All-new Hyundai Verna: Better than Honda City or Maruti Ciaz? We Explain

Hyundai took covers off the all-new Verna in the Indian market just yesterday and has stunned everyone with the new sedan’s competitive pricing. So how does the vehicle stack up against the competition – mainly the Honda City and the Maruti Ciaz. We explain:

Looks

The City still looks the sharpest. 

 

While the Verna is the newest, it is the new City which looks sharper. Honda unveiled the new City earlier in the year and the vehicle looks very aggressive, especially with the new LED DRLs and LED tail lamp cluster. The Verna update isn’t all that flashy up front.

The Verna looks the hottest from the rear though. 

The rear of the Verna is sporty though, with the LED tail lamp design and the integration of the new diffuser. The Ciaz is not the best looking out there but is elegant to look at. It misses out on the LED DRLs or the LED tail lamps. Maybe Maruti will update that when a facelift takes place.

Space

The City wins but only just. The Ciaz is nearly as spacious. 

In terms of space, the City and the Ciaz are clearly ahead of the Verna. While the Ciaz does offer more space at the back in terms of knee room when compared to the City, it lacks in head room. Even then, it is the City which has the more comfortable back seat with better under thigh support and a better back seat angle. The Verna comes third in this, even though it has improved over the previous generation vehicle by a lot.

Equipment/Features

The Verna seals this one. 

In terms of equipment, it has to be the Verna that comes up on top. It has a lot of segment first features, like ventilated seats, a smart trunk, an app to control the vehicle’s infotainment and an Eco coating that keeps the AC air fresh. It also gets a sun roof, 7″ touch screen with navigation, 6 airbags on the top-variant, Apple Car play, Mirror Link and Android Auto. While the City gets navigation and Mirror Link, the Ciaz gets navigation and Apple Car play. The City too gets a sun roof, but but is a lot more expensive than the Verna.

Straightline performance

Diesel: Verna 

The Verna is the most powerful off the lot, be it the diesel or the petrol. In terms of diesel, the Verna is not only the fastest in a straight line, but is also the most refined and the quietest. It is also the only one off the three to offer an automatic variant in diesel. The City is the second most powerful in the group followed by the Ciaz, which is the least powerful. The Verna makes 127 Bhp and 260 Nm. The City makes 99 Bhp and 200 Nm and the Ciaz makes 89 Bhp and 200 Nm.

Petrol: City

In terms of petrol variants, while the Verna is the most powerful making 122 Bhp and 151 Nm, the City is the more fun to drive. The City makes 119 Bhp and 145 Nm. The Ciaz is again the least powerful in the group and the least fun to drive, making 92 Bhp and 130 Nm.

Fun to drive

The Honda City wins this one

While Hyundai has updated the suspension of the Verna to make it better in terms of handling, the City still manages to be more direct and precise. As for comfort, the suspension setup of the Ciaz is still the best followed by the Verna and the City. But the suspension set up for comfort on the Ciaz makes it lose out on the fun-to-drive bit.

Pricing

The Verna is a clear value-for-money winner!

In terms of petrol, the Ciaz has the lowest starting price at Rs 7.65 lakhs while the City is the most expensive at Rs 8.45 lakhs. The Ciaz is the cheapest of the three when it comes to pricing even on the top of the line model, which is priced at Rs 10.41 lakhs, while the Verna is priced at Rs 12.23 lakhs and the City is priced at 13.37 lakhs. While the Verna is a more expensive, it offers a lot more in terms of features and creature comforts.

In terms of diesel, the base Verna is the cheapest starting at Rs 9.19 lakhs while the Ciaz starts at Rs 9.42 lakhs and the City starts at Rs 10.68 lakhs. In terms of the top of the line trim, the Ciaz is the cheapest at Rs 11.44 lakhs followed by the Verna at Rs 12.39 lakhs and the City at Rs 13.42 lakhs. At the end, it is a close match between the Ciaz and the Verna. While the Ciaz is the cheapest, it also has the least features among the three while the Verna, which is in the middle is much better loaded. The City is priced on the higher side, losing the Value-For-Money game.