[gopa99]

I was waiting for the review and pictures of this launch for some days now. Thanks for the nice review.
Though styling has taken a upbeat on the front, the rear is a utter disappointment.
I wonder why Hyundai exposed the new exciting front with a bland rear and thus spoilt a welcome change which could have been planned for the Verna. This looks like a half done, piece meal approach.

[drhoneycake]

Great review S2. Spot on.

IMHO the older Verna looks much better than this new confusing design (mix of so many of its rivals). Infact the older Verna is still a looker than many of its C2-segment rivals (not cause I own one). If I saw this in my rear view mirror, I'd mistake this for a Toyota. They should've have made the face similar to how they did with the Elite i20. That car is a looker.

Also what's with Hyundai dropping features on every facelift ?? No rear discs ?? Also shocking is the fact that they still don't provide rear ac vents, a sunroof etc. but the prices just keep soaring.

Untill the next-gen Verna rolls out, I think it's still gonna be a fight between the City and the CiaZ.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

Playing the devil's advocate, I do not understand the hue and cry regarding the omission of rear disc brakes. As a positive, the review says that ABS is now offered across the range, which is actually a welcome move.

True. And S2!!! also tried panic braking. He didn't face any issues.

The real problem is giving something, then taking it away. If the Verna never had rear disc brakes, no one would have complained. But once you give a feature, it's surely going to be missed if withdrawn.

Originally Posted by Carpainter

Just for info, I think City doesn't have touch screen system. Only the ACC has feather touch operation. Ciaz has touch screen audio only on the ZXi+ trim.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

It is NOT a touch screen for the second time! That 5" display is a non-touchscreen one.

Thanks! Correction made. We depend on feedback from good fellows like you to keep our reviews accurate

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Just to give a few examples, Honda city used to have rear adjustable neck restraints, Wagon R used to have smoother 4-cylinder engines, the older Dzire used to have better handling, and Swift used to have bigger rear windows. But that is history, no point brooding over it

[AtheK]

I don't get the obsession with mid life make over, they hardly ever add anything of value(this being the case) and usually bumps the price of the car a bit. I still don't see a reason how many would want to switch from a city/ciaz to this new facelifted verna(which hardly looks any different from the previous gen)

At the least Hyundai could have introduced a couple of new exclusive colors, atleast that might have just helped.

[tifosiboy]

Excellent review!!!
But I am disappointed. Was expecting some more mechanical updates such as a 6 speed automatic transmission. Is it better than the previous version YES. As a potential car buyer of this segment would I buy it, NO. It simply isn't a convincing alternative to the City especially given the prices they charge.
I am not sure of the cars positioning as well it doesn't appeal to self driven owners nor to chauffeur driven owners.
Don't see it selling in better numbers honestly. VWs facelift to the Vento did not boost it sales too much either. Guess the car buying public is obsessed with the City and Ciaz only.
Also, Is it just me or should car makers seriously reconsider pricing differentials between petrol and diesel versions given that fuel price difference is coming down.

[Captain Slow]

Good review as always.
S2, Mods who did the review.

These tweaks are in the form of wider coil springs, stiffer dampers (with a low velocity control valve) as well as a 'bump stopper' to counter the thud noise. Have these worked? To sum it up - Yes

Any Snaps of the Suspension / underbody?

True but providing ABS and removing disc brakes at the rear is plane stupid. They should have kept both!

Reason for ditching Disc brakes for drums is obvious - COST CUTTING!

Disc brakes are expensive compared to drums.

Second reason - When you provide discs at the rear they also need a smaller set of drum brakes which work as the parking/hand brake.

Using drum breaks eliminates the need for a secondary set for the parking/hand brake.
The Drums act as the rear brakes and also the parking/hand brake.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

Second reason - When you provide discs at the rear they also need a smaller set of drum brakes which work as the parking/hand brake.

Using drum breaks eliminates the need for a secondary set for the parking/hand brake.
The Drums act as the rear brakes and also the parking/hand brake.

With rear disc brakes, the parking brake does not work this way. The caliper has a corkscrew kind of device which pushes the piston to the brake pads when the cable is pulled once the handbrake is engaged.

Check out this image:


Source: Google Images

But where did you get this info from? As in, smaller set of drum + discs at the rear.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

In case you don't know what to do when the 'diesel contamination symbol' crops up on the instrument console, here are the instructions.

Good that the sticker is present to educate the owner and also give a solution if the light crops up but what I feel is the sticker should have had the "Indicator" too beside the test so the owner can relate and understand better.

It will be easily understood that the warning lamp means "Water in fuel filter" rather searching the owners manual what the icon means.

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

With rear disc brakes, the parking brake does not work this way. The caliper has a corkscrew kind of device which pushes the piston to the brake pads when the cable is pulled once the handbrake is engaged.



But where did you get this info from? As in, smaller set of drum + discs at the rear.

Gannu, Off topic here but
Most cars have a separate Drum set for the parking brakes. This usually sits behind the rear discs.
If Remember correctly the old verna also had this.



this is how it is on the Mitsubishi cars, BMW's and several others.

Notice the set of small brake shoes behind the Disc rotors?


Its the same even on a Volvo XC90

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK7kDYrxKU4

And a Sante Fe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbF2MnQcn50

Having a separate set of drums has proven to be safer, if there is a brake fluid leak your calipers will be useless.
This acts like a small redundancy for emergencies.

