Moving up in the world

The new generation Hyundai Verna comes with more space, a longer list of features, better performance, enhanced safety and all that wrapped ina very striking-looking exterior making It quite an attractive package, at least on paper. But what's it like in the real world? We find out

- Dhruv Saxena

Most of the action in the Rs 10 to 20 lakh space, or most segments for that matter, has been centred around SUVs because that’s what customers seem to want. SUVs have been driving sales growth for all mainstream brands, but the sedan segment has still managed to hold its own. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen new entrants in the form of the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia, and established names like the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and, of course, the Hyundai Verna have been clocking respectable numbers as well. With the new Verna, Hyundai aims to double the sales of the sedan by offering a sedan that doesn’t just look rather striking, but also packs in a long list of safety and convenience features, more space than before in the cabin and an exciting new 160bhp turbo petrol variant.

In the case of the new Verna, a lot of the sedan’s appeal lies in the way it has been styled. It is quite eye-catching with sharp cuts and creases and that low-set nose with the LED DRL strip. The wide grille which blends seamlessly with the LED headlamps helps further accentuate the car’s width. Over to the side, the Verna exhibits a fastback profile rather than a traditional three-box sedan shape and one can also notice the sporty, slightly tipped forward stance. The rear too has plenty going on with the intricately detailed LED tail lamps that stretch across the length of the boot and lower down on the bumper, the Verna gets parametric design detailing similar to what we’ve seen on the new Tucson. Compared to the older Verna, the new one is 95mm longer and 36mm wider and the wheelbase has gone up by 70mm.