Would you want India’s fifth-gen Hyundai Accent (Verna)?



There was a time when Hyundai was a strong contender in the B-segment sedan market in Malaysia with the second-generation Hyundai Accent. Since the early 2000’s, Hyundai Malaysia has pulled out from the B-segment sedan game. However, in India, the fifth-generation Hyundai Accent, also known as Verna in some countries, is slated for its market debut.

The new Verna is built on Hyundai’s new K2 platform with ‘SUPER BODY STRUCTURE’ technology, giving the Verna best-in-class body rigidity, structural changes and crash performance. The new structure is also optimised for a balance between weight and fuel efficiency. Besides that, engineers have also taken intricate measures to keep NVH levels to a minimum through mounting designs, tunnel insulator and application of foam filler.

Design wise, the Verna is essentially a baby Elantra, mixing design cues from the fifth- and sixth-generation Elantra. The front face is a carryover from the fifth-gen with trapezoidal front grille and projector headlamps. Moving to the back you’ll find a mellowed down sixth-gen design with sharp LED taillamps. For a B-segment, the Verna is quite a looker.

India-bound Verna’s will be motivated by either a 1.6-litre Dual VVT petrol with 121 hp or a 1.6-litre CRDi VGT turbodiesel with 126 hp. Drive is sent to the front wheels via six-speed auto or manual transmissions. Both powertrains have been tuned to provide superior low-end performance for city driving as well as maximum fuel efficiency on the highway.

Full specifications of the Verna will be released during its market debut next week. What do you think dear readers, reckon the fifth-gen Verna (Accent) can give the current B-segment power houses in Malaysia a run for their money? After all, the second-gen Accent was a popular choice back in the day.