[over.drive]

Hey all,


Finally, after a six month long wait my Fluidic Verna 1.6 CRDI SX is home now. I had booked the car with Hilton Motors, Trivandrum on June 8. I had decided to sell off my five year old Honda Civic and get a diesel sedan. The cars short listed were Vento, Cruze AT and Jetta.

I was really looking forward to buying Cruze AT, but horrible resale value was a big concern, especially so since I would keep the car only for a maximum of 2-3 years. Jetta was about to be replaced back then, so it did not make sense to go for it. Vento was nice, but looked too plain jane for my liking (especially the interiors). I already own a Skoda Laura 1.9TDI so did not want to buy another Laura.

Initially, I did not even want to check out the new Verna. I was thinking, the new car is a successor to the Verna Transform and it would be not be much different from the old car. Personally, I prefer looks of the original Verna to that of the Transform. Then one day it so happened that we were passing by the Hyundai showroom and I saw this lovely looking Sedan on display. Stopped the car immediately and went into the showroom. I was seeing Fluidic Verna for the first time. The first thing you notice when you see the car is that it is bigger than the previous generation Verna and with the new Fluidic design it looks absolutely stunning. I spent a good 15 minutes just admiring the exteriors of the car. There is nothing Verna Transformish about the new Verna. It is a complete departure from the last generation Verna in almost every aspect.

The sales staff at the showroom gave more details on the car. The new Verna kept surprising me with its long equipment list and stunning looks. The car is no doubt a really great ‘Value for Money’ car in this segment. It has features that can put cars even in the higher segments to shame. The 1.6 CRDI engine with 128PS of power and a claimed fuel efficiency of 22 Km/l seemed to be a very good option too. All that combined with the Hyundai A** and comparatively higher resale value prospect made it a very attractive package.

Test Drive:

Without wasting any time I requested for a test drive. The sales executive asked me to wait for 5 minutes. He called back a car that had just left the showroom for test drive to a customer’s place. The car arrived at the showroom in a few minutes. I hopped into the driver’s seat of the car and familiarized myself with the controls and equipment on board. Adjusted the mirrors, seats and steering to a comfortable position, which was pretty easy to do, and cranked the engine on. First thing you notice is that the car is super silent. It’s really quiet in the cabin. I remember asking the Sales Executive if that was a petrol or diesel car. Started with the drive slowly and gave it throttle increase whenever I found an empty stretch of road. However, I could not drive the car above 80km/h due to traffic conditions. But the drive was good enough to get a feel of the car. The ride is really smooth, thanks to the soft suspension setup. I found the brakes to be good too. Performance wise, I was expecting more from the car. I was driving the 1.6 CRDI SX (O) variant with 128ps of power and to me it did not feel that powerful. I am not saying performance was bad, but I was expecting more. A big plus, is the small or negligible turbo-lag which makes the new Verna very drivable in city traffic. I used to have a Hyundai Elantra before and it was so hard to drive it in city traffic due to the turbo lag.


All in all, I was very impressed with the car and paid the advance booking amount. I booked a Stone Beige color 1.6 CRDi SX variant. Crystal White was my first choice but later changed to Stone Beige because our Laura is white in color too. I do not like darker colors, though some of the dark colors really suit Verna well. I was promised delivery within 45 days. Little did I know then that I would have to wait for over half a year for the car. Delay in arrival and problems with the dealership staff is a long story altogether. I’ll put it up later if you want me to.

Delivery:

We had confirmed delivery on 14th at 4.30PM in the evening with the sales executive. Reached the showroom at 4.10 PM. Sales executive said the vehicle is sent for wash and will be there soon. We were made to wait till 5.45PM for the vehicle. They were proving again and again how unprofessional their showroom personnel were. Anyways, did not want to spoil the joyful moment by arguing with them, so kept mum. The car finally arrived and good lord it looked stunning. Checked everything as per the PDI checklist, completed the paper work, photo session etc etc and drove the car home.

Initial Impressions:

Fluidic Verna is a lovely package. Have driven it just for 100kms so far, mostly in the city. As mentioned earlier, the car is easy to drive in city traffic. The clutch is really light and easy on your foot. Gear shifting is also very smooth and easy, requires much less effort when compared to my Laura. Handling at high speeds is something which has been a concern for a lot of owners and potential buyers. To be really honest, it is not that bad and should not be a deal breaker. Personally for me, I would not push any car beyond 140 or 150 Km/H on Kerala highways owing to the poor road conditions here. Obviously, handling at high speeds is nowhere as good as that of Skoda or even the old Elantra, but should not be cause of major concern if you do not drive over 120 Km/H frequently. It gets a bit scary beyond those speeds and the light steering does not help either. I really wish Hyundai could do something about this, because other than this issue, the car performs very well and I think the 1.6 CRDI engine is a gem. I wonder how many people would really opt for the 1.4L engine given the fact that the difference in fuel efficiency is not much (2-3 Km/L). In slow moving city traffic conditions the MID shows a display of 11-13 Km/L which increases to 14-16 Km/L as traffic is less. Driving on the highway with a heavy foot I got 17-19 Km/L. I am very sure this car can easily give a fuel efficiency of 20-22Km/L on the highway if driven with a light foot. I have not done many highway runs yet, but will try to drive it with a light foot and see what figures the car returns.

