Hyundai Verna DCT

New kicks make the Verna a lot more enjoyable for my daily commutes

WE JUST GOT BACK FROM INDORE LAST MONTH AFTER A tough 24-hour run where we broke a lot of records. The tyres we used on the cars in the event were the same Apollo Alnac 4G tyres that were fitted to my long-term Verna. The Alnac 4G tyres were extremely reliable during our endurance run, lasting the entire run with the cars doing 203kmph nonstop. But as reliable as these tyres are, in the interest of long life, the compound is hard and I wanted to move to a set of softer compound tyres for the Verna to do justice to the performance it packs in.

This turbo-petrol unit is quite powerful and the hard compound doesn’t allow you to put the power down well enough. Under hard acceleration, there’s a little torque steer and the TC cuts in until the tyres find grip. On our concrete roads, the confidence in braking and changing direction at high speeds is just not there, making the Verna feel a bit loose on its feet. I’ve just swapped these Alnac 4Gs for a set of Continental UltraContact UC6 tyres now. This is a more premium tyre to the OE fitment that offers a softer compound and lower road noise. There’s plenty more to know about these tyres so flip to the tried and tested section next month for a detailed review on them. As for the Verna, it feels so much more planted than before, the road noise is much lower and braking for the countless speed breakers and changing lanes is a far more joyful act than before. Makes me want to find the next winding road with the Verna. ⌧ (@anandmohan2810)

Date acquired October 2023 Total mileage 13,206km Mileage this month 1,666km Costs: `30,000(4 tyres) +

`1,500 (alignment and balancing) Overall kmpl 11