[Amey]

Today, another diesel member joined the family on the occasion of my Dad's B'day.
A brief history,
Back in 2007 I got the Swift VDi as my daily drive while the Octy TDi was Dad's Daily drive. It was not long before Dad realized that even he needed a small car to drive around in the city when he used the Swift a couple of times and realized the sheer peace of mind of driving around a hatch in city.
Hence began the search and since Dad wasn't too pleased with the Swift's necessity for frequent shifting to keep it in the power band, it was important to find him something more meaty and it had to be a diesel since he is a diesel fanboy
In comes the Getz CRDi, the worthy contender and in 2009 it joined the family and has been Dad's daily drive ever since. Thanks to its humongous torque, it shamelessly spoilt my dad.He got addicted to the torque which also meant minimal shifting.
Now after 3 years, it was time to find a replacement. In the mean time I had changed my daily drive from the Swift to the Vento.
History repeated itself, he observed the practicality of a compact sedan over a hatch but still wanted a hatch.
So the hunt began,that's fine. Problem was fulfilling all the prerequisites set by Dad.
This is the conversation regarding this,
Dad: Look, here is what I need, It has to be a hatch,diesel,ABS+Airbags,torquey like the Getz, That's all.
Me: That's all! seriously ?
Dad: I don't know, find me such a car.Period.
Me: Yeah Right!

Probable contenders were, I20 CRDi, new Swift ZDi, Nissan Micra D, Renault Pulse D, Considered Liva but canned it.
Honestly, I didn't have too many options. Also all these models would end up in the range of 8L or above range. mentally I wasnt prepared to put down that kind of money for a hatch. 6-7L max but anything beyond that seems unjustified atleast to me.
So I thought, why not the Vento again ? So the suggestion was presented, which was immediately thrashed by Dad,stating Its too big, I won't drive in the City.
I told him, 90% of the time you are driven around by a chauffeur and for the remaining 10% the Getz is still there so what's your problem?
He knew I had a point so although reluctantly, he agreed. Then Mom jumps into the conversation, "Not another Vento,find something else!."
So the search continued and I stumbled upon the Rapid which all of us liked and were almost about to buy it but then I remembered all the Skoda horror stories. and then thought, "I have to take care of maintenance of all cars and I do not want to land into trouble with Skoda. Luckily my stint with the Octy was trouble free but who knows, with the Rapid, it MIGHT not be."

So the hunt continued, next on the contender list were, Cruze & Verna. I had test driven the Cruze and found it too cramped from inside so wasn't really keen to go for it.
Zeroed in on the Verna.
Went with dad to check it out and have a TD. Luckily he was impressed with it, What a relief! Phew!
What followed is quite obvious.

Got the delivery 2 days back but since Dad's birthday was just around the corner, decided to wait and do the Pooja today and start using it.
So here we are!








Now, Observations,Impressions and so on...

Exterior - In my opinion, the New Verna is the best looking sedan in it's segment. Hyundai has come up with a really smart looking sedan,infact all their current offerings are smart looking, take the new i20 or the new Elantra or Sonata. I like the Vento for its classic and understated lines but you look at the Verna and get a feeling, now this is smart!
I love the looks,plain and simple.

Interior - Even when I had the Swift and Getz, it was pretty evident that the Getz had much better fit and finish and the quality of interiors too was far superior compared to the swift. The Verna is no exception, it just is so well made, it has a premium car feel and I like it. Sadly this is lacking in the vento, its just too bland and plasticky, a boring car to be in actually.
The Verna has much better seats compared to the Getz but still they are not even close to that of the Vento.Hyundai should look into this asap.The front seats are acceptable but the rear bench needs some serious redesigning. Hyundai, crack the whip on your Ergonomics Dept. Learn a few things from the Europeans,please!

Engine,Gearbox - Like previous Hyundai CRDi units, this one too is pretty impressive. Crank it up and you can immediately tell that it is a very refined motor unlike the Vento's. The 6 speed transmission is pretty slick. Has decent ratios which achieve a good balance between city driveability and highway cruising. The power delivery feels mature and nicely spread over the power band.The Vento on the other hand,though a bit crude can be an animal if you want it to be.
Gear shifting is pretty smooth,clutch is light which is extremely helpful in city driving.

