The upcoming 2017 Hyundai Verna will primarily compete with its old rival, the Honda City. Hyundai has released some sketches and a teaser video of the new Verna. As the new sedan will share many features and mechanicals with the Elite i20 and the Creta, and, moreover, it has already been introduced in Russia, North America and China, we have a lot of information regarding it.
The 2017 Verna made its debut at the 2016 Chengdu Motor Show in September in China. As far as India is concerned, it is the third-gen model, but technically, it’s the fifth-gen of the Accent nameplate. The third-gen Accent was renamed as the Verna, making it the first-gen model for the Indian market.
The one that we’ll be getting was revealed in Canada (known as Accent there) and Russia (known as Solaris there) earlier this year. When compared to the Chinese version (check out the picture above), this sedan features subtle differences on the front and the rear profile. Overall, they all are more or less similar!
Launch and Bookings
Hyundai has been teasing the all-new Verna of late, hinting at its imminent launch. Although not confirmed, it is expected to be launched around mid-August. A lot of dealers have already started accepting pre-bookings for the same.
Rivals
As mentioned above, the Honda City remains its prime adversary in the mid-size sedan segment. The new Verna will also have to go head-to-head against the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Sedans from Volkswagen Group, the VW Vento and the Skoda Rapid, got major updates recently. The Skoda received a significant facelift, while the Volkswagen gained a new feature-loaded range-topping trim. This, combined with their class-leading dual-clutch automatic drivetrains, has helped the company attract a lot of customers in the segment. The Verna has to look out for them as well.
Expected Pricing
Thanks to the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (effective from July 1, 2017), the 2017 Hyundai Verna might be priced lower than the previous model! We expect Hyundai to price it in the range of Rs 7.50 - 12.50 lakh.
Current prices of the trio (ex-showroom, New Delhi)
Hyundai Verna: Rs 7.84 - 12.62 lakh
Honda City: Rs 8.62-13.71 lakh
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz: Rs 7.65 - 11.44 lakh
Dimensions
Length: 4,405mm (30mm longer than the previous model)
Width: 1,729mm (29mm wider than the previous model)
Height: 1,469mm (6mm lower than the previous model)
Wheelbase: 2,600mm (30mm increment over the previous model)
Engine and Transmission
The 2017 Verna’s engine options are likely to remain unchanged and the same set of engines – petrol (1.4-litre and 1.6-litre) and diesel (1.4-litre and 1.6-litre) – in their current state of tune are expected to be carried forward.
Petrol
1.4L: 107PS/135Nm (5-speed MT)
1.6L: 123PS/155Nm (5-speed MT/ 4-speed AT)
Diesel
1.4L: 90PS.220Nm (6-speed MT)
1.6L: 128PS/260Nm (6-speed MT/ 4-speed AT)
While a 6-speed manual is expected to be standard (at least with the 1.6-litre henceforth), the 2017 Verna is also likely to borrow the 6-speed automatic from the Creta for both of its 1.6-litre petrol and diesel motors. The new 6AT will replace the current and ancient 4-speed auto.
Variants and Features
The variant names are likely to be carried over – base, S, SX and SX(O). The Verna might get these additional goodies:
Might get bi-xenon headlamps as higher variants of the Honda City offer LED units
Daytime running LEDs and projector fog lamps
Possible LED light guides in its tail lamps like the Elantra
16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels (expected)
Hyundai’s latest 7-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Will carry over equipment list from the outgoing model with features such as passive keyless entry with engine push button start-stop, shark-fin antenna, climate control, six-airbags among others.
Source: CarDekho.com
