Hyundai Verna facelift

HYUNDAI INDIA has been on a roll for a while. Its Grand i10, Xcent and the new i20 have all rocked the market and the trend was started by this car — the Verna. A year back, a slightly tweaked version of the car was launched, but it wasn’t the last, the company was looking for more. Now, Hyundai has given the car a much more refined update to bringing it right back into the limelight.

It won't take you long to notice that most design changes to the car are at the front. The new headlamps are more angular compared to the swept-back lamps of the old car, the bonnet is all-new and it now flows into a larger grille. The bumper is new too, with reworked fog lamp housings. At the rear, streaks on the tail-lights give it a 'faux LED' effect, and the exhaust is now hidden from view to give the tail a cleaner look. Overall, the new Verna looks more mature. 

On the inside, however, the changes are a little more discreet. The dashboard design is carried over from the old car, the two-tone colour scheme with wood and silver inlays is quite appealing, and the fit-and finish and overall quality levels are impressive too. Also, the front seats have decent bolstering and the Verna's low dash makes it easy to see out of. The signature blue backlighting on the audio player is here to stay, and we don’t see it changing anytime soon. But the audio player does get a useful 1GB of onboard memory to store songs. Another new and very useful feature is the addition of what Hyundai calls the 'Ergo Lever' that is located on the inside edge of the front passenger seat. Basically, it allows the rear passenger to move the front passenger seat forward to free up legroom, and is a handy feature. Like the earlier version, what this new car has in abundance though is equipment — there's keyless entry and go, climate control, a rear-view camera, and at least three ways to hook up your audio device. 

Under the hood, the motors are carried over, albeit with some mild tweaks. Starting with the 1.6-litre diesel mill, power and torque figures remain identical with I26bhp and 26-5kgm, and power is channeled via the same six speed manual gearbox. Thumb the engine start button and it's remarkable how quiet the idle of this diesel is; it's easily the most refined unit in the segment. The clutch is light and the gear box doesn't take much effort either. There's a bit of delay, and the engine delivers it’s best only after 1900rpm when the turbo comes in. When the roads open up, the powerful mid-range means, as long as you are not in sixth gear, it's easy to overtake cars at typical highway speeds. However, while the final gear doesn't help you gather pace quickly, it's a great cruising tool that keeps the engine spinning at low rpm at higher speeds; great for stretching that diesel tank. While many believe that it's the Verna's styling that's its best trick, it's actually this brilliant diesel engine. 

The petrol Verna is a strong performer too, and like the diesel, it's incredibly silent at low revs. The motor is quite responsive off the line and very useful in slow-moving traffic. But past 2,ooo rpm, there is a lack of mid-range punch, and it's only when you go past 4,000 rpm that the motor starts pulling well. But it still isn't a very effortless motor, and you have to work it hard to extract all that performance. 

Hyundai already made a marginal improvement to the original car with the first facelift, and now there's another. This time around, Hyundai has changed the springs, added a low-velocity valve on the dampers, and has changed or improved other suspension bits as well. All these changes have cured most of the old car's nervousness at speed, its floatiness and its tendency to bottom out. In updating the Verna, Hyundai has built on its strengths — it looks more mature and gets even more equipment. Both the petrol and diesel engines are very refined and have more than enough power on tap. Handling is now sharper and more confidence inspiring, and the car rides better too. There's no denying that the Verna is better now than it ever was.

          Published By   : What Car?

Words by   : Ameya Dandekar