Hyundai Verna CRDI VGT - Updated at 22k-km, 35k-km & 40k-km, Plus A Minor Crash

[wildcard]

Yes, the ABS version has discs on all four wheels, and i own one.The discs make a lot of difference in braking when compared to the regular Verna with drums on the rear.

[abhibh]

22k in 8 months you are closing down to me LOL... Awesome review and great pictures there. Its my wallpaper now hehe...

[Venkatesh.C]

Hey thats some mile munching you are upto. What do you do? eat work and drive?
I have had a few friends and their drivers too complaining about verna's instability during braking. They say that it is tail happy and is dangerous under hard braking. Is that so?
I found this to be the same when i test drove a verna i braked hard deliberately in a slightly sandy stretch and the car did lose direction.
Is that a known problem? or is it that these cars need some mods?

[hellstar]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Nice Review. The car looks lovely in the mist..which is the place? i am also from kerala.

Thnx , the location is also stated alongside the picture its on the way upto Nandi Hills it should be one of the last curves.

Originally Posted by Venkatesh.C

Hey thats some mile munching you are upto. What do you do? eat work and drive?

Yep ! thats what i love to do !

Originally Posted by Venkatesh.C

I have had a few friends and their drivers too complaining about verna's instability during braking. They say that it is tail happy and is dangerous under hard braking. Is that so?

Yes ,its is thats why i have recommended that all prospective verna owners should opt for the ABS version .As for keeping direction on hard barking , i have never had my car misbehave with me ,but in IMHO it still pays to be careful while doing hard braking from speed in excess of 130 KMPH in teh non ABS Version, she gets very very restless. I test drove the Verna SX model with ABS she does much better as @ wildcard has said above.

Regarding Mods, on the suspension another member on the forum BUSA , advised me to check it out with PHYSCO , i am yet to do that , but i am sure that mods will have the desired effect . Saving up money to get that done.

[wildcard]

Peter of Pete's is working on stiffening the rear with Bilsteins, which should make a great difference in handling.

[HotChillyPepper]

Any idea Hyundai done any upgrade on suspension after their release? I mean any solution they provided to address the satility issues above 140 ????

[hellstar]

They definitely seems to have dome something with the new vernas . Happened to check out one of the latest vernas @ the A.S.S with disc on all four wheel . and she definitely feelin, much better to push around the corners. and better traction , I belive that it can also be attributed to the bigger tyres she came with 185/65 Bridgestones

[vasudeva]

Good to hear that your car is doing fine, but what is in your mind that makes you drive at 180 kmph on Indian roads!. That is not only highly dangerous to all but I think also unlawful. OK, Indian speed limits are ridiculously low but 180 kmph or 110 mph really is far out in dangerous territory.

[vasudeva]

The OECD has recently noted that the probability of a pedestrian being killed in a car accident increases with the impact speed. Results from on-the-scene investigations of collisions involving pedestrians and cars show that 90% of pedestrians survive being hit by a car at speeds of 30 kmph; whereas only 20% survive at speeds of 50 kmph. The impact speed at which a pedestrian has a 50% chance of surviving a collision is around 40-45 kmph. In addition, elderly pedestrians are more likely to sustain non-minor and fatal injuries than younger people in the same impact conditions due to their greater frailty.

A well-protected occupant of a modern car would, in most cases, not be injured at all at a similar impact speed in a frontal accident. Even seatbelts can only help you so much. According to WHO (2004), wearing seatbelts in well–designed cars can provide protection to a maximum of 70 kmph in frontal impacts and 50 kmph in side impacts (excluding impacts with obstacles such as trees or poles for which the protection is only effective for lower max. speeds. If, on the other hand, the car is struck from the rear, whiplash injuries leading to long-term impairment may occur even at impact speeds of 15-20 kmph.

[hellstar]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

That is not only highly dangerous to all but I think also unlawful. OK, Indian speed limits are ridiculously low but 180 kmph or 110 mph really is far out in dangerous territory.

yes i know that its far too dangerous and its not that i always do 180 KMP on the road , i needed to test my limits and only when i got a sufficiently safe stretch of road. (Please read safe as " Barricaded and at an unearthly hour"). If you read on i have gone ahead to say that i wont ever do it again . But that apart maybe you should take a look at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/collec...op-speeds.html (Top Speeds!)
thread to have an idea of the speeds people touch on safe roads. I do not in anyway endorse or encourage driving at 180 KMPH continuously, but i don't find any problem doing that in a safe car and when the road condition are conducive for it.

[shebin]

HellStar,
Your Verna looks really nice,congrats.Recently i went for a long drive in mine and noticed that suspension has settled down a bit. the issue is maily above 140 km/h but we rarely do that in kerala roads.The handling also feels much better once you get used to the car.One issue i faced was the idling of the car.Without pressing accelerator the car reaches the speed 30/40kmph once you release the clutch which i found quite inconvinient and dangerous at times.Is this the case with your car too?I am wating for the next service(second) to get it rectified.If you know abt any suspension upgrades please share the info.She needs a little more firmness in handling.Adding Petes box might sort out the issues with driveability in lower gears(especially 4 and 5th) i believe.Otherwise the car is really cool and looks are aslo getting appreciated nowadays(personally i find her quite good looking).I know a lot of people who have found the car very interesting in recent times and have already booked it.I think Verna is catching up in kerala

[shatrughna]

