Hyundai will be hoping that the New Sonata can repeat the first generation Sonata’s success. It will mean a return to the mainstream for Hyundai in the luxury segment and will effectively reverse the fortunes of the current Sonata in India, which at present is languishing at the bottom of the charts.
Channels flow outwards from the base of the grille in waves, the heavily raked windscreens allow the cabin to rise and fall gently, and even the heavy crease on the doors seems to be caused by the arc of fluid emanating from the front wheel. The i45 looks even more attractive from the rear, those beautifully detailed tail-lights, the spot-on proportions of the boot and the manner in which the lines on the car all converge at the rear making it look nothing short of stunning. Only the grille seems a bit overdone.
Suspension, both front and rear, is independent, important on a car of this size. The compact drivetrain in the nose frees up more space at the front, the high beltline of the car allows for impressive legroom in the rear and the 523-litre boot is huge too.
The dashboard is clearly divided between the driver and passenger, and Hyundai has used sweeping arches to clearly define each binnacle. Hyundai’s new front seats offer fantastic thigh support, they are wide enough to support your shoulders and both elbow rests are perfectly placed and well padded. Visibility from the driver’s seat is also excellent and headroom is good too.
There is plenty of space at the rear too and seat comfort is pretty good too. The wheelbase is larger than on the current car and as a result the Hyundai almost has the same cabin volume as an Accord. And like all cars in this segment, you get rear air-con vents and a very comfortable elbow rest.
Interior quality levels are not as good as those on the Accord but they are pretty close. Some bits like the black plastic on the centre console, the vents, steering wheel and especially the stalks disappoint and their quality is not really upto what you expect.
There is a nice weight to the steering, the car doesn’t really feel as large as it should, and agility is pretty impressive too. The suspension has been tuned for comfort, and this is apparent. It soaks up small road imperfections quite easily, never crash over bumps, and the ride is pretty flat too. The car that comes to India is likely to have a 2.4-litre direct injection GDI motor. Maximum power should be around 198bhp, which should be plenty.
Straightline stability isn’t too bad, even at speed, and corners taken at normal speeds are not an issue either. Problems, however, start as soon as you want to change direction at a slightly higher speed. You soon realise that the steering weight counts for very little, that the front wheels squirm when you tip the car into a corner, and that the i45 rolls a lot at the rear and then loses grip. Not something that inspires the most confidence.
We expect the 2.4 GDI motor with 198bhp will perform better than the 2.0-litre motor we got to drive. However, even more performance and a better sorted and stiffer suspension is unlikely to make the i45 a pleasing car to drive.
Hyundai’s i45 has a spacious and comfortable cabin and Hyundai should equip the car sold here pretty generously too. Ride quality is comfortable and there will be sufficient performance on hand with the 198bhp GDI motor. It may not be blessed in the dynamics department and may lack the finesse of some of its competitors too. But assuming Hyundai gets the pricing right, the i45 will give Hyundai its best shot at regaining lost ground, and the carmaker is unlikely to pass that up.
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that's it for now.............Drive safe make sure you wear your seat belts and please do not use high beams........
Hyundai unveiled the all 2011 New Verna at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show but it will not be launched in India. The new Indian Verna will be based on the RB concept which is also sold as Hyundai Solaris in Russia. It is expected that it will be launched in India in few days (may be on 11th or 20th of May, 2011) and will compete with the likes of Honda City, Fiat Linea, Maruti SX4 and Volkswagen Vento. Hyundai India launched Verna few years ago but it never managed to sell in good numbers because of odd styling and less features. The company also tried to boost the sales with the launch of Verna Transform but it also failed to impress the buyers.
Now, things are going to change with the launch of 2011 model of Verna, it will get all-new head lights, tail lights, fog lights, bonnet, boot and alloy wheels. It is expected that New Verna will change the fortunes of the company like Accent did in the 1990s. The interiors will also be new and fully loaded with all the bells and whistles. The top model of new Verna will come with power steering, power windows, automatic climate control system, steering mounted audio controls, leather upholstery, remote central locking system and rear centre armrest with cup holders. New Verna will also be one of the safest cars in its segment. It will feature dual SRS front airbags, anti-lock braking system and electronic brake distribution system.
