The new Verna will the most powerful sedan in its class with its new 1.5 turbo-petrol engine.
In the lead up to the global debut of the all-new Hyundai Verna on March 21, information about the upcoming sedan has been trickling out over the past few weeks. The company recently revealed the dimensions of the new Verna, and unsurprisingly, it is significantly larger than its predecessor. Previously, Hyundai had also revealed the powertrain details of the upcoming sedan.
But how does it compare to its stablemates – the Maruti Ciaz, Skoda Slavia, Volkswagen Virtus and Honda City? Well, let’s find out how the new Verna stacks up against its rivals on paper.
- Verna is larger than predecessor, but smaller than rivals
- Gets the most powerful turbo-petrol engine in its class
- All sedans are now petrol or petrol-hybrid; none offer a diesel
Hyundai Verna vs rivals: dimensions
| Hyundai Verna vs rivals: dimensions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Verna | Old Verna | Virtus | Slavia | City | Ciaz | |
| Length | 4535mm | 4440mm | 4561mm | 4541mm | 4583mm | 4490mm |
| Width | 1765mm | 1729mm | 1752mm | 1752mm | 1748mm | 1730mm |
| Height | 1475mm | 1475mm | 1507mm | 1507mm | 1489mm | 1485mm |
| Wheelbase | 2670mm | 2600mm | 2651mm | 2651mm | 2600mm | 2650mm |
| Wheel size | 16-inch | 16-inch | 16-inch | 16-inch | 16-inch | 16-inch |
| Boot Capacity | 528-litres | 480-litres | 521-litres | 521-litres | 506-litres | 510-litres |
The new Hyundai Verna measures 4,535mm long, 1,765mm wide, 1,475mm high and has a wheelbase of 2,670mm. This makes it larger than its predecessor in almost every aspect – it’s 95mm longer, 36mm wider, the wheelbase is 70mm longer, although the height remains unchanged.
It, however, is still not the largest sedan in its class in every measure. The Virtus, Slavia and City are all longer than the Verna, while the Ciaz is the shortest sedan here. The Verna is also the most low-slung as all other sedans are taller too. Where it does have an edge over its rivals is with its best-in-class wheelbase that should translate to good interior space. And while its predecessor was the narrowest sedan in the class, the new Verna is now the widest.
As far as wheel size is concerned, all sedans ride on 16-inch alloys in their top-spec trim. The new Verna also has the largest boot capacity in its class.
Hyundai Verna vs rivals: engine and gearbox
| Hyundai Verna vs rivals: entry-level engines | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verna | Virtus | Slavia | City | Ciaz | |
| Type | 4 cyls, NA petrol | 3 cyls, turbo-petrol | 3 cyls, turbo-petrol | 4 cyls, NA petrol | 4 cyls, NA petrol |
| Displacement | 1497cc | 999cc | 999cc | 1498cc | 1462cc |
| Power | 115hp | 115hp | 115hp | 121hp | 105hp |
| Torque | 144Nm | 175Nm | 175Nm | 145Nm | 138Nm |
| MT gearbox | 6-speed MT | 6-speed MT | 6-speed MT | 6-speed MT | 5-speed MT |
| AT gearbox | 8-step CVT | 6-speed torque converter | 6-speed torque converter | 7-step CVT | 4-speed torque converter |
Hyundai will be offering two petrol engines on the new Verna – the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine has been carried over as is, and is offered with either a 6-speed manual or a CVT gearbox. There’s also an all-new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that will be offered with either the 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT gearbox.
In this segment, the Ciaz and the City are also offered with 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engines. The Ciaz has the lowest power and torque outputs, and while the Verna and City are almost identical on torque, the City has the edge for being the most powerful. Do note that this is also the only engine option on the Ciaz whereas all other sedans have two.
The Virtus and Slavia, meanwhile, get 1.0-litre turbo-petrol units as the entry-level engines. The Verna matches them on power, but it’s considerably down on torque due to the lack of a turbocharger. The City is still the most powerful of the lot. All sedans get both manual and automatic (CVT/torque converter) gearbox options, but the Ciaz’s 4-speed torque converter is quite archaic in this comparison.
| Hyundai Verna vs rivals: higher-spec engines | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verna | Virtus | Slavia | City | |
| Type | 4 cyls, turbo-petrol | 4 cyls, turbo-petrol | 4 cyls, turbo-petrol | 4 cyls, NA petrol-hybrid |
| Displacement | 1482cc | 1498cc | 1498cc | 1498cc, two electric motors |
| Power | 160hp | 150hp | 150hp | 126hp |
| Torque | 253Nm | 250Nm | 250Nm | 253Nm |
| MT gearbox | 6-speed MT | – | 6-speed MT | – |
| AT gearbox | 7-speed DCT | 7-speed DCT | 7-speed DCT | e-CVT |
Moving on to their higher-spec engines – excluding the Ciaz – the Verna, Virtus and Slavia get 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo petrol engines, while the City, uniquely, gets a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol-hybrid. The Virtus and Slavia have, so far, held the crown for having the most powerful and exciting engines in the segment, but the new Verna takes it a notch higher with class-leading 160hp and 253Nm output figures. The City Hybrid, meanwhile, running the more efficient Atkinson cycle, is a fair bit down on total power (although torque matches the Verna) and is clearly geared towards efficiency.
With the higher-spec engines, only the Verna and Slavia are offered with both manual and automatic gearboxes, while the Virtus misses out on a manual. The City Hybrid, meanwhile, gets an e-CVT transmission that’s unique to the hybrid engine.
While specs on paper are one thing, it remains to be seen how the new Verna compares against its rivals in the real world. Pricing will also be a key factor in how the Verna stacks up against its rivals, which brings us to the question: do you think Hyundai will be able to price the new Verna aggressively given all the advances it has made over its predecessor? Let us know in the comments below.
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