Wander wheels - Hyundai ‘Next Gen Verna’...

Hyundai Verna is one of the globally acclaimed offerings from Hyundai with over 8.8 million Customers in more than 66 countries and already 3.19 lakh units sold in India.

Sporty and dynamic looks blended with luxurious interiors, Next Gen Verna is all set to redefine Premium Brand Statement. Since its launch on 22nd July 2017, the car is quickly becoming a vehicle of preference for the Indian customers.

Termed as ‘Intelligent by Design’, Next Gen Verna is developed on four strong pillars: Futuristic Design, Dynamic Performance, Super Safety and New Technology & Advanced Features.

 

The Verna brand has been a landmark product in Hyundai growth story winning many prestigious accolades worldwide. The Next Gen Verna is engineered to deliver excellence in all core areas of Styling, Performance, Technology, Safety and Ride & Handling. Got a chance to test drive the good looking NextGen Verna (Petrol 1.6 VTVT, Automatic transmission) in the Bloggers Meet organised by Hyundai India.

It was time to analyse why this sedan has become a segment leader within 2 months of its launch. Let’s analyse…

 

Impressive Exteriors:

First impressions make lasting impact. The aggressive exterior styling of Next Gen Verna will be a sheer delight to new age aspirational generation. At front is the Hyundai’s Signature Chrome Cascade grille with horizontal chrome which projects bold, yet premium stance of the car. Check out…

Back Projector LED headlamps enhances the sporty appeal and also give hi-tech and premium appeal to the rear.

The aerodynamic design elements have increased the overall stability of the car and lowered the coefficient of drag to 0.308.

Dimensions to announce your arrival in style…

Length x Width x Height	4,440 x 1,729 x 1,465 mm
Wheelbase	2,600 mm
Max Tyre	195/55 R16 Alloy Wheels
Ground Clearance (Unladen)	165 mm

Comfortable Luxurious interiors:

The interiors have been designed keeping in view the premium feel and the driver’s comfort at the same time.  The Driver- oriented centre console along with ergonomically located controls provides an intuitive access with minimal distraction to the driver for comfortable and safe driving.

Ample in-cabin storage space and boot capacity of 480 litres is enough to ensure comfortable family week-end trips and far off long camping trips, with all the accessories. Turning radius of 5.2 m. for a vehicle of these dimensions is an absolute shot for those looking to explore remote corners of the country.

Key Interior Features:

• Supervision Cluster integrating 3.5˝ Mono TFT-LCD offers all the useful information with outstanding visibility (New)
• Rear Adjustable Head Rest (New)
• Cooled Glove box
• Leatherette Upholstery with soft pad door arm rest adds richness & Luxury in the cabin

Dynamic Performance:
Under the sporty looks lies a powerful yet efficient and smooth drivable engine:

1.     Petrol (1.6 L Gamma Dual VTVT): 1,591 cc/ 123 ps @6,400 rpm/ 15.4 Kgm @ 4,850 rpm

2.     Diesel (1.6 U2 CRDi): 1,582 cc/ / 128 ps @4,000 rpm/ 26.5 Kgm @ 1,500 ~ 3,000 rpm

Wanderers like myself who aim to scale the whole world by roads will surely get pampered with the powerhouse engine and new level of ride comfort with smooth & precise handling, exceptional interior quietness, and enhanced safety. For long and deserted highways, Cruise control is just a click away on the steering itself. 

 

Manoeuvring has been given good attention, steering the car, and shifting the lanes while driving is pretty comfortable.

On the bumpy surface and irritating speedbumps now found in abundance on almost all of the roads, the car never looked like losing touch with the surface. Rear view mirrors can be easily adjusted from the ergonomically placed arm console.

The Superior Ride and Handling characteristics of platform are complemented by McPherson Strut Suspension in front and Coupled Torsion Beam Axle (CTBA) with Vertical Shock Absorber   along with Hydraulic Rebound Stopper (HRS) in rear for improved damping, ensuring a comfortable ride and stabilized driving. 

From the perspectives of the wanderers, the Next Gen Verna offers wonderful mileage with option of two performance packed engines of Next Gen Verna: 

Petrol 1.6 VTVT: 17.70 Kmpl (MT), 15.92 Kmpl (AT)

Diesel 1.6 VGT: 24.75 Kmpl (MT), 21.02 Kmpl (AT)

Forget frequent refuelling and keep on enjoying the longer drives.