P.s
Even the BMW E90 has a set drums at the rear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTkWIAy4Q9w

[Sheel]

Everyone applauded the Fluidic Verna when it was launched. I have seen people turning around to have a look at it in its honeymoon (launch) period.

The bad thing with over the top style/design element is, whenever its next iteration with neutral design or toned down (universally appealing) design is launched, the earlier variant starts to appear as dull.

If you park this 4S Verna and the Fluidic Verna side by side, to me it will appear that the Fluidic one is trying too hard to impress. Of course I am no Tamburini but my views as far as style/design elements go.

I prefer this over the erstwhile Verna or the current gen i20 over the mid-life updated i20 (with DRL's)

Good to see Hyundai slowly but steadily getting its act together on ride and handling front. They anyway have very good diesel engines.

[sudeep.pandya]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Good that the sticker is present to educate the owner and also give a solution if the light crops up but what I feel is the sticker should have had the "Indicator" too beside the test so the owner can relate and understand better.



It will be easily understood that the warning lamp means "Water in fuel filter" rather searching the owners manual what the icon means.

It was always present even in the first generation.

[hillsnrains]

Thanks S2 for great review
Big let down by Hyundai and missed a golden chance to compete with City/Ciaz. According to me pricing strategy is very bad to say hte least. Hyundai priced 4S Verna as it is a brand new product. Mid life facelift does not deserve this steep pricing and will not help in any way to pull the prospective customers from City, Ciaz and other competitors.

Diesel 4 speed AT pricing is just ridiculous. Vento with 7 speed DSG costs 11.53L (Ex. Delhi) where as Verna with mediocre 4 speed AT costs 12.19L (Ex. Delhi). The extra features Verna offering like additional airbags, start/stop button does not justify ~70K premium.

[Maverick1977]

With the launch of this New Verna, Hyundai seem to be following the unwritten rule of 'If it ain't broken, don't fix it'. The earlier Verna was doing decent numbers and it took the might of the Honda to evict it from its numero uno position. Given the long waiting time for the City might actually end up benefiting the Verna to some extent. Also there could be quite a few people who would have waited for the new Verna to be launched.
I have one grouse against Hyundai with this launch. When the launched the new i20 a few months back they made many significant changes with the new one. Agreed that they removed safety features (which honestly am not sure how many actual owners would even notice, let alone bother), DRL's (yes a lot did notice this but I feel this was never the deal clincher so not much damage done). However they have added plenty of features that were absent in the earlier car.
Whats surprising for me is that a lot of features which are there on the new i20 are missing on the new Verna.

Lets say if 'You' were in the market for a new car and had to choose between the New Verna or the i20, which would you go for? My answer would be:
i20 - If gadgets and gizmos play a very important part of my car buying process and it is mostly going to be driven in the city and a boot is NOT a must have for me.
Verna - The much more powerful engines, boot space an important priority and of course the (false) status of 'I have arrived' in buying a 3 box car.

Would be glad to hear thoughts from other also on this.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Maverick1977

Would be glad to hear thoughts from other also on this.

Good points. I always have supported Hyundai because since the time they came to India they have believed in the philosophy of upgrading and improving their models atleast every year. Their cars also had fuel-efficient decent engines with refined sophisticated design. Their entry caught Suzuki, Honda and Toyota off-guard and before they knew it Honda+Toyota were demolished in India by Hyundai due to the sheer number of features & practicality their cars offered. Suzuki too were nervous for the first time ever, they thought Daewoo and GM came & went, so will Hyundai. In terms of vfm a Hyundai beat VW/Skoda whilst being almost as safe (early i20's/Verna had 6 airbag variants, 4 discs & ABS). Technology+ value were always weapons Hyundai used to tempt a buyer to go their side. Their vehicles are also solidly reliable compared to some Euro brands.

Its this same confidence that has taken them to No.2 spot, and its this same over-confidence that can cut them down a couple notches if they aren't cautious. Safety features are being cut down/not being made standard. For eg., rear wipers+washers are only reserved for top variants of hatches, so are ABS/Airbags, 1 driver airbag option is stopped largely, front bumper base impact rubber guards, rear adjustable headrest are removed etc etc. In the meantime VW/Skoda who also tried offering cars with zero features have stepped up their game to play catch up, as have Honda & Suzuki. Suzuki will be the leader for a long time as long as they make miniscule facelifts now & then.

VW group whose first line of engines were a joke from the scrawny 3 cyl engines to a PD engine that lasted only weeks, have gone to presently the best line of engines with a 1.2 7 speed turbo and a 1.5 manual diesel. Hyundai must urgently bring the 6 speed autobox into Verna & i20 & also bring back the airbags, proper spec tyres and comfort features (like fully lit power window switches, glovebox lights, closable mirrors in sun visor, full armrest etc etc). Their current suspension setup is no-good, urgent overhaul needed. The company may think these things do not matter but then why provide them in the first place only to delete them later?

[vsrivatsa]

Very good review indeed and as others have called out this possibly does nothing to unsettle the 2014 City or the Ciaz

One of the reasons for me to not choose Verna was the issue with the car scraping the bottom often on the unscientific speed breakers in and around Bangalore. Has anyone tried this or know if anything in this area has been done/fixed in this 2015 release?

I know that the 2014 release also did few things in this direction but the problem still existed with respect to the bottom getting scraped often.