The past month has seen the Verna get driven extensively within Pune city. Typically, any given month will have me drive to Mumbai for meetings or events frequently and previous months have seen me take the Verna without thinking twice. The past month though, has seen the car get driven only in city.
The experience has allowed me gauge the Verna as a daily driver and the results are quite interesting. A midsize premium sedan isn’t one that many would think of as their daily driver, especially given the current state of affairs of traffic in Pune. A lot of the roads in a state of disrepair and I guess, civic authorities do not use these roads themselves, which is why they’re not being attended to.
The Verna soaks up ruts and potholes with ease, though I have to slow down to make sure the suspension doesn’t bottom out on the bigger ones. That said, it is easy to note that this generation of the Verna offers better shock absorption as the suspension is slightly firmer than the older generation car.
I’m also liking the convenience of having electric adjust for the driver’s seat but there is no memory function. This means I need to readjust the seat position every time someone else drives it! Also, the winters in Pune are unusually mild this year, but a late night drive had me feel the need to use the car’s seat heating recently, when it was particularly cold. This made me think how much of a boon the heated seats would be for owners in say, Delhi-NCR right now!
Overall, strong low end grunt from the engine and smooth throttle response coupled with the convenience of the 7-speed DCT mean the Verna is perfectly at ease even in traffic, while I’m comfortable inside, also thanks to the plush seats, Bose tuned audio system and overall cabin comfort!
