New Hyundai Verna vs Rivals: Specifications Comparison

Design
While it may look similar to the outgoing car, this car is all-new. The new grille, larger headlamps, chrome-lined fog lamp housings, slimmer tail-lamps and new 16-inch alloy wheels add to its appeal. This car is slightly longer and wider – in fact, it’s one of the widest mid-size sedans and has the most rear-seat headroom in this lot. The boot however, is the smallest amongst its rivals.

The Honda City and the Ciaz have the biggest boot. The City is the tallest out of the lot, but it doesn’t have as much rear headroom as the Verna. The smallest fuel tank belongs to the City.

The Ciaz is the longest, widest and sits on the longest wheelbase. But it’s fuel tank capacity and rear headroom aren’t as good as the Hyundai.

VW’s Vento has a massive fuel tank, but has the smallest wheelbase - it’s also marginally smaller in overall size than the other cars.

Interiors
The Verna is fitted with a new 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and voice commands, steering-mounted audio controls, rear air con vents, cooled and ventilated front seats (a segment-first), a sunroof, cruise control and rear parking sensors. As far as safety is concerned, the Hyundai has six airbags in its top-spec variants.

In the Honda, there’s a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink support for smartphone connectivity, in-built navigation, voice commands and steering-mounted audio controls. The automatic variants come fitted with paddle shifters and a sunroof. Barring the cooled front seats on the Hyundai, the equipment lists are similar. Both sedans feature six airbags for the top-spec trims.

The Maruti Ciaz’ top-of-the-line Alpha variant also gets the SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay. On the safety front, it only offers two airbags on the top-spec trims.

The Vento comes with rear air con vents, steering-mounted audio controls for the touchscreen infotainment system (with voice commands) and there’s MirrorLink smartphone connectivity. This car also has only dual front airbags.

Engines and performance
The new Verna comes with the same 1.6-litre petrol motor, that makes 123hp and 151Nm and there’s a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine that makes 128hp and 260Nm of peak torque. The diesel car comes with the same six-speed manual ‘box, and the petrol will come with a new six-speed manual. There’s a six-speed automatic transmission available on both cars as well. Both engines make the most power in this class.

The Honda City’s 1.5-litre petrol unit uses 119hp and 145Nm and its 1.5-litre diesel engine makes 100hp and 200Nm of peak torque. The petrol comes with a five-speed manual or a CVT gearbox, while the diesel motor is mated to a six-speed manual.

Maruti’s 1.4-litre petrol motor makes 92.5hp and 130Nm and this power is five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The 1.3-litre Fiat-sourced diesel engine is mated to a five-speed manual, that makes 90hp and 200Nm of torque. The Maruti offers the best fuel efficiency in its class. The Ciaz car also features a mild-hybrid setup for its diesel engine.

The VW is sold with three engines - a 105hp 1.6-litre petrol, a 105hp 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and a 110hp 1.5-litre diesel. The 1.6-litre petrol is fitted to a five-speed manual, while the 1.2-litre turbocharged engine comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The diesel motor has a five-speed manual and a DSG automatic transmission. The Vento is the least fuel efficient here.

Pricing
The Verna starts from ₹7.99 lakh and goes up to ₹12.62 lakh for the top-spec automatic-diesel. The Honda City is priced from ₹8.46 lakh and prices go up to ₹13.43 lakh, while the Maruti Ciaz is priced from ₹7.66 lakh and goes up to ₹11.44 lakh for the mild hybrid version. Volkswagen’s Vento costs ₹8.05 lakh and prices go up to ₹13.78 lakh for the 1.5-litre Highline Plus diesel automatic (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi).