With the launch of the Yaris, Toyota has finally entered the midsize sedan segment in India which comprises of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid. Although we have already done a spec comparison of the Yaris with its rivals, we thought the Hyundai Verna, one of the best equipped cars in the segment, required special attention considering that the Yaris is feature loaded too. So here is how these two midsize sedans stack up against each other on paper.
The Yaris is taller and marginally wider (1mm), though.
The Verna’s boot is bigger, albeit marginally (4 litres).
The Toyota Yaris sits lower as well, but the ground clearance is adequate to cross medium-sized speed breakers without scraping its underbelly.
Engines
Since the Yaris is only available in a petrol avatar, we have left the diesel Verna out of this spec comparison.
The 1.6-litre petrol engine of the Verna is the most powerful in the entire midsize sedan segment. And even though the Yaris’ engine is 15PS short of the Verna’s, it doesn’t feel underpowered either on the highway or in the city.
Both cars come with automatic options. While the Yaris gets a CVT with paddle shifters, the Verna comes with a 6-speed torque converter.
Features
The Toyota Yaris scores high when it comes to standard features in its base-spec J variant.
On the other hand, the 1.4-litre engine-equipped E variant of the Hyundai Verna gets the following features:
The base-spec Yaris seems to be a better value for money car than the base Verna. Why, you ask? Well, for approximately Rs 75,000 extra for the Yaris’ entry-level variant you get a few more features than even the mid-spec EX variant of the Verna.
Top-spec features
With most features covered in the base-spec variant, the Yaris gets more segment-firsts in its top-spec VX variant.
Flashy: The top-spec Yaris gets a gesture controlled 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) and LED line guide in the rear split lamps and projector headlamps. However, a sunroof would have served as the perfect icing on the cake.
Comfort: 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, roof-mounted rear AC vents, dual rear power sockets, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry, cruise control, paddle shifters (in automatic variant) and push-button start/stop are offered in the top-spec variant of the Toyota Yaris. The missing telescopic-adjustable steering would have added more convenience for the driver.
Safety: The biggest ace up the Yaris’ sleeve is safety tech. Front parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring system, all-four disc brakes, hill start assist control, vehicle stability control, auto headlamps, rear defogger and speed-sensing and impact-sensing auto door lock/unlock are on offer along with the standard 7 airbags and ABS.
Launched in September last year, the Hyundai Verna too packs in a good number of goodies in its top-end variant. Here’s what it gets:
Flashy: LED DRLs, LED tail lamps, 16-inch diamond cut alloys, Auto Link (connected car technology) and electric sunroof really make the Verna look appealing.
Comfort: The top-spec Verna gets ventilated seats, push-button start/stop, rear AC vents, tilt-adjustable steering, cruise control and 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Like the Yaris, the Hyundai too misses out on the telescopic-adjustable steering.
Safety: The Hyundai Verna is equipped with a decent list of safety features which includes 6 airbags, reverse parking sensors, rear camera with dynamic guidelines, speed sensing and impact sensing auto door lock/unlock and auto headlamps.
On the feature front too, the Yaris has an edge, considering the long list of safety and other segment-first features. If we compare the top-spec manual variants, the Yaris costs Rs 1.46 lakh more than the Verna. We think the premium is justified as the Yaris feels a lot more desirable as a complete package.
Price
The prices of the Toyota Yaris start from Rs 8.75 lakh and go up to Rs 14.07 lakh, whereas the Hyundai Verna is priced between Rs 7.79 lakh and Rs 12.56 lakh (both prices ex-showroom India).
Here’s the variant-wise prices of the Yaris and the Verna, starting with the manual variants.
Automatic variants price of the Toyota Yaris and the Hyundai Verna:
Source: CarDekho.com
