Hyundai’s Verna has never been the ‘star car’ for the Korean giant in India. The first-generation Verna was not able to create great ripples , although there were people who appreciated Hyundai’s effort. And their appreciation was the drive that kept the Verna rolling in India. Over the years the company tried various upgrades and trims to attract customers , but it did not work quite well. Simultaneously , the competition became tougher and the Verna was not able to face the heat from its rivals. As they say , a true fighter never gives up , and so Hyundai returned with a completely new ‘Fluidic’ Verna. It looks better , is available with an array of new engines and transmissions and is also priced aggressively. So is the CRDi variant capable of challenging the Volkswagen Vento? Let’s find out.

Looks: Outside and Inside

One look at both the cars under consideration here and there won’t be any doubt in your mind about which looks better. The new Verna is the icing on the cake in that department. Hyundai have applied their new ‘Fluidic Design’ philosophy , which we first witnessed on the new i10. The bold front end with its up-swept headlamps and aggressive grille looks very contemporary and the rear styling accentuates class , something that was missing in the earlier version. The silhouette of the car is very modern and fresh and will appeal more to the young generation. On the other hand , the Vento has a tried and tested design that has worked very well for VW. The exterior of the Vento is much subtler than the Verna’s and it looks mature in comparison. The Vento appeals more to the mature , sophisticated and no-nonsense kind of folk. The same can be said of the interior. It is a little too simple , but , all the same , it proclaims quality and top-notch fit-and-finish. The Verna has a fun cabin. The new dashboard and centre console with a lot of buttons and a decent display look funky. However , the quality and fit-and-finish are not as good as the Vento’s.

The Heart: Engine and Transmission

Both the cars are equipped with a 1.6-litre common rail diesel motor. However , the Verna churns out more power and torque compared to the Vento. The Verna produces 128 PS at 4 , 000 rpm and 260 Nm at 1 , 900-2 , 750 rpm. The Vento , on the other hand , produces 105 PS at 4 , 400 rpm and 250 Nm at 1 , 500-2 , 500 rpm. Thus the Verna has an edge over the Vento in the power department. Though the Vento has a great engine , the Verna unit feels more refined. The power difference is not the only factor. The transmission on the Verna also gets an extra cog whereas the Vento’s engine is mated to a five-speed gearbox. Both the transmissions are smooth and deliver good driveability in each gear.

The Drive: Performance , Handling And Fuel-efficiency

Now the Verna has a clear advantage over the Vento in the top end , because this Hyundai has more power and torque. But the Vento does not lag far behind. Because of its extra power the Verna achieves a higher top speed and 0-100 km/h figures than does the Vento. For instance , the Verna in the fifth gear does 191.8 km/h and the Vento does 183.6 km/h. As for the 0-100 km/h sprint , the Verna takes just 10.88 seconds to achieve this whereas the Vento takes 11.94 seconds to do the same. However , the Verna loses in the roll-on test. The Verna takes 10.04 seconds to go from 40 to 100 km/h in the third gear whereas the Vento takes just 8.93 seconds to do the same. Tests have also proved that the fourth and fifth gear roll-on figures of the Vento are stronger than those of the Verna. It is evident from these figures that the Vento has a stronger low- and mid-range power as compared to the Verna. Besides , whereas the turbo lag in the Verna is noticeable , it is almost non-existent in the Vento.

The Vento has proved its mettle in the handling department by being one of the best handling cars in India today. Its precise handling combined with a good steering feel and feedback and almost no body roll have made it a segment leader. And , frankly , i feel that the Verna has a long way to go before it can challenge the Vento in terms of handling. The Verna has a soft suspension set-up because of which the car rocks a lot when it goes into a ditch or over a speed-breaker. Body roll is quite noticeable when you take a corner unlike the Vento , which remains much more stable round corners and holds the line right until the exit. At high speeds the Vento is rock-solid whereas the Verna does not inspire in you the confidence to push harder. The feedback from the Verna’s steering is a little strange and the car doesn’t seem to communicate with the driver much whereas the Vento’s steering is a delight , albeit a little on the heavy side. Both the cars are almost at par in braking , but I felt that the feel on the Vento was much better than that on the Verna.

Now comes the most important factor: fuel-efficiency. Both the cars are quite fuel-efficient , but the Verna loses out to the Vento in the City fuel-efficiency test. It delivered only 14 km per litre whereas the Vento went for 17 km on a litre in the city. The highway figures are , however , in favour of the Verna as it ran for 23 km on a litre of diesel. This is possible because of the extra cog available on the Hyundai. The Vento went for 21 km. Nevertheless , the overall figure of 17.25 km per litre makes the Vento a winner as compared to the Verna’s 16.25 kpl.

Conclusion

Both the cars might have similar engines , but two different characters. The Vento has a solid build quality , excellent handling and an unmatched ride whereas the Verna has a more powerful engine , but its handling and drive are not something that will impress an enthusiast. However , the Verna gains an edge in respect of its interior and equipment levels. It has a funky cabin and the car is equipped with stuff such as parking sensors , engine start-stop button , rear camera , leather seats , multimedia audio system , steering-mounted controls and a lot more. It also has six airbags in the top-of-the-line variant. The Vento has a simple audio system , twin airbags and fabric seats and is available with only one engine and transmission option. The Verna is available in five trims and most of the equipment mentioned above is only available in the top-end variant , which costs about Rs 11.79 lakh (OTR , Pune) , which is Rs 1.41 lakh more than the Vento Highline. Therefore , if you are fond of gizmos and gadgets , then the Verna is a sensible option. If you want something with a solid build quality and better driveability , then the VW Vento is the car for you.

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