I was reading the Official New Car thread for thread for the Verna and I found someone post about some tweaks to the suspension that can be done to improve the handling. Is that true? Has anyone done that?

Overall, I am really happy with the car and I really do recommend it to people who are looking for a car in the C segment.

Below are some things I have noted about on the car:

- The car is a stunner and turns a lot of heads on the roads. It is raining Vernas here, but there is no doubt that the car grabs a lot of attention.

- The white and blue backlit instrument cluster looks really neat and is practical. Everything is readable and easy to use. MID displays information like Distance to Empty, Real Time Km/L, Gear Selector, Trip Meters, Odometer etc.

- Headlight is powerful enough and provides adequate visibility at night. But, I will not be surprised if I see people upgrading to more powerful lights. Love those L-Shaped fog lamps. Adds to the appeal, not very practical though.

- The gear change indicator that suggests gear changes from the MID in the dash is a nice addition, but I do not think most drivers would be looking at the MID for gear change suggestions or at least I do not. It is one of those features that you can brag to others about.

- OE Audio System quality is average. Some of my friends said it is good. But nowhere as good as the one you get in Skoda. To be fair Skoda cars fall in a segment above. I have not heard the audio system in Vento or City so cannot compare. Audiophiles may need to go in for speaker upgrade.

- The seats are cushiony and comfortable. The fabric seats that come with the SX variant can get dirty fast though. Height adjustable headrests are provided in the back seats as well.

- Camera display on the rear view mirror is a really good feature and first in its segment I think. It is very useful feature especially because of the high rear window and headrests.

- Horn of the car is weak and does not suit the car at all. An upgrade is highly recommended.

- Electrically retracting side mirrors are a big boon especially in city traffic.

- 16” alloy wheels look good. The SX variant comes with 195/R55 tires. Adds to the visual appeal and performance.

I have bought the following extras:

- Beige seat covers

- New floor mats (The ones from Hyundai look cheap)

- ROOTS Skoda/Volkswagen like horn

- Light black film for side and rear windows

I might upgrade to component speakers in the front at a later stage. Attached are some pics taken on my mobile cam. Will post more and better pics soon. Let me know guys if you liked or hated my initial review or if I have left out something important. Feel free to ask any questions you have regarding the car. Merry X’Mas and a happy new year to all!

[volkman10]

Congrats on owning the 'current largest seller' in the C segment!

Wishing your happy ownership and awaiting more pics of the interiors!

Cheers!

[JustCause]

Congrats on your Verna. It fits your needs to the T. Wishing you many happy miles.

[over.drive]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Congrats on the car!

Thanks Rudra !!!

Originally Posted by JustCause

Congrats on your Verna. It fits your needs to the T. Wishing you many happy miles.

Thank JustCause!!!

Originally Posted by volkman10

Congrats on owning the 'current largest seller' in the C segment!

Wishing your happy ownership and awaiting more pics of the interiors!

Cheers!

Thanks volkman. Will post more quality pics soon.

[GTO]

Thread moved to the Initial ownerships forum. Thanks for sharing!

[SDP]

over.drive, congratulations for the Fluidic Verna. Its definitely a stunner in that colour. For a mobile-cam, the pics are of super quality.

I like the design of the fogs on the F-Verna. Would have never imagined a design like this would have reached the production version from the concept version. Kudos to Hyundai for that!

Enjoy and drive safe .
Please post a lots of interior pics soon.

[newcoolgadgets]

Congratulations on your Verna! I am very tempted to replace my 2009 Verna with the Fluidic Verna. I am yet to take a test ride of the fluidic Verna, but I am sure the extra 18 horses make it even more of a brute! You will be surprised by the fuel economy of the Verna; it is one of the major reasons why I chose the Verna two years ago. Enjoy your car, and do post some pictures of the interior and the equipment, especially the rear view camera in action.

[mayankjha1806]

Thats a stunning looking Verna you have there. It sure does turn heads where ever it goes. Congratulations. Wish you many many happy miles with it.

Skoda i think comes fitted with Bose, i am sure if you get some better fancy speakers it would be closer to what you would get on Skoda. Also did you already changed the horn, is it that bad that it warrants change immediately?

[ghodlur]

@over.drive,

Congratulations on the new Verna, Its a real headturner allright. Have seen many of them on the Thane roads and everytime I see it I get more enamoured.

No wonder NDTV CNB has named Verna the "Car of the Year". BTW what was the OTR cost of the vehicle?

Happy mile crunching, drive safely. Do post some interior pics too.

