2023 Hyundai Verna First Drive Review - Sharp Suited Finger To The SUV Sheep

oi-Dennis Abraham James

By Dennis Abraham James

Published: Thursday, March 30, 2023, 12:40 [IST]

The sedan segment has been on the decline in India for quite a while now as car buyers across the country have shifted their focus onto the higher (slightly) riding SUVs to ferry their families around.

The shift to SUVs has been so significant that the arrival of a new sedan is something that happens maybe once in a blue moon. Thankfully, that rare event recently happened when Hyundai launched the all-new Verna in Delhi earlier this month.

What emerged from under the covers was the sixth-generation Hyundai Verna, an edgy and futuristic car that looks to remind the nation about just how 'cool' sedans really are.

So when the South Korean carmaker invited us to the national capital to take the 2023 Hyundai Verna out for a drive, we jumped at the opportunity. So just what did our stint with the all-new Hyundai Verna tells us about this futuristic fighter flying the flag for the sedan in India? Here are our thoughts...

2023 Hyundai Verna Design & Features - Sharp Edged Fighter

One glance at the 2023 Hyundai Verna shows you just how much the sedan has changed from its previous iteration. The sixth-gen Verna has ditched the curves of its predecessor and has instead adopted a sharp and edgy look that looks ready to slice through its rivals.

The 2023 Verna adopts Hyundai's Sensuous Sportiness design language that we've seen in the Korean carmaker's SUVs like the Alcazar, Tucson and the recently launched Ioniq 5 EV. The transformation of the new Verna thanks to this sporty new take on design is as dramatic if not more than what we saw on Hyundai SUVs. The new Verna is edgy and loud and looks like it came from a time a few decades into the future.

This edgy new design is best viewed at the front of the sixth-gen Hyundai Verna. Like its SUV siblings, the new Verna sports a split headlight design and the front end of the sedan is dominated by the connected LED daytime running light strip that runs across its width.

The actual headlights and cornering lights are seen lower down on the front end of the car and flank the upper edges of the blacked-out parametric grille that is now a signature design piece for new Hyundai cars.

Turbo petrol variants feature a smaller horizontal air intake above the parametric grille and the Hyundai badge can be seen on the bonnet which features a few raised lines that increase the sporty nature of the new Verna.

Switch over the sides of the new Verna and your eyes are drawn toward the fastback-style roof of the sedan. The new Verna rides on either 15 or 16-inch wheels depending on the variant chosen which also determines whether they are finished in silver or black.

Also seen are quite a few Z-shaped character lines which add to the sporty nature of the 2023 Hyundai Verna. There is also quite a bit of chrome around the windows which is also seen on the door handles.

Switch to the rear of the new Verna and the fastback-style roof smoothly flows into the boot. The connected LED taillights feature an embedded Verna logo and look rather futuristic.

Above the taillights sits the large Hyundai logo while the variant badging can be found on the lower right side of the boot lid. The rear bumper also features a patterned segment that adds to the premium look of the 2023 Hyundai Verna.

The spring-loaded boot lid of the Verna opens up to allow access to a large 528-litre boot which gobbles up all you'll need for weekend road trips with ease.

Step inside the new Hyundai Verna and you'll be greeted by a rather minimalistic interior which gives the new sedan a rather premium look.

While the Verna variants equipped with the naturally aspirated engine get a dual-tone theme, the versions with the new turbo-petrol engine feature a more sporty black theme with a host of red accents on the dash and doors.

The layered dash is dominated by a pair of 10.25-inch displays. The one behind the steering wheel acts as a display for the instrumentation. The other display is a touchscreen unit for the infotainment system that supports both Android Auto and Apple Car Play and acts as a hub for Hyundai's Bluelink connected car features.

The infotainment setup is connected to an 8-unit Bose surround sound system (7 speakers and a subwoofer) which will make bass heads around the country bounce about in their seats as their tunes drop the beat.

Underneath the infotainment display and the vents below it sits the controls for the automatic climate control system that features three different modes - low, medium and high. There is also another button on this setup which when pressed allows you to control the functions of either the climate control setup or the infotainment system, which we found to be a rather clever touch.

The cabin itself is rather spacious and there is more than enough room for even the taller personalities to sit quite comfortably at the rear which is thanks to the new Verna's extended wheelbase (70mm longer than its predecessor).