That was a very good review with mixed reports on Verna. I own a Viva CRDi and it has clocked 60500+ today. Have already spoken to Firstchoice for selling and got a quote of 4.2 lakhs. I was seriously considering Verna CRDi SX ABS for replacement. I commute 80 kms daily to and fro work approx 25 in city conditions and 55 on highways( more open roads). Max I do on these roads till city is 120-130 mostly. On weekends I drive to any destinations just to enjoy the drive and have been very satisfied with the car. Just 2 punctures till date and one breakdown( after parking in garage- tried to run it for some reason and it didnt start- figured out- battery conked off( 11 days left in completing two years). The Exide battery that I fitted now gives a miss sometimes as I feel it has something to do with the Amps the original came with and the one this gives( original was also Exide).
Now the problem is that after reading all your reports and feedbacks- I am scared. Is this car really unstable at speeds above 130? I often drive around 150 on Baroda Ahmedabad and Mumbai- Pune Expressways and I have been so comfortable on these roads in this car. Seamless and endless power delivery. The car feels better at higher speeds. In fact so comfortable at speeds beyond 120 and pulls so nicely even in top gear.
Sam & hellstar both have mentioned that the car doesnt inspire confidence at higher speeds. These roads have fair share of small bumps/ uneven surfaces and turns and ups and downs and considering my needs/ hobbies- things I like to do, do you still suggest that I should go for Verna in exchange for Viva CRDi- I am losing almost 3 lakhs here ( purchased Jan 2005 for 7.2) and 2lakhs ( total 5) in DP for Verna .
But I love to upgrade to a car which is better than Viva CRDi in all repsects- including handling and stability at high speeds.

Featurewise - I like Verna coz of 2 din, ABS and disc( all four) and driver seat height.

Have been postponing Pete's for Viva an Mags too and 130/110 rally( I have a pairs- but didnt want to touch the wirings due to warranty issue) but in this new car - I would luv to do everything- Pete's , Mags- & tyres upgrade - for ride handling and performance- no comfort( unlike Sam) , so please, give your advise.

1. Should I look at some other car?- Can stretch budget just a bit more and all that comes to mind is - Skoda Rider, Magnum( TCDi) and nothing else but I would luv to a performing car with good FE and Verna is best in these aspects.
2. In case, no then which is meeting most of the requirements , in you opinion.
3. Please, recommend tyre upgrade with rims( the best options for Performance and handling). I have read various threads and posts on this. Still a customised!! reply for me will be highly appreciated.
4. Pete's after how much mileage?
5.Ceramic holders and relay is must with Rally 130/110?
thanks.

[extreme_torque]

19 kmpl is pretty darn good mileage for this engine! Hell it even betters the FIAT's small wonder.

[hellstar]

hi shatrughna and shebin , please find my responses in bold

Originally Posted by shatrughna

Now the problem is that after reading all your reports and feedbacks- I am scared.

I think that the new Vernas are much better behaved especially the SX Version with ABS and Rear Discs, so i think you fear should get settled !

Originally Posted by shatrughna

1. Should I look at some other car?- Can stretch budget just a bit more and all that comes to mind is - Skoda Rider, Magnum( TCDi) and nothing else but I would luv to a performing car with good FE and Verna is best in these aspects.

Magnum is good choice , but i dont see too many of these around. I see a lot of Verna s on my long drive for instance my wife kept count and we ran into about 35 different vernas in 350 Odd Kms i covered from chennai to Bangalore yesterday , the Verna tribe is definitely growing !

Originally Posted by shatrughna

3. Please, recommend tyre upgrade with rims( the best options for Performance and handling). I have read various threads and posts on this. Still a customised!! reply for me will be highly appreciated.

i think the best upgrade is to 185/65 with minimum effect on the odo reading and speedo. Alloys is a matter of personal choice but let me advise you against the Alloys that you get from Hyundai, they are over priced and the design options are limited

Originally Posted by shatrughna

4. Pete's after how much mileage?

Safe after 5K IMHO, but you can talk to Peter of Petes himself and find out you can get his contact information from his website

Originally Posted by shatrughna

5.Ceramic holders and relay is must with Rally 130/110? thanks.

Absolutely yes , on long drive these have proven to be life savers for me many a times,

Originally Posted by shebin

One issue i faced was the idling of the car.Without pressing accelerator the car reaches the speed 30/40kmph once you release the clutch which i found quite inconvinient and dangerous at times. Is this the case with your car too?

I agree i had similar concerns, but a visit to the A.S.S resolved this for me, thats what i have done.

Originally Posted by shebin

If you know abt any suspension upgrades please share the info.She needs a little more firmness in handling

..Yep she sure needs it i believe that Peter of Pete's fame is working on that.

Originally Posted by shebin

I know a lot of people who have found the car very interesting in recent times and have already booked it.I think Verna is catching up in kerala

It sure is pal , sure is...

[DWind]

Hi,

I own a Verna SX with ABS, for the last 4 months and 10500 kms already I must say I am very satisfied with this beast. With regard to Shatrughan's concern of stability at 140 kmph, I feel the problem is not that grave as you feel it would be. I for one am very satisfied with ABS on the car.
This is based on the incident which happened on my trip to Chennai and back from Mysore on the GQ last weekend. All of a sudden an earthmover tries to cross the road when the road is pitch dark after a fresh bought of rains near Sriperambadur. I usually do not drive cars in high beam and was able to make out the outline only at the last moment. I slammed on the brakes and ABS did the rest in making sure I stopped the car some 10 metres before the shocked driver on the earthmover.
Any way if you still doubt, please do a test drive before buying. I am sure the ABS with fatter tyres (I have upgraded to 195/60 XM1) would be able to redress the problem to an extent. But would definitely like the ride to be a bit more firm. I am currently trying various settings with respect to air pressure (increase by a couple of more psi than the company recommended 30 which I find too soft for Highway driving) on my car. Hope this improves the handling a bit more.

Cheers!
~DWind