Hyundai Verna SX Automatic Review - 2016 Dec

I finally decided to sell my i10 and purchase the Verna SX automatic. My previous blog post was dated sometime in Dec 15.. so this happened exactly after a year. i.e Dec 2016.

Marathons and football left me with a torn meniscus and a torn ACL ligament in my left knee and using the clutch was no longer an option. I somehow managed to drive the manual i10 for a year, but then it was time to switch to automatic. As usual, did a lot of research and tried the Jazz CVT, Rapid (new version with the superb grill) AT and the Verna SX. I also tried the Verna manual (as it had been a year...), but the tight clutch.... no way!!

Pros and Cons and why I decided on Verna SX.

Jazz:

Pros:

1. Lots of space. Cabin is very airy, there is enough light and its comfortable.
2. Has the paddle shifts
3. The S mode gives a good response

Cons:

1.  Throttle and the noise of the engine seeps into the cabin. Sounds sporty though..
2. VX variant does not have a touch screen. Not a big deal I guess.
3. No engine guard. The bottom is literally naked. Seriously Honda?
4. You can feel the rubber band effect on gear shifts.

Rapid:

Pros:

1. Spacious rear seats. Is about 100mm longer than Verna.
2. Rear air vents
3. Good steering control. Does not feel light like in Verna.

Cons:

1. Noise of the engine seeps into the cabin a lot. This was one reason I decided not to go for Rapid.
2. For the price I paid for Verna, does not come with all the bells and whistles. I decided to go for Ambition AT.
3. 15 inch wheels.
4. You can feel the rubber band effect a lot on gear shifts. Another reason I did not like it. Diesel DSG would be a better option.

Verna:

Pros:

1.  SX automatic was pretty much loaded with all features except start stop button
2. 16 inch alloy wheels. Even the spare is 16 inch.
3. Superb insulation in the cabin. I can barely hear the engine.
4. Though it has four gears, you can hardly feel the switch between gears. It simply a pleasure driving it in city.
5. Because I had an i10, I got a discount of a little more than a lac. (not including the exchange price here)

Cons:

1. I  get anywhere between 9 to 10 kmpl in city though the expected is 13 kmpl. Its been a month and I have not tried the highway yet. 
2. The centre console hangs sometimes. Had to hard reset it.. when this happens it just does not switch off.. this could drain the battery.

This review is after a month of using the Verna SX. I could not find any review of Verna SX AT anywhere, so I decided to write one. One thing for sure.. this is an awesome car for several reasons. It is loaded with goodies, is spacious, comes with awesome 16" diamond cut alloy wheels (+ spare of same size) and with simply a superb transmission that is just smooth. 

Hyundai is going to launch a new Verna sometime mid this year with a 6 speed automatic transmission and the hexagonal grill. I am sure it is going to be a stunner.