After spending a month with this model, we’ve found a new-found regard for Hyundai sedans
Several years ago when the Hyundai Accent first came to India, there was one in the family, and while the Accent was certainly a comfortable car and brought in a standard of comfort that Indian sedans lacked at that point of time, it was not what you would call the best car to drive. Driving the Hyundai Accent as a young man taught me what understeer meant. The CRDi Accent with a lump of a diesel under the hood was even worse. Many moons ago, during the launch drive of the car between Mumbai and Goa driving down the Chiplun road, I managed to actually do a complete 360 because my left front had gone off road and lost all traction. This was also a time before electronic aids were standard on cars of this size. And you would never, ever throw an Accent into a corner at speed, forget the understeer; the Accent suspension was so soft that you could fall car sick if you drove aggressively.
Having access to a car as a young man was a privilege, much more then than now, but if you are a young person today and happened to drive the current Verna, you would rightly wonder what I am on about. The Verna won the “Indian Car of the Year”, an award that many outside the jury found debatable simply because the Dzire and Compass were also in the running. When I drove the Verna at its launch event in Kochi a few months ago, I only drove the diesel automatic because one felt that would be the version that would be most in demand. It was a great drive on the hills of central Kerala, and one got a great idea that this Verna was a class apart, even though it didn’t look all that different from the third-generation sedan.
But once back in Delhi, I really wanted to spend some more time with the Petrol Automatic, because with coming fuel norms, small diesels will become much more expensive and unviable. Now, Hyundai India, while having a smaller 1396cc petrol engine option on the Verna, due to the frankly idiotic stepped GST slabs for cars, only fits the six-speed automatic on the 1591cc VTVT engine. Now before you ask what VTVT stands for, it is Variable Timing Valve Train which in simple language means that the car will optimise the intake and exhaust valves operation either for power or economy given the conditions that the electronic brains of the car feels necessary. All VVT, VTEC and VVTi engines used by manufacturers operate on the same basic principle.
Why the automaticIJ Well, because I’m quite tired of traffic in Delhi and as much as I love having a manual to throw about, an automatic does make life a lot easier and that is evident in car sales nowadays across India but particularly in cities.
The Verna SX(O) specification also came with a feature that I still can not believe other manufacturers have not added. That is the wonderful ventilated seats on the car. As the summer begins its inevitable progress over north India, these seats that pump out a blast of cold air from your backside to your shoulders are the perfect antidote after a long day. More than the air-conditioner, this actually relaxes you and makes you enjoy the drive and ensures that you don’t arrive home more tired than you were when you left. Of course, having an automatic helps too, but I have to admit that the Verna’s gearbox is not the most responsive in the world, nor the most economical. It is, however, a lot better on the fuel than the grotesque economy that the Compass Automatic delivered and which I wrote about a fortnight ago.
But keeping in mind that I drive through some of the worst traffic of central Delhi, the Verna delivered a reasonable 8.7-9.2 km per litre over 1,200 km of driving; I reset the meter halfway. On an empty road at top gear, the Verna engine barely ticks over 2,000 as you hit the highway speed limit and would be very economical indeed. But like the EcoSport automatic, do not expect the Verna petrol automatic to deliver insane fuel economy. But all said and done, it has a very smooth shift, much smoother than on any AMT car because this is a proper torque-converter gearbox.
But what really impresses about the Verna is that it doesn’t wobble about on the roads and nor does the car try to teach you the concept of momentum and the limits of steering. The steering is surprisingly fast and with body roll kept to a minimum, the Verna begins to encourage you to drive like a bit of a hoon. I actually managed to make the car throw its tail out a bit, not too much, but a bit. Not that you should drive like that ever, but you know, sometimes you just want to have a bit of fun with the car. And it achieves this not by compromising on ride comfort.
So all in all, this is a very good car indeed, it is a pleasure to drive and has all the features you think you would need, and if someone asks me which sedan in the 10-12 lakh range they should buy, it is a very easy answer to give.
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