the gearbox is smooth which allows effortless gear shifting.
The first punch is better than the previous version, the energy delivery is linear and it begins gushing in from 1200rpm onwards. Hyundai’s 1.6L oil burner is smooth and one doesn’t believe any jerk, even though it turns into the somewhat noisy post 4100 into 4200rpm.
We then drove the gas Verna, powered by the 1.6L unit great for 121bhp against 151Nm torque. Although it isn’t quite as exciting as the diesel unit, however, it provides comfortable cruising, also the low and top performance has improved compared to the previous version, though the torque output signal has fallen around 3-4Nm. There is a slight improvement in the first pick-up, in addition, to punching along with the steering wheel has also become better which reflects in the handling, albeit there’s still room for improvement.
In terms of fuel economy, the Verna petrol is rated at 17.70 km/l along with the diesel version at 24.75 km/l, yet as per our evaluation, the gas Verna yields 12.6 km/l whereas the diesel Verna produces 17.8 km/l.
Changes also have been made to the suspension set up which is now stiffer that retains the automobile poised at elevated speeds and reduces body roll.
With notable styling modifications, new features, and improved performance, the all-new Verna is a step-up when compared with the preceding version. While it’s bettered aesthetically and mechanically, we feel there’s still scope for advancement on the interior. Hyundai has established Verna at an introductory price of Rs 7.99 lakh which goes up to Rs 12.61 lakh for the top-spec petrol trim, though these rates are safeguarded only for the first 20,000 clients and Hyundai will update it post that mark. At this pricing, the newest Verna undercuts all of its rivals and you could think about buying it.
