If you’ve been reading TURBOCHARGED, you will know about my love for sedans. And to see the Hyundai Verna go back after being with us for over a year, is a little saddening. More so because the Verna in question is the one with the 160PS, 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine under its hood, mated to the slick-shifting 7-speed DCT. In fact everyone in the office fell in love with the Verna unanimously, for more than just its performance. The new Verna has also set benchmarks in terms of comfort and has been lauded as a family car. It has also addressed the biggest shortcoming of the Verna’s previous iterations, that of a lack of space, especially kneeroom at the rear, with aplomb. This is besides its cavernous boot which I once remember gobbling down three large suitcases and two large bags and two small ones without a hitch!
Our long term Verna has also seen numerable trips from Pune to Mumbai and back and admittedly, I’ve never been too tired by the time I’ve gotten back home, traffic on the Expressway or not. Of course, with a 160 horses on tap the Verna has been a little heavy on the wallet, returning about 10kmpl in the city and 17-18kmpl on the highway. That said, I like its start-stop system for its alacrity and ability to kill the engine quickly at traffic lights. We’ve not had any issues with the car whatsoever throughout its tenure. In fact given my incessant travel the car has only clocked about 10,000km. I do know the car has been driven around and quietly parked back by team members when I would be traveling, assuming I wouldn’t notice.
What gave away the fact that the car was driven in my absence was the altered seating position. The electric adjust for the driver’s seat makes adjusting the seat quick and convenient, though I do wish, for convenience sake, Hyundai had gone the full hog and given it electric fore and aft movement and a memory function too. I’ve never minded the team driving the Verna for the matter, in fact I encouraged them to drive it – it’s a sedan that can now be termed as a driver’s car. The steering has that typical Hyundai feel but offers good feedback and the suspension setup encourages you to go faster around bends and induces a smile on your mug. I’ve also liked the audio quality from the Bose-tuned music system, besides the overall seamlessness with which the infotainment system works.
I’ve thus always enjoyed lowering myself into the Verna, as compared to having to climb into SUVs. It’s just a special feeling – sitting low and having the steering sit at a sweet spot and then getting a clear stretch of tarmac to enjoy the car’s performance and dynamics. This demeanour has seen me take the Verna out for many late night drives, enjoy its music system and ambient lighting, and that’s one of the things I’ll miss the most about it!
