Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Verna: Which one should be your future car?

With the introduction of the Yaris at Auto Expo 2018, Toyota has made it ways to one of the fiercest segment in the market – the compact sedan segment. After being launched, it has joined the intense competition between popular mid-size sedans like Honda City, Hyundai Verna, and the Maruti Ciaz. 

Last year, Hyundai Verna also receives updates in a hope to enhance its competitiveness and improve its performance. 

Will the newcomer – Toyota Yaris make a good rival with the newly-updated Hyundai Verna? Let’s find the answer with IndianAuto on this comprehensive comparison review of the Yaris vs Verna.

1. Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Verna Dimension:

First of all, let’s look at the dimension of these two cars.

Hyundai Verna is longer with the length of 4,440mm, while Toyota Yaris is only 4,425mm long. Moreover, the Verna has a significantly longer wheelbase of 2,550mm which is 50mm longer than Yaris. However, the Yaris has the higher stance which stands at 1.497mm, 20mm higher than the Verna. The two car is compatible as far as the width is concerned. At 1,730, the Yaris is only 1mm wider than the Hyundai Verna.

The Verna has a marginally bigger cargo space which is 480-litres comparing to the 476-litre of the Yaris.

2. Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Verna Exterior:

Toyota Yaris represents the signature low vertical-slat wide grille of Toyota which takes most estate on the front profile. The headlamp inspired by the unit of the Corolla Altis is stylishly integrated with the Toyota badge at the centre. Toyota also adds some playful touch with the sweepback foglamp units. Projector headlamp and, LED DRLs are featured on the front of the Yaris. 

Compared with the Yaris, Hyundai Verna seems to have a clearer and simpler design, however, still displays a certain amount of sleekness. The fascia of the Verna has a cascading grille with vertical chrome slat. The chrome insert is also added to the fog light unit.

Virtually, Verna’s design is harmonious, more fashionable and premium. Whereas, the Yaris’s exterior is more aggressive and pronounced. It is also noticeable that the Verna looks indeed larger than the Yaris, even though on paper, it is not quite so.

Also read:

• Toyota Yaris 2018 Review: First-in-the-segment features and full-loaded safety package

3. Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Verna Interior:

Interior Design 

The Yaris, as any other Toyota models, has a neat and uncluttered interior, allowing a brighter and more spacious room. The dashboard has the beige-black dual-tone with black piano insert in the head unit. It also features chrome accent along the dash, on the head units, the instrument clusters, air vent and the steering wheel, creating a harmonious design.

Verna’s interior looks more classic and straight-forward. It is optimized for practicality. The black and grey interior is premium and mature. The button and knobs are noticeably better than the Yaris. The high-quality plastic material also contributes to the premiumness of the Verna.

Space

Even though the Verna has the advantage of a greater dimension, the Yaris indeed has a better width. The larger interior width translates to a comfortable space which allows Yaris better accommodate the third passenger. One plus point for the Yaris is that, with the overall smaller size, it is more suitable for city commuting. 

Seating 

Yaris also offer a great comfort with a supportive cushion seat and a good amount of legroom and headroom. Moreover, in the top variants, the driver seat is electrically adjustable. 

Verna could also afford a comfortable headroom and legroom. The seat cover is on the firm side. The low rear seat could make it quite uncomfortable to enter and exit. 

Features

Hyundai Verna is well-known for its fully-loaded feature list. It has features that you could hardly find in cars of the same segment, for example, electric boot lift, ventilated seats, and especially, sunroof on the top-spec variant. 

The Yaris, on the other hands, has features like roof-mounted rear AC vent, front parking sensors, and gesture-controlled touchscreen infotainment system.

The new Yaris is given bus-like roof-mounted AC vents 

Safety features

The two variants are well-equipped with a decent safety feature package. Both the Yaris and Verna shares some common safety features like reverse camera, ABS and parking sensor. Yaris is generously equipped with seven airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP and hill-hold assist. The Verna has six airbags, ISOFIX. 

Also read:

• The Hyundai Verna 2018 India Review - A Thorough Walkthrough

4. Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Verna Performance:

Toyota has given the Yaris a 1.5-litre petrol engine which is able to churn out 107HP and 140Nm. The petrol engine is paired with a seven-step CVT automatic gearbox or a six-speed manual gearbox. 

The Yaris offers a decent performance with a compliant suspension even at high speed. The engine also delivers a smooth start and provides a linear acceleration. The car has what it takes to be a good city driving car. However, at the mid-range speed, the drive dynamics becomes flat and requires a downshift to gain more power. And of course, the Yaris doesn’t give enough excitement when driving on the highway.

The Yaris feels good at starting, but as the speed builds up, there is not as much as excitement as in the beginning

Hyundai Verna is receiving power from the 1.6-litre petrol which could make 123PS and 150Nm. It is mated with a six-speed automatic or manual gearbox. However, it is not equipped with paddle shifter like in the Yaris. The engine gives out a more consistent and powerful performance than the Yaris. 

Ride and handling

The Yaris’s steering responds poorly and loses confidence at high speed. But it offers a good ride quality: it could easily iron out potholes and bumps even when the car speeds up. Whereas, the Verna, when hustling, could send thuds and bounces into the cabin.

Hyundai Verna 2018's braking is not as sharp as in the Yaris

Yaris's braking system is responsive and sharp, however, their sensitiveness might be the cause of some unexpected twitches. It is opposite for the Verna whose brake doesn't give the same powerful stop. Indeed, it requires a little more workout on the muscle to stop the car. 

5. Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Verna Price