Coming Of Age

The new Hyundai Verna has grown in every aspect, but is it worth your money?

- Afzal Rawuther

A few years ago, car brands realised that people just weren't buying as many C-segment sedans as they used to. Interest had waned and a lot of buyers were opting for SUVS in the same price range. The sedans in the segment stagnated, and year-on-year sales plummeted.

It was easy to say that buyers simply didn't like sedans anymore. Last year, however, Volkswagen and Škoda identified that this wasn't the case. A few launches followed and suddenly, C-segment sedans have got even journos like yours truly buzzing with excitement. With the new Verna, Hyundai isn't the first to offer a significantly revamped package, but like it has successfully done in so many other segments, it throws everything and the kitchen sink at this attempt.

In a nutshell, the new-gen Verna looks entirely different from the outgoing model. Hyundai's 'Parametric Dynamics' design language has been implemented with a refreshing new design that stops short of being as divisive as some other Hyundai cars in the recent past. In international markets, the Sonata and Elantra have received updates that tie them closely to the Verna design-wise. In the Verna, the fussiness of the front bumper and its myriad cuts and creases is complimented by the clean line of the LED light bar, which forces the headlights and indicators to be housed lower on the bumper.

The door handles are finished in chrome, but they aren't the blingy in your face kind - more like a satin, matte-like chrome. However, the size and shape of the door handles makes them stick out and seemed like an eyesore to me (they even looked odd in the rear-view mirrors while I was driving). The wheels are 16-inch alloys but look a little smaller with the new Verna's larger dimensions - 95mm longer, 36mm wider and with a 70mm longer wheelbase over the last-gen model. Overall, this helps build that much-needed road presence.