Suspension/Handling/Ride Quality - The suspension is soft, clearly tuned for comfort and not handling. Driving around in the city is a such a joy,especially on broken roads. Things change dramatically when you start speeding up a bit. It is not at all confidence inspiring in my opinion.Maybe its just me but that's how it is. The Vento on the other hand is eager to be thrown around corners and has much much better high speed behavior. I guess there is always a compromise that needs to be done when it comes to handling and ride quality. Let's just say the Vento and Verna sit at opposite sides of the spectrum.I will seriously consider stiffer shocks or springs if something is available, it's that soft.

Stock ICE - I was pretty impressed with the quality of the stock ICE.Correct me if I am wrong but I think lately manufacturers are giving decent stock ICE. I observed the same in m Ritz ZXi. I was sorely disappointed with the Punto 90 HP stock ICE in fellow BHpian, Dhaval's car.
I upgraded the ICE anyway since I had the old stuff from the Getz at my disposal.

Some other points -
1) You get all 5 alloys, impressive
2) I guess the only sedan to sport a 6-speed transmission in the segment ?
3) Swapped the stock Bridgestone B250 tyres to 205/55/R16 Continental Contact Premium2
4) Parking sensors and Reverse Camera is a nice addition which is useful.

Will add more points and pics later on,That's all for now.

Before signing off, Decided to click a few more snaps since I was at it anyway,
Here is a Family Picture

[F150]

Congratulations Amey !
What was the OTR Price in PUNE ?
I read that you felt cruze was cramped, I am sure for its price and not in comparison with the verna.
How does your Dad like the driving position ? Is it too low ?
XUV was never in contention because it is easy to walk in to a SUV than to crouch in to a low slung sedan ?

OFFTOPIC: Was there an ownership thread for the VENTO ?

[Amey]

Originally Posted by F150

Congratulations Amey !
What was the OTR Price in PUNE ?
I read that you felt cruze was cramped, I am sure for its price and not in comparison with the verna.
How does your Dad like the driving position ? Is it too low ?
XUV was never in contention because it is easy to walk in to a SUV than to crouch in to a low slung sedan ?

OFFTOPIC: Was there an ownership thread for the VENTO ?

Thanks
Yes, for the price, not in comparison with the Verna.
He is pretty ok with the driving position.He is used to driving the 5 which is much lower so this isn't much of an issue.
XUV is a helluva package but I am still skeptical because Mahindra is known to make UV and XUV is stuffed with electronics and that scares me. Not sure if their service network is capable enough to handle hi tech stuff.
Also XUV is BIG and becomes clumsy in the city if it is to be a daily drive.
Next buy would be a SUV for sure, not sure when and which though.
I don't know whether I posted one for the Vento.

[S@ndy]

Congrats on your acquisition! Even I am a proud owner of Fluidic Verna and drive it more than my XUV and Eon. It's punchy engine and refined diesel are absolutely fantastic! Moreover, It's quite a looker as well! I agree it's suspension is too soft to enjoy it around corners but it's straight line stability are very good. Even I feel the stock ICE to be good enough without any need to upgrade. I also have an SX and it is very nicely equipped with all 4 discs (segment first! correct me if I'm wrong). White and silver colours look dashing on this car.

P.S. I see that you were considering cars from D1 Segment as well. Why didn't you consider Elantra and Jetta? Elantra is also a looker and comes loaded to brim with features while Jetta is a European car having tank like build which I feel, is nearly on par with Elantra and Laura in this segment (No offense to owners of other D-Segment cars).

Keep revvin'
S@ndy

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by Amey

Dad: Look, here is what I need, It has to be a hatch,diesel


thrashed by Dad,stating Its too big, I won't drive in the City.

Congrats for the new possession.
How did your dad agree for Verna when it is as long as Vento, probably because you could not find a hatch matching his requirements.

Before finalizing Verna Fludic CRDI, I was in fact searching for a hatch with power & refinement of Verna. i-20 was close, but old i-20 was known for poor AC, steering rattling etc, which seems to have been taken care of in new i-20 fluidic. I think, the current i-20 diesel is the hatch which is closest to Verna CRDI in terms of power, refinement & drivability.

I feel if a hatch is close to a sedan in above parameters, it is wiser to go for a hatch because of it's sheer practicality, lesser length, more cargo taking ability with rear seats folded etc. But unfortunately, no such hatch is available at the moment. Fiesta hatch may become one once launched.

