New Hyundai Verna Launch Tomorrow

Update: Hyundai has launched the new Verna in India. Petrol variants are priced from Rs 7.99 lakh to Rs 12.24 lakh. Diesel variants are priced from Rs 9.19 lakh to Rs 12.40 lakh.

If you've been waiting for the new Hyundai Verna, there better be a big red circle on your calendar for August 22. The sedan will debut tomorrow and enter the ring to slug it out with its age old rival - the Honda City and the new darling of the masses, the Maruti Ciaz. Going up against these two isn't an easy task, but Hyundai has thrown in everything but the kitchen sink, which does make the Verna tempting. 

We're driving the Verna day after, so you can expect a detailed review before the weekend. But, in case you're in a bit of a hurry and want some chatter on how it feels, you can head to our first impressions review of the Hyundai Verna. 

Right, let's brush over the basics, then. 

The Verna is based on an all-new K2 platform that promises to be lighter and safer. Safer, because it uses 50 per cent high strength steel in its construction. It continues to feature 6 airbags on the top-spec SX (O) model, whereas dual airbags and ABS are standard across the range. 

In terms of features, there are two segment-firsts you should know of. The Verna is the only car in its class to feature ventilated seats, that ensures you don't have a sweaty back at the end of the drive. It also borrows hands-free boot release tech from the Elantra, which is particularly useful if your hands are full of the groceries you just bought. Other goodies include the segment staples such as projector headlamps with daytime running lamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, reverse camera and touchscreen infotainment system that supports Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink. 

Hyundai has ditched the smaller 1.4-litre motors altogether for the new-gen Verna. The 1.6-litre engines soldier on, but are now paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission instead of the old (and slow) 4-speed unit. While output remains unaltered at 128PS/260Nm (diesel) and 123PS/155Nm (petrol), Hyundai claims to have made the power more accessible. That's a claim we'll verify later this week. 

The new Verna will be available in a total of four variants, and we're expecting prices to start at Rs 7.99 lakh and go all the way up to Rs 12.49 lakh. If our guesstimates are close enough, the C-segment will definitely have some ruffled feathers.