[RavenAvi]

Mod Note: The Verna Facelift Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!


The "fluidic" Hyundai Verna will be receiving a much-needed boost, in the form of a 2015 facelift, early next year. Motorbeam exclusively reports of sighting the Verna facelift doing the testing rounds near Chennai.

This time around, Hyundai India is supposed to be focussing more on the dynamics of the Verna and reworking it's suspension extensively, so that the resultant driving experience is more involving.

Hyundai plans to launch an update to the Verna to counter the Japanese attack and the company has just started testing the 2015 Hyundai Verna which was spotted by our reader Cibhi in Thandalam, Chennai.

The 2015 Hyundai Verna is the same car which is called Solaris in Russia and was updated recently with a new front-end design, inspired from the Sonata and Genesis. While the cosmetic changes remain minimum in other places, the front is largely different and gives the Verna a new identity.

The bigger change to the 2015 Hyundai Verna would be under the body as the company plans to extensively revise the suspension to further improve the dynamics of the car, bringing it in direct competition with its Japanese rivals. Hyundai plans to extensively test the new Verna so that it can iron out the neutral dynamics of the car in lieu of a more engaging experience.

The launch of the updated Verna will take place in the first quarter of next year.

SOURCE - MotorBeam

RELATED THREAD - Verna Facelift Spotted in China/Russia

[VeluM]

Good news that they are working on the suspension further. From the review of the new i20, they seem to be doing a fairly good job of it. That is the only thing wrong with the Verna, to be honest. It is otherwise beautifully built, has a good choice of engines (unlike most other brands that only have one option each in Petrol and Diesel at most), and has a good feature list as well including many segment firsts.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

SOURCE - MotorBeam

RELATED THREAD - Verna Facelift Spotted in China/Russia

Who writes these reviews (Motorbeam)? What the devil do they mean? It sounds like they try to use the biggest words they can possibly find in a Rapidex English Speaking coursebook.

[saadat1992]

Well, much needed change in the verna. Power without handling means nothing. I hope they do a good job & get the suspension set up well tuned.

[racer_ash]

I hope they benchmark it against popular handling cars like the VW sisters (Rapid and Vento) and more importantly with the Linea. I know they did the benchmarking of the i20 with the Polo and the Swift. So lets hope that they do a good job on this as well.

I think Hyundai still has a long way to match their competition in the handling department atleast. The elite i20 though not the benchmark in the premium hatch segment, it is a much better handling car than my 2011 pre-I-gen i20. Same with the newer iterations of Vernas. I think they need a couple of more iterations to finally match up to the European/American counterparts.

[prakhar1998]

Great Scoop that one.
Hyundai needs to work on a few aspects of the car.

First would be the suspension. Even though they did bring in a much better tuned suspension with the mid life upgrade, they need to improve if way more for it do be driver pleasing.

But, for the aam aadmi, the biggest deal breaker for the Verna has to be the backseat. It just is too unsupportive, and short on space.

Changing the design might help Hyundai gather a few more numbers, but boy has the competition caught up. The City and the Ciaz have huge waitings.

It is definitely going to be a tough task for this car, as its competitors are great cars and have huge demands.

Good luck Hyundai!

[s_pphilip]

Good news, if they can tune Verna's handling and ride to be neutral from that stomach churning ride, it gets my respect.
I believe Hyundai has come of age as they are aggressive, competitive and accept and address their flaws. It is no wonder it is among the top auto manufacturers in the world, to do that in so less time is no mean feat, deserves respect.
I expect Hyundai to do better in the coming years.

[Kappa]

The tail lamps seem to be the ones on the older Verna.
Expected new ones, but happy about the fact that Hyundai is improving the one negative side of the Verna.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

I hope everyone realises that this - below - is the new face of the Verna.

Frankly, it looks a bit like Toyota designs and I'm not impressed! The front end somehow doesn't gel with the swooping side profile.

[adimicra]

^
I too don't like the front end..is this confirmed?

Verna has 2 major problems I guess - one is the suspension which is mentioned in the article.
The 2nd problem is the backseat which is as important if not more. It is way too low and provides very less under thigh support, the windows are very high which creates the claustrophobic feeling and the sloping roof line also makes it feel cramped. Overall, it's not at all a nice place to be in. This is where it loses out to the City by a huge margin and may be to the upcoming Ciaz as well. So, unless Hyundai improves that, I don't see any significant jump in sales.

[aviator1101]

Nice to hear a good car being treated for its existing flaws in the handling department by Hyundai, but there is much more than the handling part. The rear seat gives a claustrophobic feeling. I test drove the car before finally homing on to the new Honda City and what kept me off was the back seat. Too low and cramped i felt. Hope Hyundai addresses this issue too.

[delix]

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[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

This time around, Hyundai India is supposed to be focussing more on the dynamics of the Verna and reworking it's suspension extensively, so that the resultant driving experience is more involving.

Didn't they do that already? In Autocar India's 2014 Verna review, they say:

QUOTE

One of our biggest complaints with the Verna was with its high-speed manners. For this car, Hyundai has tweaked the suspension settings and this has cured most of the old car’s nervousness at speed, its floatiness and its tendency to bottom out. The steering now also has more weight and the low-speed ride remains quite good

UNQUOTE

Source: http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-rev...-370677,2.aspx

On second thoughts, I quite like the new grille. Knowing Hyundai, the facelift will be restricted to silly things like DRLs and a different colour interior lighting.

[9thsphinx]

I like the new face since it takes cues from Hyundai's own elder siblings. It's more matured than the outgoing one. The front sharktooth fog lamps don't look out of place. I would have hoped the taillights would have been styled a bit differently (more bigger/broaded?) to blend well with the front, but assuming they are going to be LED's, that should work.

As long as Hyundai addresses the back seat under-thigh comfort and high-speed ride issue, no one would bother if they skimp on a not-so-useful feature or two, but knowing Hyundai they will probably add a couple more! That should keep them in the game.

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I hope everyone realises that this - below - is the new face of the Verna.

Frankly, it looks a bit like Toyota designs and I'm not impressed! The front end somehow doesn't gel with the swooping side profile.

Attachment 1288915

Am so with you on this one! Park this next to a corolla and you would easily think there are 2 toyotas.

One word for the looks - Boring. The current Verna when launched in 2011 was radical departure from the ridiculous looking Verna-Transform and its predecessor that we had to live with since 2009 i think.

This 2015 one, instead of improving the design simply makes it lose the stand-out looks.

[JediKnight]

Apart from the suspension the other major flaw in the Verna is the poor rear seat. It is not spacious, in both width and leg room. Also the hip point is too low. Gives the rear passengers a claustrophobic hemmed in feel. This a fundamental flaw and cannot be covered by adding more gizmos. Rear seat is important for most Indian families. Honda ( City ) and Maruti ( Ciaz ) have realized this.