Wish you & your dad miles of enjoyable motoring with the new Verna.

Thanks

[Amey]

Originally Posted by S@ndy

Congrats on your acquisition! Even I am a proud owner of Fluidic Verna and drive it more than my XUV and Eon. It's punchy engine and refined diesel are absolutely fantastic! Moreover, It's quite a looker as well! I agree it's suspension is too soft to enjoy it around corners but it's straight line stability are very good. Even I feel the stock ICE to be good enough without any need to upgrade. I also have an SX and it is very nicely equipped with all 4 discs (segment first! correct me if I'm wrong). White and silver colours look dashing on this car.

P.S. I see that you were considering cars from D1 Segment as well. Why didn't you consider Elantra and Jetta? Elantra is also a looker and comes loaded to brim with features while Jetta is a European car having tank like build which I feel, is nearly on par with Elantra and Laura in this segment (No offense to owners of other D-Segment cars).

Keep revvin'
S@ndy

Well I had given the Cruze just a passing thought but never really considered it to be a REAL contender. I was searching for a Hatch and upped the budget for a sedan and to consider Cruze/Laura/Jetta would have meant increasing my budget even more,almost making it twice which I didn't want to do.
Saving up for the next purchase, which mostly should be some decent SUV

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Congrats for the new possession.
How did your dad agree for Verna when it is as long as Vento, probably because you could not find a hatch matching his requirements.

Before finalizing Verna Fludic CRDI, I was in fact searching for a hatch with power & refinement of Verna. i-20 was close, but old i-20 was known for poor AC, steering rattling etc, which seems to have been taken care of in new i-20 fluidic. I think, the current i-20 diesel is the hatch which is closest to Verna CRDI in terms of power, refinement & drivability.

I feel if a hatch is close to a sedan in above parameters, it is wiser to go for a hatch because of it's sheer practicality, lesser length, more cargo taking ability with rear seats folded etc. But unfortunately, no such hatch is available at the moment. Fiesta hatch may become one once launched.

Wish you & your dad miles of enjoyable motoring with the new Verna.

Thanks

He agreed for the Verna because there just isn't a Hatch which matched all his requirements, the ones that came close were 8L or more, Already have a Vento so didn't make sense to buy another, Rapid being a Skoda was a risky choice so you see the Verna seemed to be the best option overall,that's why he agreed and also, he liked the car.

[GTO]

Congrats Amey!

The Sunny taught me that it's not necessary for every car in the house to be a hard driver's car. Light, fuss-free cars rock in a daily usage pattern. They are immensely practical to use in the city.

Quite a garage you are building up. Awesome modified Lancer, Vento TDI (all-rounder from the C2 segment), Getz CRDi (most torquey hatch till date) and the beautiful 525.

Drive safe.

[W.A.G.7]

Congrats! Already seen the pics on your FB profile. Nice complete family of cars now. What SUV are you planning next ?

[Swanand Inamdar]

Saw the family pic on FB, and now it all makes sense .
Congrats on the buy. Yes, even I believe that the Fluidic Verna is probably the best looking sedan, in its class.

Its right to say that the Vento and Verna sit on the oppostite ends of the spectrum. One's a driver's car, and the other's a "driver" car .

As GTO said, thats one impressive garage! All white? (of course leaving the awesome Lancer).

[vkaul1]

Congrats on the Verna Amey.

I agree it is one of the most loaded & smart looking cars in that segment. Yes it might not inspire a great degree of confidence at high speeds but then you were not looking for that as an attribute - it was meant to be a city car. And in that area it trumps up in aces.

Any incidents of bottoming out? With 3 - 4 people on board; unless you are careful & dead slow - my friend's Verna does scrape the belly at places which the Vento sails with aplomb.

The family pic looks v nice. Quite a garage you have there

Drive Safe.

[Omtoatom]

Congratulations Amey. The Fluidic Verna will be a nice addition to your already formidable garage. Even we have the 1.6 diesel Verna in the family and it has become quite the city workhorse. One good-lookin' loaded fella too. Ideal for a city car.

Originally Posted by Amey

Here is a Family Picture

That's one heck of a stable you got there buddy. Can't help but drool at the gorgeous F10. One of my dream cars!

[kumar_ranjan]

Originally Posted by Amey

Here is a Family Picture

Congrats Amey and great to see your "Family" grow