Hyundai Verna

Executives Rejoice

The Hyundai Verna has been a constant in the ever-evolving landscape of compact sedans. It always had an answer to its rivals, which included a variety of cars like the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid, and the Honda City. Now, competition has evolved. The Ciaz is the same (for some reason), but the Honda City has evolved, even offering a hybrid powertrain. The Germans have also completely rid themselves of their old personas, and evolved into much more mature guises — the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia. 

Along with growing in dimensions, features, and power, the trio also took a half segment jump in pricing, making the compact sedan segment as desirable (and expensive) as the mid-size sedan segment was a decade ago. Late to this party was the Verna, as it had to take a jump from rivalling the Ciaz to the Virtus-Slavia-City trio, which required a thorough rework. And post that rework, the Verna is now the best of the lot on paper! But how does the ‘on paper’ translate to ‘on road’? We find out.

Hyundai Verna Pros and Cons 

Hyundai Verna Exterior Design 

Unlike its rivals, the Hyundai Verna doesn’t have an ‘everyday sedan’ kinda design. Especially when compared to its predecessor, the new Verna’s design looks space-ship-like, with a body-width long LED light bar at the front and back, and a sportback-like silhouette. The aggressive design is destined to polarise opinions, reemphasizing that looks are subjective. And whether you like or hate its looks could play a huge part in whether you consider buying this car or not.

Hyundai Verna Interiors 

Inside, the design is the opposite of polarising; instead, the Verna gets a very minimalistically designed, horizontally oriented layout which most people will adore. Depending on what variant you buy, you either get a black and cream or all-black (with red accents) interior theme, and both are very attractive. Ambient lighting runs across the dashboard through to the doors, giving a surrounded feel. Dual 10.25-inch screens also give the cabin a techy appeal, and the space on the inside has also gone up by a significant margin, taking it from one of the least spacious to one of the most spacious in the segment. The boot too is a class-leading 525-litres. Despite the high practicality and minimalistic design, what stands out is the high quality of the cabin and the features on offer.

Hyundai Verna Comfort 

As always, the Hyundai Verna is a comfortable place to be in, thanks to a soft suspension set up which has always been a trait of Hyundai cars. The suspension absorbs bumps and potholes really well, rarely unsettling the car. However, despite the soft setup, the Verna’s ride stays really pliant at high speeds, keeping it settled even when you hit a bump. The seats too have taken a significant step forward in terms of comfort, and they now offer great bolstering and under-thigh support. The rear bench is comfortable too, and with class leading space, you never struggle for knee room or leg room. Thanks to the sportback-like design, there’s also enough headroom in the Verna now, allowing Hyundai to raise the seat slightly which gives the rear seat passengers a better view out. However, the cabin remains narrow, and a third passenger in the back seat will make things slightly congested.

Hyundai Verna Performance and handling

The Hyundai Verna has seen the biggest gains when it comes to performance, breaching the benchmark set by rivals. The Verna gets a choice of two petrol engines — both 1.5-litres, but one with a turbo. The naturally aspirated 1.5-litre MPi, while slightly less on torque than the 1-litre TSI of the German twins, still has more than adequate performance for everyday use and occasional highway runs. But thanks to being a non-turbo unit, it outperforms the Germans in terms of fuel consumption, being less susceptible to change when there’s a change in driving style. This engine is mated to either a 6-speed manual or a CVT automatic gearbox. 

The 1.5-litre turbo on the other hand is the most powerful engine in the segment. Its 158 bhp power figure is a full 10 bhp more than the 1.5-TSI on the Slavia and Virtus, and a significant chunk more than the Honda City Hybrid as well. The power gains also reflect in acceleration times, with the Verna being the quickest of the lot to a 100 km/h sprint. This engine is also offered with a manual and an automatic gearbox option, however, the automatic here is a 7-speed dual clutch transmission, which is lightning in its shifts, albeit slightly jerky. 

While the 1.5 T-GDi is definitely the strongest engine in the segment, the Verna isn’t as fun a handler as the Volkswagen Virtus (or even the Skoda Slavia). The steering is light and nimble, which helps during city commutes, but it feels vague and disconnected when you are attacking a bunch of corners. The soft suspension also deprives the Verna from the agility you’d expect from a near 160 bhp car, making it feel like an executive’s sedan which can go fast sometimes. None of these are issues that cannot be solved with an ‘N Line’ variant (like the i20 and Venue), which would get a stiffer suspension setup and sharper steering. So, Hyundai, when is the Verna N Line arriving here?

Hyundai Verna Key specifications 

Hyundai Verna Safety Features

When the pair was tested, the Virtus and Slavia created headlines by becoming the safest sedans ever tested by Global NCAP, scoring 5-stars for adult as well as child occupant safety. This put the ball in Hyundai’s court, with many people claiming that the Verna didn’t feel as well built as the German twins. 

To everyone’s surprise, the Verna scored the same 5-star Global NCAP crash test rating as the Virtus and the Slavia. Hyundai was able to achieve the same with the help of a strong platform and many safety features, which included six airbags, ABS, EBD, traction control, hill assist, and more. Other safety features also include a tyre pressure monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors along with a parking camera, and seat-belt reminders. Verna’s party piece on top of these is level 2 ADAS, which includes a host of safety and convenience features like smart cruise control with stop and go, forward collision warning and avoidance, blind-spot collision warning and avoidance, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, leading vehicle departure alert, rear cross traffic collision warning and avoidance, driver attention warning, safe exit warning, high beam assist, and more.

Hyundai Verna Technology and Infotainment

The Hyundai Verna is studded with features, and the most prominent are the two 10.25-inch screens. The touchscreen infotainment display enables a variety of features including connected car tech and controls for other features in the car, including ambient lighting. It is paired with an immersive 8-speaker Bose sound system. However, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are not wireless, and you will have to plug-in your phone to connect the same, which is a let down considering that a wireless phone charger is a part of the features list. The other 10.25-inch screen replaces the entire instrument cluster, delivering multiple views for the driver, including an ADAS display. However, you still can’t project Google Maps on this screen like you can in the newer Tata cars, which would’ve been a nifty touch.

Is the Hyundai Verna for you?

Hyundai cars tend to be easily recommendable, and the case is the same with the Verna as well. It packs almost all segment leading features, gets the most powerful engine in the segment, and comfort and space is class-leading as well. The Verna is outstanding on the safety front, getting the same score as the Virtus and Slavia from Global NCAP, while one-upping them by packing level 2 ADAS. It is also one of the most practical cars in the segment, with a huge 525-litre boot space. However, where it falls short — just a little bit — is driver engagement. Despite getting the strongest engine in the segment, the driving experience is somewhat detached, and not as fun as in the Germans. And if it is fuel economy you prefer over everything else, then the Honda City Hybrid takes the gold medal there. What it is then, is a great all-rounder packed in sharp clothing which everyone may not appreciate. But if you do like the way it looks, there’s not much to complain about in the car. Now if only we could get a better looking and better driving N Line version of this soon.