2018 Hyundai Verna Review
Car Tested: 2018 Hyundai Verna; Road Test No. 848; Test Location: Kochi
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 9.31 – 15.15 lakhs
The new Hyundai Verna has improved in almost every aspect except space
The Verna has been a proper success story for Hyundai, not just in India but across the globe. The C-segment in India has seen the arrival of newer products and thus the older Verna started feeling outdated. With the launch of the new car, we are eager to find out how it fares and whether it has what it takes to shake up the Japanese dominated segment.
Motor Quest: The Hyundai Verna now enters its fifth generation. The first generation model wasn’t sold in India while the second generation was launched here as the Accent. The third and fourth generation cars were sold with the Verna name itself.
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The new Verna gets some snazzy styling elements
Exteriors – Well, the new Verna does look very stylish. It looks like a mini-Elantra and that’s not really a bad thing. The sedan gets LED DRLs with projector headlamps, projector fog lamps, LED tail lights and 16-inch diamond cut alloys. It is also longer and wider than the previous model and also gets a longer wheelbase. The Verna looks well-proportioned and the design looks sportier. The roof-line has been given a coupe-like slope for better aesthetics. The sedan is available in a range of colours, but the new Orange shade looks super cool.
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The design of the dashboard looks similar to the Verna’s siblings
Interiors – Being a Hyundai, the Verna comes with very good quality materials used on the inside. The dashboard has a driver-focused layout and the dual-tone colour theme looks pleasant. Compared to the older Verna, a lot has changed and the new generation car definitely feels a much better place to be in. Fit and finish is definitely very good and the build quality isn’t bad either. The sedan comes with features like ventilated front seats, electric sunroof, hands-free smart trunk, voice recognition, cruise control, 7.0-inch audio system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Navigation, automatic climate control, rear parking camera and keyless-go. The audio system sounds pretty good while the cooling performance from the AC is brilliant.
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The dedicated car app gets its data from the OBD port
Ventilated seats & sunroof are the best features on the new Hyundai Verna
Hyundai has also developed a Connected Car app for the Verna which is compatible with the top SX(O) variant of the car. The app is extremely good and shows details like RPM, current speed, fuel range, etc. It even shows the number of times you’ve done hard braking or hard acceleration in the car. The app is nifty but it should’ve been offered for all variants. The smart trunk feature on the car is worth a mention. You need to have the key fob in your pocket and if you stand near the boot for more than 3 seconds, the boot releases. However, the boot doesn’t really open up fully and you actually need to open it manually after the lock releases.
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Rear seats are comfortable but there’s not much space on offer
I found the front seats to be comfortable even over long drives and support for the lower back and under thighs is decent enough. The rear seat is also well-shaped but space is very limited. Kneeroom just cannot be compared to the Honda City and Maruti Ciaz while headroom is also just average. I am almost 6 feet tall and my head was almost touching the roof when I sat at the rear. However, the rear bench feels pretty comfortable in terms of support. The car also has a number of cubbyholes, bottle-holders and storage spaces inside the cabin. While the equipment list is very good, space is at an absolute compromise which can be a major deal-breaker especially for those people who are chauffeur-driven. The boot is well-shaped and can definitely hold quite a lot of luggage but at 480-litres, it is slightly smaller than the City and Ciaz.
