Hyundai Verna Review

Korean Car manufacturer Hyundai launched the new Fluidic Verna in India in the year 2011. Unlike the previous generation Verna, the Fluidic design gathered a lot of attention and was an instant hit. Hyundai launched the Verna to change its image of a small car. The Verna rivals Honda City, Fiat Linea, Volkswagen Vento, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Sunny, Renault Scala, Skoda Rapid and also Maruti Ciaz and Toyota Yaris which were launched much later.

Styling-

Exterior-

With the Verna, Hyundai started the new Fluidic design. The aerodynamic shape of the car made it look brilliant. The front looks clean and nice with projector headlamps and L-shaped fog lamps on the bumper. The front is followed by a sloping roofline which makes the car look sporty yet elegant. There are cuts and curves all around the car which makes it eye-catching. The 16-inch Diamond cut alloy wheels add to the beauty of the car. The rear of the car looks smart and neatly laid out along with rear parking camera which is slot nicely under the chrome line. It also gets inbuilt parking sensors at the rear. The chrome plating on the dual exhaust pipes adds a bit of class at the rear.

Interior-

The car looks rich on the inside. It has a dual-tone scheme for the dashboard and beige coloured leather seats give it a very fresh and roomy feel. The plastic quality is good and looks premium too. The front seats offer good comfort and the driver seat gets height to adjust too. However, space at the rear isn’t great as you sit quite low at the rear and the headroom too isn’t much due to the sloping roof and the legroom is adequate too. To enhance your comfort, you get 2 armrests both at the front and at the rear although rear ac vents are missing.

Engine Options-

The new Verna comes with 4 Engine options (2 petrol and 2 diesel). Starting from the smallest the 1.4-litre petrol engine produces around 105 Horsepower and 135 Nm of Torque matted to a 5-speed gearbox which is adequate for city driving. The more powerful 1.6-litre petrol produces 123 horsepower and 150 Nm of torque which is available in 2 gearbox options (5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic). The diesel engine options start with similar capacity 1.4-litre producing 90 Horsepower and 200 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The most preferred engine is the 1.6-litre engine producing 126 horsepower and 260 Nm of Torque available with either a 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. The power and torque figures are class-leading making the Verna most powerful car of the C-segment.

Features-

Automatic Climate Control

Rear parking sensors with the camera (First in the segment)

Auto-dimming inside rearview mirror (First in the segment)

Cooled glove box

Electrically adjustable and folding ORVM

ABS, EBD, ESP, 2/6 Airbags

Push-button start/Keyless entry

Projector Headlights (First in the segment)

16-Inch Diamond cut alloy wheels

All four-disc brakes (First in the segment)

2 DIN MP3 player with Aux-in, CD-player, Bluetooth connectivity (4-speakers with tweeters)

Missing Features-

Rear AC vents

Sunroof

My Review-

Hyundai has done a great job with the design of new Verna. The Fluidic design stands out making the car looks elegant. Hyundai also offers a lot of class-leading features with Verna. It has the best engine specifications and, on the road, it can be felt too. The 1.6 Diesel engine is punchy and out on highway overtakes can be done without any fuss. Surprisingly not only the petrol engines are refined but also the diesel engines are extremely refined, you can barely anything inside the cabin. Only after 3000 rpm, you get to hear little engine noise inside which for me sounds pleasant. The steering is nice and light at low speeds and parking is never an issue (along with parking sensors and camera at your service). Although at higher speed its doesn’t offer much confidence and doesn’t weigh up that well. The steering is also not the most responsive around. The ride and handling aren’t Verna’s forte too. It doesn’t offer much confidence in the corners too. The suspension is stiff too due to which a lot can be felt inside the car. The gearbox is super smooth and the clutch is light too.

So, all in all, The Verna is a classy looking sedan with all the bells and whistles but don’t consider it as an enthusiast car as the ride and handling don’t do much of justice to its powerful engine. It is a complete package as it doesn’t excel in only one parameter. With a lot of segment-first features, good looks, different engine options, decent rear space, good interior quality and Hyundai’s stellar service network Verna is a good pick over most of its rivals.