2014 Hyundai Verna update: Review, test drive

One of our biggest complaints with the Verna was with its high-speed manners. For this car, Hyundai has tweaked the suspension settings and this has cured most of the old car’s nervousness at speed, its floatiness and its tendency to bottom out. The steering now also has more weight and the low-speed ride remains quite good. However, the suspension does still run out of travel over sharper bumps; this results in a painful thunk as the springs compress fully and hit the bump stops. And at speed, though it is much improved, the Verna still doesn’t like sudden avoidance manoeuvres, the rear feeling soggy when you make sudden inputs to the steering.

 

In updating the Verna, Hyundai has not messed with its strengths – the looks, the equipment, the refinement. And it has marginally improved on its weaknesses. Handling is now sharper and more confidence-inspiring, and the car bottoms out less. What lets it down then is the rear seat, which isn’t  quite as comfortable as the others, the throttle lag which makes it less easy to drive in traffic and the fact that the ride and handling still need a bit more polishing. Still, there's no denying that the Verna is better than it ever was.