[rajandroid]

I look like a loyalist but I'm actually not because when I'm paying lakhs from my pocket, I have to consider VFM and an experience. I look like a loyalist because my first car was Hyundai Santro which I bought on 18th January 2001, the next one was Getz Prime 1.3 which I bought on 1st Feb 2008 and now I have this Hyundai Verna. I still have my Santro and Getz so I have three Hyundais.

My wife gave me green flag to buy a new car in March (Around 15L budget) so I started looking around and here are the cars I'd tried and why I rejected them:
1. Chevy Cruze: Loved the stance and power of this car but the problem is that I got two different vehicles for test drive and both had issues. One had problem with gearbox and the other one had problem with window controls. It was annoying to see that these sort of cars are being sent to the potential buyers. Lag issue was also evident so I skipped it.

2. Vento: Nice look (Might look boring to some but I'm a sucker for European design), nice drive quality but almost naked in terms of features. I drive in the city usually and not more than 700 KM per month so I'm not too obsessed with diesel but I still kept this in my list.

3. Honda City: WHAT A CAR!!! Everything great except that pretty much everyone owns it but still arrow head design, color choices, interior is still contemporary. Top in my list.

4. Fiat Linea TJet: Except the look, didn't like much about it.

5. Manza: Too boring for my taste.

The going Verna was not even in my list as it's too dull and boring.
Then I started reading about Hyundai Concept RB and I loved the way it looked. I had seen some accent hatchbacks in USA which were good but RB was much better. Since I know the guy at Hyundai, I called him to check for that and he said that he had no news for the same. I kept waiting and then one fine day, I got call from Hyundai showroom that they had started the booking for new Fluidic Verna so I went ahead and confirm those guys to book a car for me and Hyundai didn't charge even a single penny and booked which was phenomenal for me. Only one question...which model Sir and I said Petrol top most whatever it is. I knew new Ford Fiesta was coming but I had my cards open.

On 8th May 2011, I was called for preview and test drive and it was something I was dying to do. I reached Talwar Hyundai where my Hyundai guy Satya was waiting for me. The color on display was a purple color which was sporty but still not of my choice (I prefer Red btw) so I asked Satya to give me red and here came my first surprise...No Red Sir!!! WTH, why not red??? He had no reason for the same so I asked him the choice of colors and he came with surprise after surprise....all boring colors except Black. I asked him to give me black and he said....Sir, Black will come after two weeks so I said ok and let's go for a drive.

Test Drive: I loved the look of the car and specially the side profile is one to die for. I moved around the car and loved everything about it. I sat inside and the front seat was ready to hug me. The car on display was SX (not O) so it had fabric seats. I was being an expert on the car and was explaining every feature to my wife like rear camera, chilled glove box, hands free phone, sliding arm rest cum storing pocket, motorized OVRM etc. I didn't need to check the rear seat as we are a family of three only and my kid is just 8 yrs. I checked the boot and it was sufficient enough to put occasional shopping stuff.
I took it on the road and was really happy to feel the silence in the cabin and whatever engine noise was coming was giving me a good feeling. I took it for 9 KM drive and found that steering had almost no connection with tires which is a bad thing if you are hit highways too often but I'm not that one and suspension was too soft which again gave a sort of wobbling effect to the car on high speed but not much on the front seats. I found the lighter steering a boon as Hyderabad traffic is miserable and quick lane changing is required all the time. The entire driving experience was quite comfortable and never I felt even a bit stressed (Not even on one of the most crowded road) so features plus good driving experience was a perfect deal for me. That's when I realized what all Honda City was missing so I had to call Honda and confirm that I was not buying their car because I'm a gadget freak and love pleasant driving within the city and Honda guy guessed it right that I went for new Fluidic Verna.

13th May was the official launch of the car and I was called to do all the formalities for booking my black Verna. I went to the showroom and saw an all new silver car parked there and WOW.....first time ever in my life I fell for Silver color. I asked Satya if I could get that and he confirmed that I could take it the day later i.e. on 14th May and man, I was jumping as probably mine was one of the first five Verna in Hyderabad.

