2023 Hyundai Verna Review, Road Test – Almost There!

The Hyundai Verna. The only sedan from the manufacturer that aims to take on the likes of heavyweight champions, the Skoda Slavia, Volkswagen Virtus and Honda City is finally tested by us. Hyundai has an aggressive strategy of giving a lot of features to models to make sure they stand out and grab attention with its design. Be it on the inside and outside, it has what it takes to impress a set of consumers as always. Like always there are core strengths and weaknesses of any product that comes from the Hyundai stable. We find out what the Verna offers and doesn’t to its prospective buyers.

On the outside, the saloon is a 4.4 meter car, but it is the biggest in its class. The design elements on the car make it stand out. The build quality on the outside seems and sounds good and this time surprisingly, the car has scored 5-star in NCAP rating. The diamond-cut 16-inch wheels and the unique head and tail lamps with LED DRL’s and LED Bar at the rear make it look premium. The new large grille inspired helps it stand out with extraordinary bling. Standing out also comes from the long running LED bar light from one end to the other, nicknamed as a tubelight in the market.

On the inside, the build, and quality are good, and so is the expansive feature list we have explained time and again in our launch reports. However, the cabin does look that great with a basic design for dashboard and the controls below it. You get every feature possible in the top two variants of the car while the rest of the variants are not well-specced like any other Hyundai car. Right from Blue Sense to automatic lights and wipers to reversing cameras and sunroofs, the car has it all. Apple Car Play and Android Auto are still wired and not wireless. Seats are partially powered, with ventilation and heating for both front seats. You have pre-recorded nature inspired audio, wireless charger, plenty of charging points and stowage area is abundant too.

Space, well as any other Hyundai car, the lack of that extra shoulder and knee room you expect is finally here after much criticism since the four upgrades. Leg and headroom continue to be in good supply. The boot space is good by segment standards. Road and wind noise inside the cabin is also well-controlled un-like most other budget cars making the Verna, like any other Hyundai a pleasant place to be. Safety kit continues to be high with electronic stability control and six airbags are for higher variants and Hill Hold Assist is with the automatic variant. ABS and EBD, ESC come as standard.

All Hyundai engines are smooth, free-revving, and low on NVH and the one on the Verna is no different. Be it in any part of the rev range. The clutch is light and so is the gearbox to operate on manual. DCT shifts hesitate a bit from zero to 30 km/hr, but it is seamless when it reaches higher speeds is what we saw on 1.5 Turbo petrol variant. Low and mid-range are good on the IVT naturally aspirated engine, and top end is just about good enough. Top-end is excellent on the turbo petrol as well, and it cruises at legal speeds easily in both engines too.

This makes the Venue good enough for city and highway duties. The naturally aspirated 1.2 petrol offers good mid-range and mediocre low and top-end power, which is best only for congested city duties. The Kappa is a screamer and is loud as well because it has to be worked hard. Fuel economy continues to be on the not so impressive side with the petrol engine with IVT 16 km/l on the highway and 12 km/l in the city. The petrol turbo delivers 10 km/l in the city and 18 km/l on the highway.

Like most of Hyundai’s cars, the low to medium ride quality is good, but the high-speed ride can be a bit floaty. This means body roll increases as speeds get higher while taking a corner or changing lanes at high speeds. Steering is light, decently precise and has almost negligible feedback on offer, which makes the car fun enough and confidence-inspiring to push harder. The larger wheels will help you do so if you opt for it, but they bring the fuel economy down. With four passengers on board, suspension can feel a bit better with sane driving speeds. Brakes are good with good pedal bite on offer. Overall, very easy to drive, quite fun for a Hyundai However, it still behind all its legacy rivals.

2023 Hyundai Verna Review, Verdict

Verna continues to be the easiest sedan to drive thanks to the light controls make it less taxing to drive in congested cities and comfort is good as always. Space at the back is great now with this 2023 version. The front and rear designs have enough change to make it stand out on the outside. The Interior is brimmed up with everything possible. With three powertrains on offer, the Verna becomes a great choice for all kinds of customers. Hyundai needs to fix the steering and suspension even more to live upto the likes of the City, Slavia and Virtus. The two engines give it a great advantage against all its rivals in one way or the other. Verna has been priced quite well, safe enough this time and becomes a easy choice for average Joe but tough decision for the enthusiast to choose.