[bigron]

Congratulations on the car. One of the better ones we have on our roads. Some interior pictures would be good too. Ride Safe.

[_raVan_]

Congratulations on your Verna Which variant did you opt for?

I suppose you went for Verna MT inspite of looking at Cruze AT. Didnt you give the Cruze MT another chance?

Also, do post your experiences with the dealer with all the details. It will help fellow bhpians and future buyers.

[over.drive]

Originally Posted by SDP

over.drive, congratulations for the Fluidic Verna. Its definitely a stunner in that colour. For a mobile-cam, the pics are of super quality.

I like the design of the fogs on the F-Verna. Would have never imagined a design like this would have reached the production version from the concept version. Kudos to Hyundai for that!

Enjoy and drive safe .
Please post a lots of interior pics soon.

Thanks SDP. I never thought Hyundai could come out with such a good design either, which is why I did not even consider the Verna initially. But I was and still am in awe of the design.

Originally Posted by newcoolgadgets

Congratulations on your Verna! I am very tempted to replace my 2009 Verna with the Fluidic Verna. I am yet to take a test ride of the fluidic Verna, but I am sure the extra 18 horses make it even more of a brute! You will be surprised by the fuel economy of the Verna; it is one of the major reasons why I chose the Verna two years ago. Enjoy your car, and do post some pictures of the interior and the equipment, especially the rear view camera in action.

Thanks newcoolgadgets. I have never driven the original Verna before. But I have heard that the car pulls really well. I have seen some reviews online that say that the power delivery of the old Verna was more brutal than the new Verna which delivers power in a more linear way.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Thats a stunning looking Verna you have there. It sure does turn heads where ever it goes. Congratulations. Wish you many many happy miles with it.

Skoda i think comes fitted with Bose, i am sure if you get some better fancy speakers it would be closer to what you would get on Skoda. Also did you already changed the horn, is it that bad that it warrants change immediately?

Thanks mayankjha1806. I have a Skoda Laura L&K and the speakers are simply amazing. The best I have heard of any car below 20L. I think 2 or 3 way component speakers should deliver better quality in the Verna.

I changed the horn to Roots Windtone. One which sounds similar to the Skoda/Volkswagen horns. Cost me Rs. 600 + wiring + installation charges

Originally Posted by ghodlur

@over.drive,

Congratulations on the new Verna, Its a real headturner allright. Have seen many of them on the Thane roads and everytime I see it I get more enamoured.

No wonder NDTV CNB has named Verna the "Car of the Year". BTW what was the OTR cost of the vehicle?

Happy mile crunching, drive safely. Do post some interior pics too.

Thanks ghodlur. Its a nice car and I am not surprised it has got over 20,000 bookings.

The car cost around 10.5L OTR here. I got the insurance done myself. Saved me over Rs.5,000. I had to pay Rs.20,000 more due to the increase in price by Hyundai during the 6 month long wait. I hear the car prices will go up by 2% in January.

Originally Posted by bigron

Congratulations on the car. One of the better ones we have on our roads. Some interior pictures would be good too. Ride Safe.

Thanks bigron. I shall post some more pics soon.

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Congratulations on your Verna Which variant did you opt for?

I suppose you went for Verna MT inspite of looking at Cruze AT. Didnt you give the Cruze MT another chance?

Also, do post your experiences with the dealer with all the details. It will help fellow bhpians and future buyers.

Thanks _raVan_. I chose the SX variant. Did not go for the SX(O) variant because the SX variant had all the features I needed and the price difference of over 1L for the other features did not make sense. I think both SX and SX (O) have SX badging on the outside. The only feature I miss from SX(O) is the push button start.

The Cruze MT had a lot of Turbo Lag and I hear it has a heavy clutch too. Makes city driving very uncomfortable. Plus I had read on mathranik's post that the Verna has Cruze like acceleration, so never considered the Cruze MT. If I ever go for Cruze, it will be the AT variant.

[CRtorquefan]

Congratulations alot over.drive for buying the New fludic Verna SX.
This car is surely making ripples across its segment & even deserves this too.

One of my friend is also having New Verna 1.6 CRDi base variant & at Highway drives he's getting 18+kmpl & is pretty satisfied with its performance too.
Good luck & Have a Happy Miles ahead.

[over.drive]

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

Congratulations alot over.drive for buying the New fludic Verna SX.
This car is surely making ripples across its segment & even deserves this too.

One of my friend is also having New Verna 1.6 CRDi base variant & at Highway drives he's getting 18+kmpl & is pretty satisfied with its performance too.
Good luck & Have a Happy Miles ahead.

Thanks CRtorquefan.
1.6 CRDi base variant is a good choice and I am also getting similar fuel efficiency figures. However, if budget permits, then SX is a slightly better option and for the price difference you get important additions like 195/55 tires instead of 185, rear view cam, an additional airbag, 16" alloy wheels etc. The price difference between base and SX is not as much as difference between SX and SX(O).