I went to Talwar Hyundai on 14th May at 4 o' clock which was confirmed by Hyundai guys. Formalities...formalities...formalities and then a surprise again when Satya came to me and told me that they have only one petrol SX (O) in silver and that's booked so it's not possible and I had to wait for four weeks for that color but Satya also confirmed that he was trying to confirm and minutes later he came with his other colleague who also tried to tell me the same thing. That's when I had to be rigid and I told them that I'm coming to Hyundai 2nd time (Santro was bought in Delhi) and I helped them sell 5 other cars (i10 and i20s) so I was not going to tolerate and ready to go for new Ford Fiesta...it was enough and Satya came to me in 2 minutes confirming that the silver SX(O) is mine because booking wise I was much before in the list.

Anyway, then again there were some formalities and finally I got my car key. I was greeted by the Showroom Manager and then they called one expert to demonstrate all the features of the car which he did nicely but couldn't pair my phone with bluetooth and then I took charge and happily did it without much hassle.

Satya promised me free teflon coating, flood mats, window films, car cover and Ganesh idol and he kept his promise. With much fanfare, few clicks, chocolate box gift from showroom manager, balloons in the car and VIP like applause I drove the car out on the road. I got it for 10.72 Lakhs OTR (Paid 18K extra as it's not my first car).

I could immediately see all the good things in the O version of SX as it had super nice leather upholstery, keyless entry and 16" alloy tires. Loved them all. I took it to the temple and saw three Hyundai cars and mine was the only one everybody was staring at.
Next one two weeks were full of onlookers. I remember going to a plush restaurant and when parking guy brought my car and I was busy talking to my guests, I saw people gathering around the car and admiring all the curves and look and I knew all were appreciating because I could hear all those wow, ahhh things and when I opened my car to get in, people again said wow when the car gently greeted us. There had been times when people kept on looking at the car even on the roads and one guy came to me asking about all the details of the car etc and then he said that he had bought Vento few days back.

There had been some issues also like glove box and the armrest controls are not illuminated which is not good considering the fact that all those are there in my Getz also. The plastic quality of glove box is also inferior to Getz but that's it...everything else is just great.

Now, it's been 2 months and I got my first service done recently on 9th July and it was handled professionally . I've driven 1400 KM so far and each day has been fun. I feel relaxed and driving is never stressful. I've got used to of feedback less steering (probably because I play a lot of games) and tried 170 speed on the outer ring road of Hyderabad. It was definitely not full of confidence but I'm sure that I can push it further with greater confidence soon. Generally I'm driving in the city and getting an average of 11+ (Verna shows this also but I measured manually) which is pretty decent for me. I find absolutely no fault in this car except non illuminating glove box and armrest controls if you drive in the city too much and in crowded city, this car is a boon. Extensively using bluetooth phone, Aux/USB, chilled glove box (For keeping chocolates) and gear indicator in the instrument cluster which keeps my fuel efficient driving on check. There's no scratch on the car so far which shows that it can be maneuvered pretty easily in crowded streets of Hyderabad. Auto climate control works like a charm. Engine is peppy and zooms past pretty much all the cars, gearshift is superb and effortless. I developed one good habit of using OVRM (not all the time though) but since it's motorized, I keep on opening and closing as needed but before this, I never used to use them as it required manual adjustment etc.

On 9th July itself I got a call from Ford asking me to attend Fiesta unveiling and I attended that, had a look at the car but not fitted to my taste. Asked the guy to give me TD which he arranged after checking with the big bosses and liked the handling but I found it more highway vehicle as gearshift was not as effortless as it's in Verna, pedals are very tight and absolutely nagging problem in the engine so I got doubly sure and proud of my decision to go with Hyundai again. Now call me loyalist

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Reports section. Thanks for sharing!

[EARTHed]

Congrats on the fantastic purchase! Ford has surely lost it by the pathetic pricing!

