2023 Hyundai Verna review, first drive

By Dhruv SaxenaMost of the action in the Rs 10 to 20 lakh space, or most segments for that matter, has been centred around SUVs because that’s what customers seem to want. SUVs have been driving sales growth for all mainstream brands, but the sedan segment has still managed to hold its own. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen new entrants in the form of the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia, and established names like the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and, of course, the Hyundai Verna have been clocking respectable numbers as well. With the new Verna, Hyundai aims to double the sales of the sedan by offering a sedan that doesn’t just look rather striking, but also packs in a long list of safety and convenience features, more space than before in the cabin and an exciting new 160bhp turbo petrol variant.

In the case of the new Verna, a lot of the sedan’s appeal lies in the way it has been styled. It is quite eye-catching with sharp cuts and creases and that low-set nose with the LED DRL strip. The wide grille which blends seamlessly with the LED headlamps helps further accentuate the car’s width. Over to the side, the Verna exhibits a fastback profile rather than a traditional three-box sedan shape and one can also notice the sporty, slightly tipped forward stance. The rear too has plenty going on with the intricately detailed LED tail lamps that stretch across the length of the boot and lower down on the bumper, the Verna gets parametric design detailing similar to what we’ve seen on the new Tucson. Compared to the older Verna, the new one is 95mm longer and 36mm wider and the wheelbase has gone up by 70mm.

There are subtle styling differences between the 1.5 naturally aspirated petrol variant and the 1.5 turbo petrol variant. The turbo variant gets an additional horizontal slat just above the number plate and also comes with sportier, all-black alloy wheels and red brake callipers. Plus, the two dual-tone colour options – white with black roof and red with black roof – are restricted to the turbo variant only.

Visual differences between the two variants are way more telling once you step inside, with the turbo variant getting an all-black theme with sporty red highlights, while the other one gets a black-beige treatment. That aside, there aren’t any differences between the features, layout or space. The new Verna gets a dual-screen setup with a 10.25-inch touchscreen for infotainment functions and a fully-digital instrument cluster housed in a single panel. There’s a twin-spoke steering wheel, something we haven’t seen in any Hyundai product in India. The switchable panel right under the display for the aircon supports touch inputs along with dials, allowing the user to toggle between controls for the infotainment functions and aircon settings. It’s a single-zone climate control setup but offers three settings for the auto function, allowing the occupants to vary the intensity of automatic cooling/heating. Ventilated seats are something we’ve seen in plenty of Hyundai cars, but the Verna also gets seat heating. While the older Verna also had wireless smartphone charging, the space wasn’t enough for bigger phones. The new one has that issue sorted out.

The Verna gets a long list of features including an 8-speaker Bose audio setup, an auto-dimming IRVM, Bluelink connectivity, electrically adjustable driver’s seat to name a few. The overall quality of materials and touch and feel of buttons is great, but there are few shortcomings. There’s no wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, something its rivals offer. Electric adjustment for the driver’s seat is only for fore/aft movement and recline angle, seat height adjustment is manual.

A major shortcoming of the older Verna was the lack of rear seat space. That, however, has been addressed with the new-gen model and addressed rather well. Knee room and leg room are quite impressive and headroom and under-thigh support for average-sized adults is great as well. Seated in the back, the Verna feels spacious and the feeling of space is further enhanced by the generous greenhouse along with the sunroof. Rear seat occupants get aircon vents, two USB type-C charging ports, a rear sunblind and a rear centre armrest with cup holders. All in all, the Hyundai Verna is no longer a car you might look past if you’re looking for a sedan to be chauffeured around in. From a safety standpoint, the Verna is equipped with six airbags as standard and all three rear seat occupants get three-point seat belts. Boot space compared to the older car is up by 48 litres to 528 litres and the boot also has a wider opening.

With the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol motor pumping out 160bhp and 253Nm paired with a 7-speed DCT, the new Verna can do the 0-100kmph sprint in 8.1s (claimed). That’s rather impressive and better than anything else in the segment. As these numbers suggest, the sedan is quite exciting when driven hard, aided by the well-weighted steering wheel and a balanced suspension tune. And that’s one of its most endearing qualities. It strikes a nice balance between keeping the enthusiast happy and still being comfortable, efficient and easy to live with on a daily basis going through the home-to-office-to-home grind.

The variant with the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with 115bhp is obviously not as quick or exciting as the 1.5 turbo, but performance is adequate from the perspective of most average car buyers. It’s available with either a 6-speed manual or an automatic transmission in the form of an IVT. Driving within the city, it never felt underpowered and this variant makes a lot of sense for buyers who are looking for a sedan to be chauffeured around in.

Besides Normal, Eco and Sport drive modes (automatic variants only), the Verna gets a whole host of driver assistance features as part of the Hyundai SmartSense ADAS level 2 package. There’s front collision warning and avoidance assistance, lane departure alert and lane keep assist, safe exit warning and adaptive cruise control to name a few. Honestly, it’s too long a list to mention each feature here, but what we observed during our drive was these features have been calibrated well for Indian conditions and didn’t seem overly intrusive. The 1.5 naturally aspirated petrol Verna gets the ADAS package only in the automatic variant and misses out on adaptive cruise control. In fact, this particular feature is restricted only to the 7-speed DCT variant of the 1.5 turbo Verna.

Verdict

The new Hyundai Verna is a hard car to fault. Sure, the looks can be polarizing, but the same was said for the current Creta when it arrived and, going by its sales numbers, it’s safe to say buyers have embraced it wholeheartedly. Priced between Rs 10.90 lakh and Rs 17.38 lakh (ex-showroom), the Verna costs significantly more than the model it replaces, but it has also improved across the board, and essentially sits half a segment above its predecessor. Keeping all aspects in mind, pricing is competitive, more so when compared with its rivals. Features, space, driving experience, and safety, on all counts, the Verna impresses thoroughly and on many sets the benchmark in its segment.

2023 Hyundai Verna specifications

• LxWxH – 4,535×1,765×1,475mm
• Wheelbase – 2,670mm
• Boot space – 528 litres
• Fuel tank – 45 litres

1.5 L MPi Petrol

• Engine – 1,497cc, 4-cyl, naturally aspirated
• Power – 115bhp@6,300rpm
• Torque – 143.8Nm@4,500rpm
• Transmission – 6-speed MT/IVT
• Fuel efficiency (claimed) – 18.6kmpl(MT)/19.6kmpl(IVT)
• Brakes – Disc(front)/Drum(rear)
• Tyre size – 205/55 R16 (diamond cut alloys)

1.5 L Turbo GDi Petrol

• Engine – 1,482cc, 4-cyl, turbocharged
• Power – 160bhp@5,500rpm
• Torque – 253Nm@1,500-3,500rpm
• Transmission – 6-speed MT/7-speed DCT
• Fuel efficiency (claimed) – 20kmpl(MT)/20.6kmpl(DCT)
• Brakes – Disc(front)/Disc(rear)
• Tyre size – 205/55 R16 (black alloys)

2023 Hyundai Verna price (ex-showroom)

1.5 L MPi Petrol

• EX MT – Rs 10,89,900
• S MT – Rs 11,95,500
• SX MT – Rs 12,98,500
• SX IVT – Rs 14,23,500
• SX(O) MT – Rs 14,65,900
• SX(O) IVT – Rs 16,19,500

1.5 L Turbo GDi Petrol

• SX MT – Rs 14,83,500
• SX DCT – Rs 16,08,000
• SX(O) MT – Rs 15,98,900
• SX(O) DCT – Rs 17,37,900