5 Differences Between 2023 Hyundai Verna vs Old Verna: Design, Interiors, Features And Safety Kit Compared

Korean carmaker Hyundai has upped its game in the compact sedan segment with the launch of the new 2023 Verna. It’s an all-new sedan that’s bigger and better equipped than ever before, but the previous Verna was still a looker and occupies a soft spot in the hearts of many petrolheads. 

Here are five key ways in which the new Verna differs from the older sedan. 

Appearances and size: conventional vs polarising 

The older Verna was a looker with its please-all styling that evolved into a sharp, sleek-looking design after the last facelift. The 2022 Verna had a sporty stance overall, but the new model goes for a more business-like attire with its connected LED DRLs and connected taillights and staid overall stance. That said, the new Verna has the sportier front-end styling with its almost full-width grille and splitter at the base of the bumper. 

In the profile, the two sedans look quite different and the 2023 model comes off as the longer car than the 2022 Verna, which had a relatively more upswept shoulder line. 

Although the Verna’s coupe styling at the rear is retained, it has been executed differently in the new-gen model, whose roofline flows smoothly all the way to the tailgate. At the rear, both sedans get split taillights, but the 2023 Verna gets full LED taillights connected by a lighting element. 

Overall, the new Verna has a more angular styling with sharp body lines and creases. Its design is more polarising now, which is in line with Hyundai’s other boldly designed products such as the i20 and Tucson. 

Here’s a look at the dimensions: 

• The 2023 Verna is longer and wider than its predecessor and also has a longer wheelbase. 

• The Verna’s height of 1,475mm is unchanged. 

• New sedan has the larger boot, a respectable 528 litres. 

• Longer length and wheelbase give the 2023 Verna a more spacious back seat, which was an Achilles heel of the previous-gen model. 

Interiors and features: moving into the future 

Despite being well-equipped, the older Verna’s interior design was staid in comparison to the new model. The 2023 Verna has an Ioniq 5-inspired dashboard layout that looks hi-tech with its floating dual-display panel. It houses the infotainment touchscreen, which is a larger 10.25-inch unit (the older Verna had an eight-inch unit), and a digital driver’s display that has similar graphics as before. 

Moreover, the new Verna’s climate controls can double up as infotainment and navigation controls at the touch of a button. Apart from these changes, you might have also noticed that the new Verna has a two-spoke steering wheel and a different colour scheme. 

The new Verna gets all of its predecessor’s features such as a single-pane sunroof, cruise control, automatic boot opening, push button start-stop, leatherette seats, LED headlights, connected car tech, ventilated front seats and driver rear-view monitor. In addition, the 2023 model also gets a powered driver’s seat, and the front seats also get a heating function in addition to ventilation. But the biggest feature update is related to the safety kit. 

Safety: first-time ADAS 

The previous Verna took its safety seriously with up to six airbags, a tyre-pressure monitoring system, hill-start assist, stability control and rear disc brakes offered. But the new Verna goes a step further with the introduction of Hyundai’s SmartSense level-two driver-assistance suite (ADAS). 

It adds features such as forward-collision avoidance assist (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), blind-spot collision avoidance, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control (with stop and go), high-beam assist, safe-exit warning and driver-attention warning. 

Powertrains: forced induction done better 

The 2022 Hyundai Verna was offered with three engine options – a 115PS 1.5-litre naturally aspirated (NA) petrol engine, a 120PS 1-litre turbo-petrol unit and a 115PS 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine. Unfortunately, the stricter BS6 phase II norms have made the diesel powerplant obsolete. On the bright side, the new Verna gets a more potent 160PS 1.5-litre GDI turbo-petrol engine option that’s available with a dual-clutch (DCT) automatic gearbox. 

The Verna’s 1.5-litre NA petrol engine continues with minor updates. Both engines get a six-speed manual gearbox as standard; the NA petrol engine has the option of an iVT (CVT) automatic transmission. 

Price: Sedans getting more expensive 

With all its updates (including the RDE-compliant engines), the new Verna ends up being over Rs 1 lakh more expensive than its predecessor at the entry level. The top-spec Verna costs just over Rs 1.5 lakh more than its 2022 counterpart.  

Overall, the 2023 Verna is more mature than ever before and is even better-equipped to face its rivals, the facelifted 2023 Honda City, Volkswagen Virtus, Maruti Ciaz and Skoda Slavia.