Hyundai Verna SX CRDi A/T (Old)

 Plonking an auto ’box in the Verna diesel seemed the obvious thing to do. For one, the Verna’s 1.5-litre 110bhp motor has a surplus of grunt and can well afford to relinquish some of it to a power-sapping torque converter without the fear of turning into a sloth. Automatics are not as fuel efficient as manuals but again with a diesel engine, you won’t go bankrupt. The point here is that automatics are better suited to diesels than petrol motors and it makes you wonder why we don’t have more cars like the Verna diesel in the market. In fact, it’s the smallest and cheapest diesel automatic you can buy, except that at Rs 10 lakh it’s not exactly cheap. So should customers pay the extra Rs 75,000 over a manual for the convenience?

The Verna has a smooth and rounded shape. There isn’t much value in the minor facelift the Verna CRDi comes with. The new grille, chrome inserts in the waist line moulding, and newly designed alloy wheels are mainly cosmetic. Considering the competition like the Linea, Hyundai could have done more to spruce up the Verna’s looks. Under the skin, the Verna remains the same except that the SX version gets disc brakes at all corners as standard.

The short stubby boot makes the car feel smaller than it actually is but the generous glass area hints at the space inside. The pull-type door handles feel good and the doors shut with a nice thud, revealing the good build quality.

The hard-looking central console and small storage box has a tacky feel to it. The interior design isn't really exciting and the smooth dashboard isn't functional either. The glovebox is small but the useful slot beloqw the steering wheel and large door pockets make amends.

A 2-DIN stereo is available on the CRDI automatic version we tested. One thing we missed, however, were the airbags, they aren’t even on the options list. The Verna’s dashboard design aged a long time back, and Hyundai would have done well to update it.

The talking point is the Verna CRDi’s four-speed auto ’box, which is similar to the one on the i10 Kappa. The only difference is that the mechanicals have been strengthened on the Verna’s motor to cope with the higher torque output. The gearbox is very simple and conventional. It doesn’t have an option of paddle shifts or a manual mode. Instead, it has ‘L’ mode and a second gear where the gearbox is kept in a lower gear ratio for steep climbs and for emergency overtaking manoeuvres.
The Verna CRDi is known for its shattering performance, so the question is how much has the auto ’box blunted it? The Verna is still quick, but what’s missing though is the fiery acceleration that you get with the five-speed manual transmission. The auto has only four ratios to play with and the gears are taller, so it can’t extract the maximum from the engine.

The slow-shifting auto ’box doesn’t help its cause either. Response from the ’box is slow and it often hesitates to downshift. The plus side is that the Verna auto accelerates in an extremely relaxed and linear manner. It’s like an aircraft, slow to start with but after a certain point it gets going. The auto ’box eliminates some of the turbo lag which is prominent in the manual version. As a result, the car is easier and smoother to drive in the city and the convenience of an automatic considerably reduces driving stress.

On the highway, the Verna cruises nicely and doesn’t feel taxed even at max speed. There’s adequate power for overtaking but the slow-witted gearbox with its lethargic kickdown calls for some planning when passing fast-moving traffic. This is telling on the Verna’s flat-out performance. It goes from 0-60kph in 7.03 seconds, which is more than two seconds slower than the manual version. And 100kph comes up in 14.1sec, as compared to the 11.35sec taken by the manual. On the driveability front, the Verna is not that bad. It takes 9.43sec to reach from 20-80kph and 12.16sec for 40-100kph.
Being an automatic, fuel consumption takes a slight hit. The Verna manages 10.3kpl and 16.1kpl in the city and highway cycles respectively. While in the city, the Verna is almost 2kpl off the manual, it does redeem itself on the highway thanks to that tall fourth gear.

The Verna still rides on the same soft suspension set-up as before. The soft springs keep most small irregularities out of the cabin at low speeds, but at higher speeds, the car bobs on large dips and isn’t as composed as it should be. The Verna gets unsettled rather easily when you hit a series of bumps at speed and the Verna generally doesn't like being hustled through corners. However, at low speeds, it absorbs bumbs without letting too much reach the occupants.

The light, lifeless steering, is great for parking. There is a fair degree of body roll and the narrow tyres will let go well before the chassis reaches its limits.

ABS and four-wheel disc brakes are standard on the SX. The brake bite and pedal feel is good, but braking composure could have been better.