Hey Autocar, We're looking into sedans. Shortlisted Verna and City. Spoke with a guy, and he gave advice not to choose the City due to its rusting issue. I did a test drive, and the city was my primary choice. But, thinking about this statement he made. Also, enquired with the dealer. But, they denied it, stating their new cars are galvanised properly. I don't know what to do. Please advise.

autocar.india

•1d

Pick the Honda City automatic for your mix of Chennai crawl and marathon Kerala runs. The City rides a touch comfier over broken roads and has a more natural steering feel, which matters on a 1,000 km day when you are tired and just want an easy, steady car.The Hyundai Verna 1.5T DCT is the faster car and feels nicer on open roads, no question. But a dual-clutch can hesitate at times in stop-and-go traffic, whereas the City's CVT is seamless.If you crave the Verna’s shove for quick highway overtakes, it is tempting. Just be honest about your daily crawl. For hassle-free city use and relaxed long drives after 11 years in a Jazz, the City will feel familiar, calmer and easier to live with.

Honda City

Hyundai Verna

autocar.india

•1d

The Hyundai Verna HX8 Turbo-petrol manual is a good option. The turbo-petrol engine is refined and delivers strong performance. Its clutch and gearbox are buttery smooth, and it rides well too, so overall the Verna feels very user-friendly for your daily commutes. Moreover, it is feature-loaded and delivers good value-for-money.Alternatively, you could consider the recently updated Honda City ZX Plus MT, which will fall within your Rs 20 lakh budget. While its feature list is similar to the Verna's, the Honda also gets ADAS, which the Verna manual misses.

Hyundai Verna

Honda City

autocar.india

•1h

Pick the Hyundai Verna. Coming from a City, you’ll appreciate the airy cabin, big rear seat and boot, and the way it smooths out rough patches. You said you’ll use it frequently, and the Verna feels secure and relaxed at highway speeds while still being easy in tight city gaps, so it won’t feel like a step down from your Honda on the daily grind. It's also well equipped, and you get a choice of two distinct petrol engines, a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated unit and a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol. The former is the better all-rounder, smoother and lighter on the pocket, with the better auto gearbox - a CVT. The latter is punchier but drinks noticeably more fuel and gets a clunkier DCT gearbox. If your usage is mostly on the highway, the turbo petrol might make sense, but in most cases, the regular 1.5 petrol is better.The Skoda and Volkswagen are also excellent choices, especially if you enjoy driving. Their turbo engines are punchy, though they are also heavy drinkers if you are not careful, and Skoda/VW service is not quite as bulletproof as Hyundai's. Moreover, both sedans are due for a facelift very soon, so we would recommend waiting to see what's in store before taking the plunge. If you're in a hurry, though, the Verna is the safer bet.

Hyundai Verna