With Hyundai Creta and other C-SUVs taking the top spot on the sales chart, the extinction of C-segment sedans was predicted. Interestingly, the C-sedan space has stirred back. While honours go to the new entrants like Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia for the resurrection, the Honda City remains the strongest pillar here for fighting challenging times as a chartbuster. Now in 2023, souping it up a little more is the freshly-baked 4th-gen, Hyundai Verna. We sampled it to understand if it is better than the segment leader – Honda City. So, read on to find out the top 5 things about the new-gen Verna that made us a fan of it.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Robust Road Presence
The Verna, with its fastback-like styling and beefy proportions, has some road presence to catch eyeballs. While the design is polarising, and a few bits feel overstyled, its road presence is robust. The new-gen Hyundai Verna is also the widest car in the segment and gets the longest wheelbase in its class. The front grille is wide, which makes the face look strong. The connecting tail lamp design for the rear is sporty too, and complements the sloping roofline, blending neatly into the boot lid.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Balanced Ride & Handling
Saloons are praised for their comfortable ride but worshipped for their handling traits. The Verna, in its new form, has evolved in this regard. It now offers a more planted ride without any drama. Gone are the days when it used to wallow. The steering is now precise and delivers more feedback than the old model. The difference is unmistakable. It has the best balance of ride and handling characteristics over its opponents. While it is supremely comfortable, the Germans deliver the best driving dynamics.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Sensible Pricing
Keeping aside the archaic Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the Hyundai Verna is the most accessible of all. After all, it has a starting price of Rs 10.90 lakh, ex-showroom. The Turbo range starts from Rs 14.84 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards. In simpler words, the new Verna offers more value than other offerings in this segment.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Potent Powertrain
The 1.5L NA petrol motor of the Verna has proved its mettle in the Hyundai’s best-seller – Creta, and it needs no compliments here. The newer 1.5L turbo-petrol is the most powerful in the segment, producing 160 PS and 253 Nm of rated outputs. It comes with two transmission options – 6-speed MT and 7-speed DCT. The motor is potent. It can push the Verna to 100 kmph from a standstill in only 8.1 seconds. Everyday drivability is a strong attribute of the GDI power plant, along with its frugal nature if driven sedately.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Super-Long Feature List
The strongest attribute of the Hyundai Verna is its feature list. It helps it in putting all competitors to shame. The sedan comes with segment-first features like heated seats, Bose sound system, and dual 10.25-inch displays for the instrument cluster and infotainment unit. The Verna also gets a magic button that transforms the touch panel into a dedicated HVAC or music controller. Bits like wireless connectivity options, Level-2 ADAS, powered seats, in addition to soft-touch plastics make it a luxury car-like cabin. But if we have to nitpick, we felt the need for tinted glasses under strong sun.