The Hyundai Verna facelift is likely to be updated with a 6-speed automatic transmission that will replace the sluggish 4-speed auto box.
While Hyundai’s latest offerings the Elite i20 and Xcent compact sedan have been chartbusters, the automaker’s much loved Verna C-segment sedan saw sales plummet rather drastically with the arrival of the fourth generation Honda City in the segment. Now looking to resurrect sales, the South Korean manufacturer is gearing up to launch a comprehensively facelifted version of the Verna that was recently caught testing by our reader Achyuth Srinivasan in Chennai.
With the launch expected early next year, the 2015 Hyundai Verna facelift gets a few updates to the front fascia, while the rear gets refurbished tail lights, now with LEDs. Already on sale in Russia as the Solaris, the facelifted model gets a more mature styling losing some of the flamboyance with a redesigned grille, bumper and headlight cluster. You now get projector headlamps as standard, while the LED DRLs have been moved down to the fog lights. The alloys also get a new design theme on the 2015 model year.
Apart from changes to the exteriors, the 2015 Hyundai Verna facelift will also get updated mechanicals including a tweaked suspension set-up and updated equipment list. No changes will be made to the existing cabin layout though. It would also be a good time to update that vague steering on the mid-size sedan. The 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engine options will continue to do duty on the sedan, while speculations suggest that Hyundai will debut the 6-speed automatic transmission unit from the Elantra on to the Verna, replacing the sluggish 4-speed auto box.