Originally Posted by rajandroid

4. Fiat Linea TJet: Except the look, didn't like much about it.

[aaren]

Congrats on buying the Fluidic Verna !!

a. How are you or your family members finding the back seats ? Are they comfortable?
b. Can 5 adults be seated in relative comfort ? This may not be able to accommodate 5 folks like Manza, however.


Looking forward to your experiences and reports.

Wishing many miles of smiles and happy and safe driving.

[bluevolt]

Congratulations on your brand new fluidic Verna. It's already raining Vernas on team-bhp. A great car now available with killer looks.

Please do update the thread with more pictures and servicing experience.

Wishing you happy and safe driving.

[charthom]

Congrats rajandroid,for the stunner in silver.

You are very lucky- got the car immediately upon launching. It must have been a great feeling.

Enjoy your new beauty,and please post plenty of interior pictures.

Your SE is a gem- offering so many freebies for the blisteringly hot new comer!!

BTW,my favourite colours for ANHV are grey and the purple you did not like- hope you don't mind

Cheers,charthom.

[an10]

Congratulations !!

Verna is surely a great package and hyundai has taken the game to the next level by introducing lot of first in segment features.

[CRtorquefan]

Congratulation raj alot on buying the New Verna 1.6 VTVT petrol.
You're really the one who've chosen the New Verna petrol over the Superb Honda City, what's the different things you've typically seen & thought for this decision(Please don't mind as I'm asking this positively).
Anyways, Do update us with its Fuel efficiency & Performance reports from time to time.
Good luck & Have a happy motoring.

[sachinj12]

Congrats on your car. Wishing you many more happy miles with it.

Can you post about the drive characteristics,your likes and dislikes? It would be helpful for others who are considering the ANHV.

[shk 8896]

Congrats on the verna petrol.Looks nice and stunning .The Verna looks much bigger when compared to Honda City.Yours is the third Verna on board on TBHP.Post more pics of the car.
Drive safe
Sreehari

[hdnivara]

Many congrats man
Side profile is to die for with those 16 inchers and the clean looking alloys!
Couple of quickies: Is the A-pillar creating any hindrance towards the visibility? and do we get rear AC vents?

[rajandroid]

Originally Posted by hdnivara

Many congrats man
Side profile is to die for with those 16 inchers and the clean looking alloys!
Couple of quickies: Is the A-pillar creating any hindrance towards the visibility? and do we get rear AC vents?

Thanks, yes it's a deadly looker.
I didn't face any hindrance so far (2 months of driving now) and you don't get rear AC vents.

[rajandroid]

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

Congratulation raj alot on buying the New Verna 1.6 VTVT petrol.
You're really the one who've chosen the New Verna petrol over the Superb Honda City, what's the different things you've typically seen & thought for this decision(Please don't mind as I'm asking this positively).
Anyways, Do update us with its Fuel efficiency & Performance reports from time to time.
Good luck & Have a happy motoring.

Thanks!! I mentioned in my review that I almost got sold for Honda City but Verna too me was very practical city driving car with absolutely new look and lot of gadgetry to die for. Honda City looks naked if we start comparing the features ANHV offers but yes, Honda has better ride quality but Verna seemed a lot effortless to me.

[rajandroid]

Originally Posted by charthom

Congrats rajandroid,for the stunner in silver.

You are very lucky- got the car immediately upon launching. It must have been a great feeling.

Enjoy your new beauty,and please post plenty of interior pictures.

Your SE is a gem- offering so many freebies for the blisteringly hot new comer!!

BTW,my favourite colours for ANHV are grey and the purple you did not like- hope you don't mind

Cheers,charthom.

Choice of color is surely in the eyes of beholder. I loved purple at first sight but I could see it fading (love for it) as the time passes. My wife just loved it in purple so nothing to mind here really.

[Delhiwarrior]

Congrats Rajandroid!

The car looks absolutely stunning! I agree with EARTHed, Ford has got the pricing completely wrong.

Would appreciate some more pictures of your beauty, especially the interiors.

Again, congratulations