Hyundai 4S Fluidic Verna

They have The Grand, the elite, the Fluidic and now this, the 4S and no, it is not preceded by Carrera.

This 4S is in fact, preceded by hyundai, followed by verna, and the esses are what separate this ‘new’ verna from the old one. The 4S stands for Style, Sophistication, Safety and Speed, and hyundai says the revisions to the verna revolve around these key words. We went to Udaipur to see what the 4S was about.

I must tell you, in a nutshell, what the Fluidic verna was like before we go driving this 4S. It was sharply styled, both the 1.6-litre diesel and petrol engines were the most powerful in the segment, it had plenty of equipment and it was quite ho-hum when it came to driver involvement.

The 4S is still ho-hum when you are looking for engagement drive it through a set of corners and the whole car feels like that girlfriend you’ve just had a fight with: cold. There’s no seat-of-the-pants communication, the steering is numb and the car simply isolates itself from the driver which, admittedly, isn’t the crime of the century. verna owners love the power and torque surge the car has and that remains unchanged with this one.

What has noticeably improved are the high-speed manners of the 4S. The spring rates have been played with and I suspect the electrically assisted steering has been programmed to offer more weight when the car is at speed and these go some way in making the verna feel more grounded on our undulating expressways. The high-speed ride has improved as well, there’s less of that wallow from the overly soft rear of the old verna and in its place a flatter, more controlled ride. at lower speeds, there is a wee bit more firmness from the suspension but really, it’s comfortable enough. hyundai also says they’ve made a few minor changes to make the suspension feel more refined the bump stops now have an etched finish on them to counter the thud when you bottom out, but I couldn’t tell the difference.

Fact is, this is a relatively old car and hyundai’s newer cars (like the elite i20) are more engaging to drive. There is hope for the next verna. Now, for the S bit. ABS is standard on all variants of the 4S and top-end versions come with six airbags. Hyundai says the Verna has received a 5-star NCAP rating in different parts of the globe and the US Government Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates it as good which is very good. That’s one S.

The front-end has been completely revamped. The wing-shaped grille, the boomerang-shaped fog lamps and the pulled back, stretched out headlamps now make it look more upmarket somewhere between a Corolla and a Camry and this is good as well. I think the styling has traded in some sportiness for maturity, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I’ll leave it at that. That’s  the second S.

Inside, the cabin remains the same and it does look quite sophisticated, if a bit familiar, from the driver’s seat. There are a few additions to the inside the front passenger seat gets a handle (like the VW Vento) so chauffeur-driven rear passengers can easily slide the front seat forward to improve leg room. The rear seat cushion has been worked on to improve thigh support a problem with the old Verna and yes, there’s a bit more thigh support now. There’s lots of equipment by way of Bluetooth connectivity, USB and aux-in ports, 1GB internal memory for music, driver’s seat height adjustment, tilt and telescopic steering, cooled glovebox, push-button start and keyless entry, climate control and a reverse camera. So, the third S, which stands for sophistication, is mostly taken care of.

I drove the 1.6-litre diesel and as always, it remains one of the biggest draws of this car. With 128bhp and 260Nm of torque, this remains one of the more enjoyable aspects of the car, though there is some lag (especially in third gear). The surge when the turbo wakes up and the subsequent mid-range punch will put a smile on your face. The engine is one of the smoothest and quietest four-cylinder diesels around as well and that takes care of the fourth S.



Specification
Engine / In-line 4-cyl, 1582cc
Transmission / 6-speed manual
Power / 126bhp @ 4000rpm
Torque / 260Nm @ 1900-2750rpm
Weight / 1191kg
0-100kmph / 10.5sec
Top speed  / 190kmph (claimed)