Hyndai Verna 4S is all you need on an everyday basis

The car that gave the unshakeable Honda City a solid run for its money mdash making it irrelevant even for a brief period is back in its newest avatar The 2015 midlife update for the Hyundai Verna is aimed to bring some sparkle back to the sales of the Korean nameplate also known as the Solaris in some other markets In the meantime the Ciaz from Maruti Suzuki has emerged as a force to reckon with and the City has transformed into a betterrounded car than ever So does the new Verna have the goods to take on such formidable nemeses Letrsquos find outPrice Rs 77122 lakhDesign and stylingThe new Verna retains the overall proportions and size of its predecessor A lot has changed if you look at the details though Up front the radiator grille has been totally reshaped mdash the horizontal single slat grille gets replaced with twin slats flanking the Hyundai logo The angular hexagonal shape of the front grille housing has now metamorphosed into a more organic curvy shapeThe headlights are new too featuring a projector setup encased within a satin silver barrel There are plenty of chrome elements within the headlamp housing to add some detail Lshaped fog lamps have been replaced by a boomerang design On the sides the Verna 4S looks almost exactly the same as the car it replaces except for the new wheels The new design 16 inch alloys feature a diamond cut design and look rather sportyNo AC vents for the backseat Strange as even the smaller Grand i10 has this feature PICSAMIT CHHANGANIAt the rear the taillights have been restyled too and now have an even more striking LEDlike luminance The rear bumper has also been restyled and now features reflectors which mimic the boomerang design of the front fog lamps The Verna lettering has also been shifted from right to the left The vacated space is now occupied by the details about the engine and the variant Overall paint quality and finish remains excellent and the Verna as always comes across as a premium productInterior and featuresThe Verna has always led the segment in terms of features The Verna 4S carries over all the goodness of the model it replaces while incorporating some new features at the same time The quality of the materials used and the workmanship is arguably segmentleading All the buttons are made of softtotouch plastic and offer great feel and feedback The Instrument cluster features two chromeringed white dials with multiinformation display unit in the centre Information on offer is generous and includes distance to empty average and instantaneous fuel efficiency ambient temperature and telltale lights The display also prompts you to shift gears to ensure better efficiency and optimum engine performanceThe new design has 16inch diamond cut alloysWhile the Verna doesnrsquot boast the biggest cabin in its class there are plenty of storage spaces within the fuselage The glove box for example is quite large and is also cooled via a small AC vent Therersquos a sunshades holder on the roof below the front cabin lights There are bottle holders in all four doors the space under the front armrest is quite decent while the rear armrest features a cupholder There are twin cupholders up front as well and a small cavity which can hold your phone Boot space at 490litres is not class leading but can easily swallow the luggage of a small family for a weekend getaway The Verna 4S comes with a fullsize spare wheel which is a steel unitExternal mirrors fold electrically while the internal rearview mirror is electro chromic unit that also incorporates the screen for the rearview camera which works alongside parking sensors The front passenger seat now has a lever on its side to allow the rear passenger to slide it for more legroom Head shoulder and legroom though decent is not as good as some other cars in the segment The rear seats could probably also have done with some more under thigh support Also missing from the list of desired features is a rear AC vent The omission is surprising as even the basic Grand i10 boasts the featureFront passenger seat can be moved fore and aft by the rear passenger using the new leverThe infotainment system is a nontouchscreen unit Playability and sound quality is great though Apart from allowing you to play audio through a variety of sources the system also features an inbuilt memory of 1GB to let you store your favourite songsPerformanceLike its predecessor the Verna 4S come with the widest choice of engines in the segment The four engine options on offer include two petrol and two diesel mills Petrol power comes in the form a 14litre or 16 litre normally aspirated units Power and torque outputs from the engines are rated at 106 bhp 6300 rpm 135Nm 5000 rpm and 121bhp 6300 rpm 125 Nm 5000 rpm respectively Both engines are mated to a 5 speed manual transmission The ARAI rated duel efficiency for the two engines is 1743 and 1701 kmpl respectively The 16 petrol also comes with the option of a 4speed automatic with an ARAI certified fuel efficiency of 1574 kplDashboard largely remains the same We would have liked the inclusion of a touchscreen infotainment unitDiesel power comes in the form of 14 and 16 litre Crdi engines dishing out 89 bhp 4000 RPM 220 Nm 1750 RPM and 126 bhp 4000 RPM 259 Nm 1900 RPM respectively Both engines are matched with a 6speed transmission for efficient highway cruising The fuel efficiency rating for the 14 diesel stands at 248 kmpl while the 16 diesel delivers 239 kmpl to the litre The 16 diesel engine also comes with the option of a 4 speed auto transmissionBoth petrol and diesel engines in the 16 liter guise deliver segment topping power and torque outputs The petrol engine though not an overly rev happy unit delivers useable performance and makes for effortless efficient driving with the butter smooth transmission adding to the breezy experience The 16 litre diesel engine is a punchy unit though there is some turbo lag to be experienced below 1800 rpm You feel the surge of the torque as the tacho needle swings past 2000 clicks and thereon the diesel burner can take you some unusually high speeds The diesel engine isnrsquot the best unit for stop start city driving but exhibits admirable overtaking capabilities on the highwayRide and handlingThe previous Verna though a very feature rich car was somewhat marred by lacklustre handling Hyundai have tried to make the new Verna a more dynamically accomplished car by firming up the suspension The overtly spongy ride which felt nice at low speeds but was unnerving at higher speeds has been stiffened up for a more reassuring feel once you cross triple digits Hyundai has also taken measures to ensure that harsh bumps encountered at higher speed donrsquot translate into a thud inside the cabinEven with its relatively better composure though the new Verna has some distance to go before it tries to match its German and Czech counterparts which are the segment benchmarks when it comes to dynamic ability The Verna 4S is still somewhat edgy when pushed hard and at high speeds the dips or crests on the road still manage to unnerve it The behaviour of the 16 diesel variant thanks to the added weight of the engine however is more composed as compared to its petrol counterpartThe steering weighs up with speed though like most new cars the feedback isnrsquot quite there We could have also called for a bit more precision and a bit less body roll while negotiating corners Hyundai however need to be given full marks for equipping the Verna 4S with the best in class safety features The top end variants come equipped with 6 airbags and ABS is standard across all variantsOur verdictThe Verna has always been a stunner as regards to styling even more so in its newest avatar The competition may have grown in size but the Verna still manages to offer segment leading features especially on the safety front Loaded with a quality interior great equipment and style the Verna excels at many things Outright dynamic ability is something which still has some margin for improvement though this Hyundai is all the car you need on an everyday basis Backed by the trusted Hyundai service network the new Verna 4S offers itself as a genuine contender for the segmentTechnical specs Hyundai Verna 4SEngine mdash 14 petrol 16 petrol 14 diesel 16 dieselPower mdash 106 bhp 6300 rpm121 bhp 6300 rpm89 bhp 4000 RPM126 bhp 4000 RPMTorque mdash 135 Nm 5000 rpm125 Nm 5000 rpm220 Nm 1750 RPM259 Nm 1900 RPMFuel efficiency mdash 17431701248239 kmpl