The seats themselves feature leatherette upholstery and offer ample support. The front seats are both heated and ventilated and the powered driver's seat along with the tilt and telescopic adjustment for the steering allows those in control to find the perfect driving position with ease.

Other features on the new Verna include a large, electrically operated panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting with 64 different colour options, a cooled glovebox, and leatherette wraps for the two-spoke steering wheel and gear lever.

In terms of safety features, the 2023 Hyundai Verna comes packed with a boatload of kit to keep those inside safe including 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, VSM, Traction Control, TPMS and ISOFIX along with an array of ADAS features like Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, High-Beam Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist among others.

2023 Hyundai Verna Specs & Dimensions - A Larger Cutting Edge

The 2023 Hyundai Verna is a lot larger than its predecessor. The new Verna sedan is 4,535mm long, 1,765mm wide and 1,475mm tall. The wheelbase of the new Verna is 2,670mm long. The new Verna offers 170m of ground clearance which is more than adequate for our roads.

The new 2023 Verna is 95mm longer and 36mm wider than the car it replaces and it features a 70mm longer wheelbase.

The new Hyundai Verna is offered up with two petrol engine options, both displacing 1.5 litres each. The naturally aspirated engine is something previous Verna owners will be very familiar with. The engine produces 113bhp and 144Nm of peak torque and comes paired with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or Hyundai's Intelligent Variable Transmission (automatic).

The second engine option is the newer 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine which pushes out 158bhp and 253Nm of peak torque. The engine is paired with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed DCT automatic.

As stated earlier, the new 2023 Verna rides on either 15 or 16-inch wheels that are shod with 185/65 R15 and 205/55 R16 tyres respectively. The new Hyundai Verna features a McPherson strut with a coil spring setup at the front while the rear end features a coupled torsion beam axle.

The new Verna's braking duties are handled by discs at the front and drums at the rear except for the top-spec turbo DCT model which gets disc brakes all around.

2023 Hyundai Verna Driving Impressions - Soft Turbo Scimitar

We got behind the wheel of the new Verna with the 1.5-litre turbocharged engine that has been recently seen on the new Alcazar SUV. This turbocharged engine, claims Hyundai, is the most powerful in its class.

Under the bonnet of the Verna, the engine features a tiny bit of lag but once spooled up delivers quite a bit of mid and top-end grunt that propels you triple digits in no time at all.

For the enthusiasts, this engine is best paired up with a 6-speed manual gearbox which features short throws and paired with a smooth and light clutch is quite easy to use even in stop-and-go traffic.

For those looking for a good mix of comfort and fun, the DCT is the option to go for. The 7-speed dual-clutch box is a slick shifter and will easily go down a few gears in quick succession if you get a bit heavy with your right foot. And it also allows you to shift through the gears manually with the steering-mounted paddle shifters.

The new Verna comes with three driving modes - Eco, Normal and Sport. A button next to the gearstick allows you to switch between the three options.

Eco is best left for the hypermilers willing to put up with a slightly lazy throttle response while Sport is for those who prefer to sprint to wherever they want to go and don't care about the fuel bills. For the City, we would recommend 'Normal' as it allows for a good mix of both extremes.

The steering of the Verna is properly weighted - neither too light nor too heavy - and responds quickly to your inputs. Switching lanes is effortless and the blind spot monitoring system keeps an eye out for any lurkers hiding behind.

However, don't go chasing corners with the Verna as the soft suspension setup means that you experience quite a bit of body roll when you push it around a bend.

While the softer setup is good for traversing over the bumps and ruts (which the Verna does without much fuss), a slightly stiffer setup would have made the new sedan a better all-rounder. Oh well, we can always wait for the N-Line for a bit more fun.

Final Thoughts On The 2023 Hyundai Verna - Not For the SUV Sheeple

The 2023 Hyundai Verna looks like it dropped off from the future to give the sedan the kick up the rear end it needs to combat the menace of the SUVs. As an overall package, the sixth-gen Hyundai Verna ticks off all the boxes, though enthusiastic drivers will have to wait for a future N-Line (please do it, Hyundai) version.

So if the SUV is not your cup of tea and you want something that will make heads turn wherever you go, the 2023 Hyundai Verna with its starting price of Rs 10.99 lakh (ex-showroom), may just be what the doctor ordered for you.