ENGINE OPTIONS......
- New Hyundai Verna 1.4 petrol base - Rs. 7,00,000 - New Hyundai Verna 1.4 diesel base - Rs. 8,00,000
- New Hyundai Verna 1.6 petrol base - Rs. 7,50,000 - New Hyundai Verna 1.6 diesel base - Rs. 8,50,000
- New Hyundai Verna 1.6 diesel SX - Rs. 8,00,000 - New Hyundai Verna 1.6 petrol SX - Rs. 9,00,000
- New Hyundai Verna 1.6 diesel SX option - Rs. 8,50,000 - New Hyundai Verna 1.6 petrol SX option - Rs. 9,50,000
- New Hyundai Verna 1.6 diesel SX Automatic - Rs. 9,00,000 - New Hyundai Verna 1.6 petrol SX Automatic - Rs. 10,00,000.
Official website, promotion and booking amount of 2011 New Hyundai Verna
- Official teaser website is up - For bookings SMS "Hyundai Fluidic" to 53456 - You will get a call from the nearest Hyundai dealer - Booking amount is Rs. 75000 but the dealers don't have clue about the variants, price, shades and engine options of 2011 New Verna!! - The dealers only know that the upcoming car is 'New Verna'
The teaser website of New 2011 Hyundai Verna is up (newthinkingcomesalive) and the dealers have started accepting the bookings of the car. But the overall strategy of Hyundai is very poor and quite strange. The dealers have started taking bookings, the booking amount is 75000 rupees but the dealers don't have clue about the variants, price, shades and engine options of 2011 New Verna. The only thing they know is that the new car is '2011 Verna' and it will be launched on 11th or 20th of May and they will recieve the display car in first week of May. I can't understand the company's strategy, how can a person book a car by paying 75000 bucks unless he has seen the car, has took a test drive and he doesn't even know the price of the car.
Hyundai India has also started giving teaser ads on TV which says "New Thinking. Coming Alive Soon". You can also take part in contests on the official website of Hyundai India and you can win Apple iPods every week. You can also register yourself on the official website by providing your name, place and mobile number. Then you will recieve a call from Hyundai India and they will ask you about your queries regarding the upcoming car. They will also tell you the nearest Hyundai dealers as per the place name you provided while registering. Then the dealer will contact you and provide further details about the car (they only know the name of the car, nothing else) and you can book the 2011 new Verna by paying 75000 rupees.
TEST DRIVE REVIEW
Here is a first drive of the new Verna, a car we think is a quantum leap over the previous model. The latest Verna is the seventh generation one and is built on a completely new platform. The chassis is much stiffer than before and has been optimised for better crashworthiness to meet the increasingly stringent standards in Europe and the US. The new Verna looks impressive and sports Hyundai’s new ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ design which is a mix of sharply sculpted and flowing lines. The interior design isn’t as cutting edge as the exterior but the dashboard is nicely shaped with a subtle indent on the top. The switchgear feels good and the top-spec India model will get full electronic adjustment. But storage space in the cabin isn’t too generous. The front seats are quite comfy and there’s fantastic legroom in the rear too. However, like with the previous Verna, the seat is too low and this compromises under-thigh support. Moreover, the corners of the rear seat are rounded off excessively which again leaves you with little thigh support. It’s because of this that the Verna’s rear seat, despite the generous legroom, isn’t as comfy as the Vento or City’s. The Indian Verna will get two petrols and two diesels, none from the previous Verna. Instead, Hyundai has plonked its latest Gamma petrol and U2 diesel motors under the hood. The pair of petrol and diesels both come with 1.4 and 1.6-litre capacities. It’s the 1.6 diesel which pumps out 126bhp and 26.5kgm of torque which promises to be the cracker. Hyundai’s new-generation Gamma petrol twin-cam, 16-valve motor comes with continuously variable valve timing and, as a result, power and torque outputs are pretty healthy. The 1.4 delivers 106.5bhp, which is very impressive for a small capacity motor, while the 1.6 Gamma dishes out 122bhp to make it the most powerful engine in its class. We drove the 1.6 petrol with the auto ’box. Fire the engine and it idles pretty quietly. Snick