Verna is a value for money deal if you can't afford a City

 

 The Hyundai Verna got its facelift recently and it was heavily updated but after some time it’s so called rival the Honda City has introduced its new generation too. Most of the buyers regard the city as a better car for decades now. But when I was going through the brochure of the Verna and saw the pricelist of both of the cars, I realized that if someone can’t afford a Honda city then going for a Verna is surprisingly good. The base variant S/S+ and the 2nd base variant SX have a price tag less than the base variant of the Honda city and seem to be offering good packages. The other two variants don’t really seem to be value for money packages. We will talk about them at the end, now let’s focus on why the base two variants are really practical and value for money

 

 

 

Base variant (S/S+)

For the base variant the starting price is 9.3 lacs ex showroom Delhi, and in this price you will get practical features like dual airbags, day-night mirror, speed sensing auto door lock and impact sensing unlock, keyless entry, seatbelt pretensioners for driver and co driver, dual horn, power windows (dr. side auto down), Manual AC with eco coating technology, rear AC vents, emergency stop signal, cooled glovebox, tilt steering, front and rear USB charger, electrically adjustable orvm, steering mounted audio, Bluetooth and trip meter controls, gear shift indicator, front adjustable headrests, central armrest with storage, rear armrest with cup-holders, a 8 inch touchscreen infotainment system along with Arkamys premium sound system with apple carplay and android auto . So if you are thinking of buying the base variant of the Verna then you will have a lot of useful and practical features. Base variants in this price range, don’t come with luxuries usually and Verna is not an exception but just in case if you want to buy a mid size sedan then as a base model, it doesn’t disappoint you.

 

SX (2nd base variant)

Now let’s talk about the 2nd base variant which has a starting price tag of 10.7 lacs (ex showroom Delhi). This one also has quite good package to offer. At a price increment of 1.4 lacs from its previous variant, it will have cornering projector headlamps, LED DRLs, 16” alloys, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, electric sunroof, push start/stop button, driver side auto up/down power windows, auto AC, wireless phone charger, driver rear view monitor, cruise control, electric folding ORVMs, rear parking camera, projector front fog lamps, electro-chromic mirrors, auto headlamps, smart key, rear defogger with timer, height adjustable front seatbelts and driver seat, digital instrument cluster, front tweeters etc. Some features like telescopic steering adjustment, adjustable rear headrests should have been included in this variant but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Still it’s a good option.

The other two variants SX(O) and SX(O) Turbo

Well, when I went through the brochure, I noticed that the upper two variants SX(O) and turbo doesn’t seem that much value for money. Most probably buyers will prefer to go for the Honda City at that price. But still if we talk about the 2nd top variant SX(O) which has a 1.9 lacs price increment(starting price: 12.6 lacs) over the previous one, it adds on some features like full LED headlamps, Diamond cut alloys, telescopic steering, ventilated seats, adjustable rear headrests, leather upholstery, connected car technology and as safety you get ESC (Electronic Stability Control), VSM (Vehicle Stability Management), HAC (Hill start Assist Control), TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) and 6 airbags. Doesn’t seems to be a great deal if you look at the price increment. Same case for the top variant SX(O)turbo which comes with four disc brakes, front parking sensors, a DCT gearbox with paddle shifters, twin tip muffler and some changes in looks than the other variants at a price tag of 13.99 lacs (increment of 1.39 lacs over SX(O)). And yes it has got a 1 litre turbocharged engine that is significantly smaller than the 1.5 litre NA engine provided in the other variants. Maybe Hyundai could have installed the 1.4 litre turbocharged engine which is available in the Creta, to make the turbo Verna a super hot sedan in the market right now. Doesn’t feel like a good gig to me. Things could have been better in the top variants. What do you think?

 

 

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Tata Altroz : Do the optional packages confuse the buyers? Here's a quick look

 

 

Tata is focusing on the safety and build quality of their current lineup of non-commercial vehicles and the newly added mid-size hatchback Altroz is one of their flagship products. It has got a 5 star safety rating by the Global NCAP but the fact is that safety is one of the most important characteristics of a car but it’s not the only important feature. So here in this article we will figure out which variant of the Tata Altroz makes sense to buy and does safety come with enough practicality in competitive prices?

