Hyundai Verna Sedan Facelift – Uncamouflaged Spyshots out ahead of launch

Hyundai’s 2015 car launch blitz will likely begin in February, with the launch of the Verna sedan facelift. The facelifted car has been caught testing in India. The facelifted Verna for India will mirror the Russia-spec Solaris in terms of design.

While the Fluidic design philosophy will be retained, styling elements are likely to be sobered down, more in tune with the Fluidic 2.0 philosophy that Hyundai debuted in India with the Santa Fe SUV.  The facelifted car will get completely revised front and rear ends.

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Up front, new projector headlamps, daytime running LEDs, grille and bumper will get a once over while the rear will receive LED tail lamps and a re-profiled bumper, apart from new reflectors. The alloy wheel design sees a revision too. On the inside, the dashboard is expected to be largely unchanged save for the addition of a feature or two.

The facelifted Verna sold in Russia has received a new 6 speed automatic gearbox to accompany the 1.6 liter VTVT petrol motor. The same automatic gearbox could be offered on the India-spec petrol model too. The other engines in the car’s line up, which include the 1.4 liter VTVT petrol and CRDI diesel motors, and the 1.6 liter CRDI turbo diesel engine, are expected to be unchanged.

In terms of pricing, the facelifted Hyundai C-Segmenter is expected to carry on at price levels similar to the outgoing model. Though a big sales success for the first couple of years of its launch in India, the Verna Fluidic has been much derided for its lifeless steering and skittish high speed handling. Suspension improvements to make the ride quality flatter and the handling sharper could be in the offing.

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The competition – read the Honda City and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz – has moved on, and the C-Segment sedan buyer in India now has access to acres of space, apart from updated features. The Verna, in its facelifted form, will not feature improvements to the interior room, and will therefore have to depend on looks and feature improvements as means to boost sales.

Spyshots courtesy Carwale