the spindly gear lever into D, prod the throttle pedal and the Verna leaps forward quite eagerly. Engine response at low revs is pretty good. Pile on the revs though and the 1.6 Gamma’s engine eagerness fades quite quickly. The mid-range is adequate but at high revs, this motor struggles quite a bit and feels strained and thrashy. The suspension hardly gets a workout when you’re driving on the long, smooth and arrow-straight roads in UAE. And there’s not much steering work to be done either. The Verna felt remarkably planted and the long wheelbase gave it a composure that promises to make it a good long-distance cruiser, however strong crosswinds can unsettle the car. Its true test though will be on Indian roads though. The steering is quite light but still had pretty good feel around the centre position but it doesn’t weight up consistently and at times feels disconnected from the road like many EPS units. However, that won’t bother typical owners who will be looking for an effortless steering and light controls for an easy commute. The new Verna, miles ahead of its predecessor, blends practicality, quality and value in a package that is more upmarket and stylish than before and is good enough to disrupt the established order of the City and Vento.
TEST DRIVE CRDI (DIESEL)
The all-new Hyundai Verna looks nothing like its predecessor and is the only diesel automatic saloon in its segment. It is set to take on its rivals, the Honda City and the Volkswagen Vento. It is also the cheapest diesel automatic on sale today, the next option being the Mahindra Scorpio which is an SUV. Priced at Rs 10.74 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the automatic Verna costs Rs 70,000 over the manual version.
The transmission is the same old-school, four-speed automatic that did duty in the previous model, but the internals have been strengthened considerably to handle the extra twisting force. The Verna’s 1582cc common-rail turbo-diesel churns out 126bhp and 26.50kgm of torque efficiently to the power-sapping converter. Since it’s a four-speed, the gear ratios are tall and widely spaced, which is why the Verna doesn’t feel all that quick and accelerates in an extremely linear and relaxed manner. In traffic, it is extremely stress-free to drive thanks to the auto-box which eliminates some of the turbo-lag present in the manual version. The controls are light; it upshifts early, with fuel economy in mind, and the shifts are smooth and linear.
On the highway, the Verna cruises nicely and isn’t very taxing to drive. There’s adequate power for overtaking, but the gearbox calls upon the engine’s torque reserves rather than kick-down. There is a fair bit of lag from the automatic-box, which means you will have to plan a bit before overtaking, especially on two-lane roads. The car is much quicker than it feels. It goes from 0-60kph in 5.20sec, which is only 0.7sec slower than the manual, and it touches 100kph in just 11.19sec, as compared to 10.54sec taken by the manual. The Verna is pretty good in terms of driveability. It takes 6.48sec to go from 20-80kph and 9.20sec for 40-100kph, which is actually much faster than its main rival, the petrol-powered Honda City auto. The manual variant and the automatic share the same soft suspension, which helps keep most minor irregularities out of the cabin at low speeds.
However, it feels a little unsettled thanks to the soft spring and hard damper settings on the car. At high speeds, the car bobs around on large dips and driving on an uneven road can be a little unsettling. The SX version comes equipped with ABS and four-wheel disc brakes. The pedal feels decent and the brakes bite well but they tend to fade after hard use. In terms of fuel efficiency, the Verna manages 11.5kpl and 15.3kpl in the city and highway respectively. In the city, the Verna’s mileage is 2kpl less than that of the manual; it does redeem itself on the highway though thanks to the tall fourth gear. The gearbox works well and though fuel efficiency is lower than that of the manual, it’s better than what you’d expect. It provides the economy of a diesel and the user-friendliness of an auto at an affordable price considering all the standard equipment on offer.
FACT FILE>>>>>>>>>>
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that's it for today.............Drive safe make sure you wear your seat belts and please do not use high beams........
