New Hyundai Verna 2020 Review: More Attractive, Enhanced Interiors; Is This Sedan Better Than An SUV?

This is a significant reboot of the Verna as it now aligns with the latest Hyundai design direction. However is it good enough to sway your attention from an SUV? Read on.

You could be forgiven for thinking that only SUVs and hatchbacks are sold in the Indian market as only both are selling in big numbers. Also a glance through the latest launches in the Indian car market and most are SUVs with one being India's best selling car last month! Thus, while SUVs are very much the flavour of the season, sedans still have a size-able fan-following but the lack of new launches in this space have hurt demand for this segment. Not any more as Hyundai is as keen on its sedan portfolio as it is on its hatchback/SUV range. On the back of the Aura compact sedan launch, here is the new Verna. This is a significant reboot of the Verna as it now aligns with the latest Hyundai design direction. However is it good enough to sway your attention from an SUV? Read on. Looks are a very important factor when buying a new car and with the change in the average age of customers buying sedans; there is a distinct shift towards being sporty and more aggressive. The new Verna certainly looks a lot more attractive over the earlier one with some big changes. You will see the massive new grille which lifts the exterior personality of the car while the new LED headlamps with DRLs look sharper. Elsewhere the front bumper has bigger edges and is more angular too. The side is more or less the same while there are new two-tone 16inch alloys which perk up the appearance of the car further. The blackened bits on the alloys look nice and contrast well on the red colour while the coupe-like appearance stays on- not that we are complaining! Move to the rear and you will see subtle changes like a diffuser tucked in to the rear and a pair of smart LED tail-lamps. In short the new Verna has been to the gym and has come back with a snazzier haircut! It's even better news inside for the driver as you are surrounded by a new dashboard while the equipment list has grown by a massive margin. The interior itself is pretty good looking with a neat centre-console having a large 8 inch touchscreen while you will also notice a new TFT instrument cluster along with cooler looking air vents. There is a shift upwards towards quality too which we noticed. About the new instrument cluster- the layout is more futuristic while the design is more angular. It is certainly less boring than the earlier one while packing in a lot of info on the 4.2 inch central screen. This is a fully digital instrument cluster and it is the first sedan in its class to have this feature! We think this beats plain old dials any day while still being easy to read. As said earlier the feature list is quite easily the best in its class and cannot be matched any other sedan right now. Hyundai has poured in its latest trolley of technology and features here. It has the basics of course with a large touchscreen which has a superb display along with climate control, sunroof, cruise control, rear camera, rear ac vents etc. Amongst the usual safety features it also gets an emergency stop signal which flashes its hazard lights under sudden/hard braking. However what is worth talking about is the ventilated and cooled seats, wireless charging and powered boot release. The ventilated and cooled are some of our favourite features (considering our summers) which no other car in its class has! The biggest feature apart from that though is the fact that the new Verna is a connected car with the Bluelink tech which we have spoken a lot about in the Creta review earlier. Thus while the new Verna is impressive in terms of the equipment list, it's only weakness lies in its space or the lack of it. Simply put the rear seat is just not as spacious as rivals with the cabin feeling small too. It does not feel like a segment up from the Aura for example in the width of the rear seat or the legroom. While it is decent for a family midsize sedan, chauffeur driven owners will clearly want more space here. There is a big change also in the way it drives as in comes a new 1.5l petrol and diesel while there is also a 1.0 turbo petrol from the Venue. There is a manual-gearbox standard of course plus three types of automatic options so you can choose whatever you want! The turbo gets a 7-speed DCT while the 1.5 petrol gets a CVT and the diesel gets a torque converter automatic. In short here the Verna again offers you the most choice unlike its rivals. We drove the 1.5l petrol with the CVT automatic as this would be a popular option. The engine is incredibly refined and the automatic just works very well with this motor. It is smooth and responsive while being much better than other CVTs. The petrol 1.5l makes 115 bhp while driven sedately you will get 10-12kmpl which is decent. The big change is the way it drives as the new Verna handles a bit better and it is not as soft or bouncy. The steering feels better as well while the ride still has a firm feel but for a sedan this feels sportier and improved now. Prices for the base Verna starts at Rs 9.3 lakh while the car seen here is Rs 13.8 lakh. The Turbo petrol DCT meanwhile is Rs 13.9 lakh. Overall the new Verna is a massive improvement in the areas of styling, features, engines and overall dynamics. For the price you will seldom get another sedan as good looking plus with as many features. Yes, this is clearly for the self-driven due to the lack of space and the slightly firm ride takes away from the comfort factor a bit but for the money it is the best value sedan available right now.