Mumbai: For the last few weeks, I have had a sore throat, the weather and the exhaustion has not helped but you are going to have to put up with it, because I am here in Cape Town, South Africa to test drive the Hyundai Verna. I'm driving the petrol version first and I’ll tell you more about it.
I have been to Cape Town before and apart from the fact that it is a beautiful city, what I remembered was that it had great driving roads around it.
Often, when we go out on a drive, the route is not conducive to testing all aspects of the car, but one look at the map and I realized that we were going to enjoy the day.
Well I am driving the 1.6 petrol version, which produces 103 bhp and 14.9 kgm of torque. This one is a VTVT, which stands for variable timing valve train. A variable timing valve train is the same as CVVT or constant variable valve timing and in the Verna it works on dual camshafts.
What it means is that the brain or the ECU constantly adjusts profile, so that the lift, duration and timing of valves is continuously adjusted, during engine operation. This allows the optimizing of engine performance without having to compromise performance for economy or vice-versa.
Let me explain that for you in English – the engine feels refined, has power, is efficient and therefore also good for the environment. With stricter norms these days, we find more and more manufacturers with this technology, though with different names.
Now Im glad that Hyundai decided to come in with the 1.6 litre engine. This engine is much torquier in nature than the 1.4 litre I drove in Singapore.
It's quite refined but still a bit noisy at lower revs, but the bottom end is not its strength - it’s the mid-range which is powerful and which means city drives will be quite comfortable.
While overtaking on the highway, you will find the need for quick gearshifts while on the subject of gear change, the shift is really good, slots easily and is very smooth.
Now while the gears are good on the go, the reverse is a bit difficult to slot and will take a little getting used to. However, if I look at the engine on its own, it's decent enough, but when I compare it with the competition, there is a glaring performance difference.
Comparision of cars
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Now this was just a first drive and not a full-fledged test, but I have the feeling that the performance compromise has been made, to make this the most fuel efficient one around.
Whatever said and done, the roads were just fabulous and we were tempted to push these cars so fuel economy was not foremost on my mind. The surroundings were breathtaking and constantly changing.
I'm are about 140 kms outside Cape Town and the ocean behind me and the scenery is just amazing, so it's hard to concentrate but I have a job at hand and the road ahead is windy and beckoning me to test the handling of this car. One corner led into another and the beautifully cambered road made it even better.
The Verna petrol felt like it had a bit of under-steer because of its light steering, but still when I thought back to the Accent, this car instantly felt better.
I soon realized I had been comparing the Verna to its predecessor and though it does feel a lot better than the Accent, pitted against the Fiesta, the Verna would have a tough time matching up to the handling grade.
The exterior is pretty similar to the Verna I test drove in Singapore a few months ago, but still it’s a bolder design than the Accent.
This car is far more modern and has a few touches I really like, like the bonnet ridges, the integrated bumper, the dual-tone headlamps and the sporty lip on the boot.
Standing in the South African countryside, I quite liked the grown up Accent.
Inside, this car is quite plain and conventional, however the guys at Hyundai are now fully aware of the Indian market, so have added a few splashes of fake wood to perk up the interior look and it does work. There are many storage spaces and the rear seat offers an armrest as well.
Well, the petrol is a decent car and if priced right and as extremely fuel-efficient as I suspect, you can easily ignore the light steering and the performance figures, this still is a great city car. I’m dying to drive the diesel, so I’m going to change cars first.
I’m really glad that the Hyundai guys gave me the petrol first because when you get into the diesel, the difference is huge! I don’t have to think about the power - the performance is so bang smack in your face that I’m definitely smiling!
This one produces 110 bhp but somehow it feels like whole lot more on the road. Put your foot down anywhere in the range and there is ample power, the gearing ratios are such that they keep you in the power band at all times, and that’s the joy of this car, it's simply amazing. The diesel also handles better.
Well there is no doubt that this diesel engine is comfortable ambling in the city or while overtaking on the highway, or even going flat out. Now take a look at the figures:
Now the Fiesta is the closest competitor as far as diesel is concerned, but it is a lower cubic capacity and you can see the glaring differences in outright acceleration, but in the city the Fiesta is still quite close. Still nothing can take away from the Verna engine. It is just a sheer delight to drive.
The Indian version we now know has higher profile tyres - they will be shod with 175/70 R14 which means you can expect quite a smooth ride.
The Verna is also spacious in the back and can accommodate three people there comfortably.
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