Hyundai Verna: Indian Car of the Year 2018
Hyundai Verna scored 118 points to emerge as winner, outrunning Maruti Suzuki Dzire in just 1 solitary point!
The 13th edition of the prestigious Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) award, dubbed as the ‘Oscar’ of Indian car industry, has been announced for this year. A jury consisting of eighteen senior motoring journalists from various media houses has cast their votes of all new cars launched in 2017 calendar year. The cars were judged on various aspects such as price and value for money, styling, comfort, features, performance, fuel efficiency, practicality, technical superiority, and safety. Their fittingness for Indian buyers and local driving conditions was also considered.
Also Read: 2016 Best New Cars Of The Year
Of all the 16 new cars launched this year, nine models made it to the final jury round. They include Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Tata Nexon, Jeep Compass, Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Honda WR-V, Hyundai Verna, Renault Captur, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Skoda Kodiaq. The new-generation Hyundai Verna clinched the title by scoring a cumulative score of 118 points based on the various judging paramenters.
The new Maruti Suzuki Dzire narrowly missed the title by just 1 point, pointing out to the fierce competition between the two cars till the last moment. In fact, the Jeep Compass settled for third position with 87 points – look at the huge difference between the first/second and third positions. Clearly, these two cars have won the battle on all counts.
Why Hyundai Verna?
Launched in August this year, the Hyundai Verna is more of a shrunken-down Elantra than an improved Accent-era sedan, unlike most of its rivals. The car comes with an exemplary styling that is smart and well-executed. The fit and finish of the body and interiors are greatly improved than the previous generation, while the features and equipment list is value-for-money. Together with competitive pricing, the car makes a sensible package with lots of value addition.
The Verna is an exciting car to drive as well. Both its 1.6-litre CRDi diesel and 1.6-litre Gamma petrol engines show high levels of refinement, are pleasant to rev and play with on highways. The 6-speed manual and 6-speed auto gearboxes are pleasing enough for hassle-free driving. The handling dynamics and ride quality has been considerably improved from the previous car, although the rear seating and legroom is still an issue.
