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Upgraded from old Fluidic Verna to 2023 Verna Turbo DCT: Pros & cons

12th September 2023, 12:43 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

Before finalising this car, I did take a test drive of the Honda City Hybrid and the VW Virtus GT.

BHPian amg5610 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Greetings fellow BHPians, This is Aravinth. I'm a final-year Automobile Engineering student from Chennai. I have been an avid reader of member content for quite some time and have been wanting to start writing myself so here we go...

Mine is a 2023 Verna Turbo SX(O) DCT in a rather beautiful shade of Starry Night, Fondly named it Syska… (Hint - Tube Light DRL bar joke). Took delivery of the car in the 2nd week of April, making it one of the first customer cars to be delivered in the city. Have been daily driving it for the past couple of months including some long drives twice to Pondicherry & once to Kodaikanal giving me a fair bit of time & experience with the car to gather my thoughts.

My previous car was a 2012 Fluidic Verna VTVT in a pretty shade of Purple Fantasia, in which I learnt to drive a few years back and had a lot of memories with in the 11 years we (my parents) owned it. That is the car that made me switch from a front-seat passenger to a driver-seat addict and for that reason, it has a sweet spot in my heart.

So, let me begin with the buying decision.

The new car bug bit me after spending a couple of years behind the wheel of the fluidic Verna and given we had it for over a decade it was a logical decision to go for an upgrade. I personally am a very big fan of sedans, SUVs especially the midsize ones weren't my thing albeit being the trending segment in the market.

Our first car was again a Hyundai, a 2006 Santro Xing XP and I have always pursued Hyundai as an upmarket VFM money brand growing up and hence we upgraded from the Santro for the then-new Fluidic Verna. So it was logical to again look into Hyundai for the next upgrade and the obvious step-up would have been Creta or Seltos given the D-segment sedans are basically extinct in the country. But both of these really didn't have an impact on me.

It was late 2022 when the buzz started around the sedan segment with the launch of German twins and the Japanese hybrid. I explored hybrid as an option with the City EHEV and even took a test drive but again didn't leave an impact on me due to a variety of reasons including the significant price bump for a strong hybrid, maintenance costs and the reliability of the setup considering it is in its nascent stages, at least in India. I didn't think it was worth the step into the unknown.

A few months passed and it was Dec'22 when I landed an internship at HMIL, Sriperumbudur as part of my curriculum. That was the first time I set eyes on the upcoming Verna being tested around the manufacturing facility in its camouflage avatar and it got me really excited and kept on pestering the employees about the details and specs of the car but as they should, they didn't reveal much but I got up close with the car staring at it multiple times when I was at Hyundai. I followed all the news and the design sketches that came out before the launch and that is when the decision for an upgrade started to become more concrete at least in my mind. I even watched the livestream of the launch event for the first time ever. I insisted my parents spend countless hours reading articles and watching videos about the car and we finally made the booking soon after the launch.

I also test-drove the Virtus GT before making the decision and though it excelled in some aspects compared to the Verna, I strongly felt and I can now say with confidence that Verna is the best all-rounder in the segment and one of the best choices under 25L.

Let me conclude this post with a few pros and cons according to me, predominantly in comparison to my previous Verna and the Virtus GT.

PROS

Right balance between comfort and performance in terms of ride, handling and performance.
ADAS as an assistance is a big boon on the highways especially for me as my daily route includes a fair bit of proper NH. I was skeptical at the start but it has become better now as I have a fair idea of how to use and trust it.
Much better DLO compared to old Verna and the rear seats have been an instant hit with my parents.
Suspension has been set in a sweet spot, not as floaty as the previous Verna nor as stiff as the Virtus GT (My parents particularly felt it was too stiff and lacked rear seat comfort).
Infotainment system and the Bose speakers work well and get the job done and it is the best stock setup in the segment.
Drive modes actually make a difference w.r.t throttle response, power delivery and steering feedback.
Fantastic sync between the engine and the DCT gearbox. It is butter smooth, seamlessly working its way through the gears and the addition of paddles is a cherry on top.

CONS

Steering feedback and accuracy is a bit of a bummer as compared to Virtus GT, I can't describe that feeling but it was really good but miles better than the previous Verna.
Headlight positioning is a bit too low for my liking, it took me some time to get used to it and the throw could have been better. I suspect an upgrade will involve pulling the entire unit out and replacing it instead of just changing the light bulbs inside. Cornering lamps work as a treat I must insist.
Turbo pull is a bit linear, I expected it to feel more dramatic but there is no doubt that it gathers pace effortlessly and reaches triple-digit speeds in no time.
I got used to wireless Android Auto through an infotainment system upgrade in the old Verna but the new one misses out on it. Now I just connect Bluetooth for media and connect wired AA when I require Google Maps. I can't seem to trust Hyundai maps entirely.
Creep function of the gearbox could have been stronger, it would have served well in traffic without people behind honking continuously.

Let me conclude my post on a positive note with a few images of Syska from a few months back.