Super Safety:

All Hyundai cars are developed, tested, and built under the Hyundai ‘Safe-Drive Philosophy’. 

The SUPER BODY STRUCTURE of Next Gen Verna is developed with 50% of Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS), an additional 37% increase over the previous generation models. AHSS components increase stiffness of chassis and protect passengers effectively in case of collision. The Hot stamping on door pillars provides cabin protection in case of side collisions. (Earlier Verna had only 13% of AHSS).

Key Safety Features:

• Dual Airbags, Anti-Lock Brake system (ABS) with EBD
• 6 Airbags (Front Airbags are Standard feature)
• New Features: Front Projector Fog Lamps, Cornering Lamps, ISOFIX (Child Restraint System) as Standard fitment
• Impact Sensing Auto Door Unlock (First-in-Segment)
• Reverse parking camera with steering adaptive guidelines, Rear Parking Sensors

Feel safe while staying indoors in the Next Gen Verna with yourself and your loved ones…

New Technology and Advanced Features:

As warm summers in India are getting longer and warmer, NextGen Verna offers a host unique comfort feature of Front Ventilated Seats for keeping seats cool in hot weather. For better clarity check the representational diagram…

Smart trunk (First-in-Segment) that automatically unlocks and pops-out when the owner stands with-in 1 metre behind the vehicle with smart key for more than 3 seconds and the new Electrically Controlled Smart Sunroof gives a sense of openness and premium ambience inside the cabin.

The Next Gen Verna features advanced infotainment system with 7.0 IPS (In Plane Switching) capacitive touch screen - Audio Video Navigation System (AVN) with rear view camera improves driver visibility and functionality. Multimedia system is equipped with Apple Carplay, Android Auto and Mirror Link for seamless integration of app-based navigation, streaming audio, voice controlled search capabilities and smartphone applications. For the first time, the Next Gen Verna comes with 6 speakers along with Smart Surround System by 'Arkamys’ delivering a music experience much closer to the artist’s original intent.

The efficient cooling of the Next Gen Verna keeps its occupants cool, Comfortable and Pleasant while maintaining clean and healthier cabin environment. The Eco Coating Technology ensures odour free and fresh air for a comfortable and pleasant journey.

Some Key Interior features include

• First-in-Segment: Front Ventilated Seat, Smart Trunk 
• Smartphone connectivity with IPS Panel (Best-in-Segment)
• FATC with Cluster Ionizer (Best-in-Segment)
• New Features: Electric Sunroof, Rear AC Vents, Voice recognition, Cruise Control, Rear Curtain
• Engine Start/Stop Button

Hyundai Auto Link (New) is a unique innovation to let the owner stay connected with the car. The vehicle health check, driving information, Road side assistance, Driving History, Eco Driving and Vehicle Health history all can be checked with click of button. By this Auto Link, now the owners will be able to stay connected to their cars while sitting in their offices and homes. This feature will surely lead to better driving, Check out the informative interface of the "Auto Link"... 

Colour and Variants:

The Next Gen Verna will be available in 7 exterior colors options with 12 Variants. On pricing front Next Gen Verna has been launched at Rs. 7.99 lacs (Petrol) and goes up to 12.39 lacs (Diesel), ex-showroom prices at Delhi.

Technological acumen, coupled with fabulous Hyundai Customer Care Program:

In order to be the preferred choice for Indian customers, the Next Verna will be offered with Lowest Cost of maintenance, warranty with 3 Years Unlimited Kms., 3 Years Roadside Assistance, 3 times Map Updating and home visit on 15^th Day of purchase for all the customers of Next Gen Verna.

 

Having covered miles while exploring various destinations in India, as a satisfied Hyundai i10 owner; the choice of upgrading has just got difficult with Next Gen Verna joining the competition with another wonderful Hyundai offering called Creta.

About HMIL - Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) is wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea. HMIL is the largest passenger car exporter and second largest car manufacturer in India. HMIL’s state of art manufacturing plant is located near Chennai and a modern multi-million-dollar R&D facility is in Hyderabad.…

It currently has 10 models across segments – Eon, Grand i10, Elite i20, Active i20, Xcent, Verna, CRETA, Elantra, Tucson and Santa Fe. To serve the customers, HMIL currently has 480 dealers and more than 1,260 service points across India.

(PS – Views and opinions are my own.)