Sedan and hatchback cars have always meant comfort and spaciousness but now with the new inventions these cars seem to be build with strong engine systems and defy stereotypes in many ways. Two of the cars which fit this category are Skoda Octavia and Hyundai Verna but which of them is better, lets find out…
Price
Skoda Octavia starts from 13.95 lakhs whereas Verna is available in the price range of 7.29 – 11.48Lakhs. More or less both the cars come under the same price range.
Also See : Visit Our Hyundai Verna FAQ section containing all small-yet-useful info altogether for your convenience
Brand
Hyundai is clearly the winner in this round as it’s the 2nd highest car seller in India after Maruti Suzuki and hence looked at as much more trustable. Skoda with all its sophistication and class still seems to lag a little behind Hyundai.
Exteriors
After removing the unnecessary curves and feature lines from the old model of the car, the 2011 released model of Verna seems much better. However it sticks to the common eagle eye headlights, rear combi lamps, fog lamps and hence fails to stand out. On the other hand the new Octavia is the first of its kind to hold new brand logo ‘Laurin and Klement’ in its new and improved Grill on the front bumper. The base model boats the latest halogen headlights while the top variant has the exclusivity of bi-xenon headlamps with daytime LED lights and Full LED tail lamps. All in all, if Octavia and Verna stand side by side people will definitely turn a blind eye towards Verna.
Interiors
Verna offers features like Climate control, keyless ignition, reverse camera, leather upholstery, and integrated music system with Bluetooth connectivity and steering mounted controls. Verna lacks the rear seat AC vents which disappoints quite a few. The new Octavia on the other hand offers a revised music system and new display screen with touch. Adaptive cruise control optional keyless entry, automatic door and ignition system, panoramic sunroof, dual zone air conditioners, CD/MP3 with Infrared remote controller, appealing wood finish and much more impressive leather upholstery and parking assist that makes driving a cherish able experience. Both cars have 6 airbags and ABS with EBD but safety features like parking sensors with sound, automatic lane guidance, emergency city braking system give Skoda the edge .Both cars have space for everything from bottle holders to a place for your goggles.
Also See : Visit Our Skoda Octavia FAQ section containing all small-yet-useful info altogether for your convenience
Engine
Verna is available in both diesel and petrol 1.6 l and 1.4 l units offering both manual and automatic transmissions. The 1.6 lit diesel engine utilizes a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) and throws out a 126bhp and 260Nm of torque. It seems disturbingly coarse only towards the maximum speed limit. It offers a mileage of 22.32kpl. The 1.6L petrol engine provides an average of 17.01 kmpl with displacement of 1591 cc and churns 123.05ps of top power at 6300rpm .The new Octavia will offer both petrol and diesel engines and 3 variants namely Ambiente, Elegance and Active. The 1.8 petrol engine is expected to offer 110 KW of power and diesel 2.0 TDi engine is expected to offer 105 KW of power. Elegance and Active will available in both the versions i.e. diesel and petrol with 2.0 TDi engines which should offer 105KW of power. These all offer manual as well as automatic transmission and their mileage can be estimated around 19 kmpl.
On The Road
The light steering of Verna makes it easy to maneuver around narrow roads and in traffic. The car at slow and medium speeds seems to absorb bumps however as the speed increases the steering seems to stiffen a little and also the ride seems a little jerky. All in all, Verna seems to be a good car however it offers scopes of improvement, will Octavia be able to outlive these improvements is what has to be seen.
