With the Hyundai Creta and other C-SUVs taking the top spot on the sales charts, the extinction of the C-segment sedan was predicted. Interestingly, the C-sedan space has made a comeback. While the honors go to new entrants like Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia for resurgence, Honda City remains the strongest pillar here to fight the challenging times as a chartbuster. Now in 2023, souping it up a bit more is the freshly baked 4-gen, the Hyundai Verna. We sampled it to understand whether it fares better than the segment leader Honda City. So, read on to know the top 5 things about the new-gen Verna that made us its fans.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Robust road presence
The Verna, with its fastback-like styling and muscular proportions, has some eye-catching road presence. While the design is polarizing, and some bits feel overstated, its road presence is strong. The new-gen Hyundai Verna is also the widest car in the segment and has the longest wheelbase in its class. The front grille is wide, which makes the face look powerful. The connecting tail lamp design for the rear is also sporty, and complements the sloping roofline, which blends neatly into the boot lid.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Balanced ride and handling
Saloons are praised for their comfortable ride but worshiped for their handling characteristics. Varna, 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 roll. The steering is now precise and gives more feedback than the older model. The difference is unmistakable. It has the best balance of ride and handling characteristics over its rivals. While it is extremely comfortable, the German offers excellent driving dynamics.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Sensible pricing
Keeping aside the antiquated Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the Hyundai Verna is the most accessible. After all, its starting price is Rs 10.90 lakh, ex-showroom. The Turbo range starts from Rs 14.84 lakh (ex-showroom). Simply put, the new Verna offers more value than other offerings in the segment.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Powerful powertrain
The Verna’s 1.5L NA petrol motor has proved its mettle in Hyundai’s best-seller – the Creta, and it needs no praise here. The new 1.5L turbo-petrol is the most powerful in the segment, producing 160 PS and 253 Nm of rated output. It comes with two transmission options – 6-speed MT and 7-speed DCT. Motor is powerful. It can accelerate Verna to 100 kmph in just 8.1 seconds. Everyday easiness is a strong feature of the GDI power plant, along with its frugal nature if driven gently.
2023 Hyundai Verna: Super-long feature list
The strongest feature of the Hyundai Verna is its feature list. It helps to put all the competitors to shame. The sedan comes with segment-first features such as heated seats, Bose sound system and dual 10.25-inch displays for the instrument cluster and infotainment unit. The Verna also has a magic button that turns the touch panel into a dedicated HVAC or music controller. Apart from soft-touch plastics, bits like wireless connectivity option, level-2 ADAS, powered seats make it a luxury car-like cabin. But if we have to nitpick, we felt the need for tinted glasses in bright sunlight.