Next-gen Hyundai Verna to be the last diesel sedan in the C-Segment

Come 2023, Hyundai is all set to bring the next-generation Verna to the Indian C-Segment sedan market. The all-new Verna has already been spied testing on Indian roads. New information trickling in suggests that the all-new Hyundai Verna will be the last diesel sedan in the C-Segment – a shrinking space that’s threatened by the growing dominance of compact SUVs.

Hyundai will carry over the 1.5 liter-4 cylinder turbo diesel engine but with additional emission equipment in order to meet the Real Time Driving Emissions (RDE) norms that come into place from 2023. These norms will see Honda killing the 1.5 liter i-DTEC turbo diesel engine, making the all-new Hyundai Verna the only car to offer a diesel engine option in the Indian C-Segment sedan space.

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While Maruti Suzuki no longer offers a diesel engine on any of its cars including the Ciaz, both Volkswagen and Skoda have also dumped turbo diesels for turbo petrols in the Virtus and Slavia sedans respectively. The 2023 Hyundai Verna Diesel is likely to be pricier than the outgoing model’s diesel trims thanks to the additional emission compliance equipment.

The 1.5 liter CRDI diesel engine runs a variable geometry turbocharger, and is known for its punchy performance. It’s offered on a wide range of Hyundai cars – starting from the i20 hatchback to the Alcazar mid-size SUV. Currently, this engine is offered in two states of tune 98.6 Bhp-240 Nm and 114 Bhp-250 Nm. While the lower state of tune for the 1.5 CRDI diesel engine is offered on the likes of the Hyundai i20, Venue and Kia Sonet, the higher state of tune is offered on the Kia Sonet Automatic, the Kia Seltos, the Hyundai Creta, Verna, Elantra and Alcazar models. In its current form, the engine meets Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) norms, and is offered with 6 speed manual and torque converter automatic transmissions.

Come 2023, when the RDE kicks in, Hyundai will stop offering a diesel engine on its hatchbacks such as the Grand i10 NIOS and i20. Only bigger cars such as the Venue, Verna, Creta Elantra and Tucson will continue with a diesel engine. The 1.5 liter CRDI diesel still finds a lot of takers thanks to its excellent refinement levels and punchy performance. This is the sole reason Hyundai is retaining this motor. The same engine is also used on the Kia Sonet, Seltos and Carens, and the RDE compliant 1.5 CRDI will continue on these cars as well.

Hyundai is expected to outfit the all-new Verna with a new 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine. This engine has been around on the Creta compact SUV for a couple of years, and makes 148 Bhp-242 Nm. Offered with 6 speed manual and 7 speed twin clutch automatic gearbox options, the 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine will be lined up as the enthusiast option for the new Verna. Currently, the Volkswagen Virtus and the Skoda Slavia are performance leaders of the C-Segment sedan space with their powerful 1.5 liter TSI turbo petrol engines. The 1.4 liter turbo petrol motor on the Verna will challenge this. Over to the launch now.

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