But before we begin there are a few informations you should know about the Altroz. Firstly, it is currently the only mid-size hatchback that is available in both petrol and diesel engines but unfortunately it offers no automatic transmission options. Secondly, Tata offers some packages with selected variants so that buyers don’t need to go for the upper variants just for a few features they need in the lower variants. So keep patience as there are 5 variants and 4 different packages, it will be a long article. Now let’s get going- 

 

Base variant XE MT Petrol Price: ₹ 5,44,000

In this entry level variant you will get practical and convenient features like umbrella holder in front doors, driver foot rest, two drive modes- Eco and City, central locking, front power windows, adjustable front seat headrests and front power outlet . There’s a lot of safety stuffs too like ABS with EBD and corner stability control, ISOFIX child seat anchorage, seatbelt reminder, immobilizer, drive away locking, high speed and seatbelt alert, auto door lock if no entry for 30 sec and impact sensing auto door unlock, child lock in rear doors, electric power assisted collapsible steering and front seatbelts with load limiter. As you can see regardless of being a base variant Tata has poured a lot of safety stuff in it along with adequate practical features for this price. So if someone is looking for a cheap and safe hatchback of this size then this is the one to go for or Ford Trio - Figo, Freestyle and Aspire (ignore Swift and baleno here because they are  not safe :-P).

With Rhythm pack XE is better

Well, most of the customers of base variant install aftermarket music systems after buying the car but here you can go for the Rhythm pack by paying 26k extra as it adds on Harman Kardon infotainment system with 4 speakers along with remote key and dual tone horn. So it is good to buy the XE variant but it is just a better decision to add the Rhythm pack. 

 

XM MT Petrol Price: ₹ 6,30,000 lacs

This is probably the worst and useless variant of Altroz as in this variant the price hikes to a whooping 86k over the previous one and in that increment you will just get rear parcel tray, Harman’s infotainment system but with only 2 speakers, all power windows, electrically adjustable and auto fold ORVMs and half wheel covers!

We don’t really understand how is it possible to create this type of dumb feature distribution with a good car!!

Packages with XM

You can opt for the Rhythm pack by for extra 39k in this variant which provides a 7 inch touchscreen infotainment from Harman with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters, steering mounted controls, reverse parking camera, remote key and dual tone horn. You can also opt for the style package which costs 34k extra and includes black contrast roof, body colored ORVMs, 16” wheels, front and rear fog lamps and DRLs.

To be honest, if you look at the packages and the variant itself, you will find that at least half of the features of these two packages could have been included in the main variant. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and this variant along with its packages do not seem to be a good deal if you are looking for a value for money deal.

 

XT Petrol MT Price: ₹ 6,99,000

Well in this variant you have to pay 69k over the last variant which will add on LED DRLs, Full wheel covers, 15 litre cooled glovebox with illumination, reverse parking camera with dynamic guideways, voice alerts, front fog lamps with cornering function, anti glare IRVM, perimetric alarm system, dual horn, 7” dashtop touchscreen infotainment by Harman with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters, fast USB charger, steering mounted infotainment controls, apple carplay and android auto, idle start stop function, cruise control, remote keyless entry, automatic AC, follow me home and find me function in headlamps etc.

At this price point it comes loaded with practical and convenient features. But I wish they had provided rear defogger and heignt adjustable driver seat in this variant which would make this variant the most practical yet value for money buy of its line up. It is a value for money variant but maybe it is not enough practical for a lot of people. So if it fulfills your needs then you should go for it.

Packages with XT

XT comes with a package called Luxe and it costs 38k in which it adds 16” wheels, black roof and body coloured ORVMs, rear fog lamp, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, 16” wheels, height adjustable driver seat, rear armrest and metal finish inner door handles. I realized that it is better to avoid this package and buy the top variant which comes with more practicality and premium features and costs just 12k more than this package.

 

Top variant XZ Petrol MT Price : ₹ 7,49,000

At a price hike of 50k over the last variant, you will find some really practical additions like dual chamber projector headlamps, 16” dual tone alloy wheels, 7 inch TFT digital instrument cluster, retractable tray in glove box, sunglass holder, rear fog lamps and defogger, height adjustable front seat belts and driver seat, wearable key, one shot auto down driver window, rear adjustable headrests, rear AC vents, front sliding armrest with storage, rear seat armrest, steering mounted instrument cluster control, front and rear power outlet etc. You will also find some premium features like auto headlamps, rain sensing front wipers, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, metal inside door handles and piano black ORVMs with chrome accent etc.

This variant is the most value for money variant of the Tata Altroz. It is indeed the best one to buy if you have no budget barrier and just need a proper premium midsize hatchback.

Packages with XZ

There is one package called Urban which costs 30k and includes black roof, body coloured ORVMs and exterior colour co-ordinate interiors. You can also opt for the black roof option separately by paying 16k with the XZ variant (Tata calls it XZ optional). These packages only provide cosmetic additions so it is the your personal preference whether you will buy them or not.

 

Conclusion

Basically all the variants of the Tata Altroz are value for money offerings from the maker except the XM variant and all its add on packages. It's lineup satisfies mostly all kind of budget with adequate features. So if you want a new hatchback, then go and experience it. Just remember to avoid the XM variant.

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