2023 Verna 1.5L DCT test drive impressions by a Maruti Dzire owner

It's not a corner craver but again, my use case barometer was regular drives.

BHPian headbanger recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Test drove Verna DCT and frankly speaking, my first impressions post drive are more positive than I had anticipated.

The car is probably not photogenic but looks good in the flesh. It's only the front which will take a little getting used to.

The boot is huge, even bigger than the type 1 Dzire that I have. The boot layout is very good as well.

The interiors are well laid out and the choice of materials that Hyundai chooses is praiseworthy. Yes, there are hard plastics but they don't look or feel cheap. Compare this with the new Maruti/Toyota offerings and the difference is stark.

But the biggest positive was the engine. This engine is FAST. I even felt that it was overkill for Verna. The engine is refined, with no vibrations at all within the cabin and the rasping note when being pushed hard is good, not intrusive. I tried the car from 0-120 km/h in comfort and sports mode and the engine has oodles of power across the range. The sport mode will be the enthusiast's favourite. The engine just pulls and pulls insanely and left a smile on my face. Even the handling of the car felt neutral. It's not a corner craver but again, my use case barometer was regular drives.

The suspension was good for regular driving. It's not floaty or super soft. The only time you feel the softness of suspension is if you go aggressive with the car. But for regular driving, the suspension is mature.

One of the concerns I felt was that folks with motion sickness should remain away from this car. The way engine puts the power to the car, folks with motion sickness will not like it. The other point I could figure out was how low the front headlamps are. It's going to be very difficult to protect them and these would be the first impacted parts in case of a frontal impact.

All said and done, I loved the car for what it offers. Sedans are not in my next car criterion. I am waiting for this engine to come in Seltos/Creta and hopefully, this engine enters my garage.

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