New Honda City vs rivals-variant and feature comparison

The all-new Honda City, a car we've eagerly anticipated, has finally reached Honda's showrooms. The City petrol comes with a starting price of Rs 7.42 lakh for the base E MT variant, and rises to Rs 10.98 lakh for the top VX CVT variant. The prices for the diesel City start from Rs 8.62 lakh for the base E variant and go up to Rs 11.10 lakh for the top VX variant.

But, just how well does the new City stack up against its rivals, the Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento, as far as features, variants and prices are concerned? We've made the task of choosing easier. Read on.

Let's start with the prices. Hyundai offers the Verna to buyers with a choice of four engines, with the option of a manual or automatic transmission. The Verna petrol starts from Rs 7.40 lakh for the 1.4-litre five-speed manual GL variant and goes up to Rs 10.37 lakh for the top SX (O) variant, that's powered by a 1.6-litre engine. The prices for the diesel variants start from Rs 8.62 lakh for the 1.4-litre six-speed manual GL variant and the top-of-the-line SX (O) variant that gets a 1.6-litre engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission is priced at Rs 11.69 lakh . 

The Volkswagen Vento petrol's price range starts from Rs 7.34 lakh for the base Trendline variant and goes up to Rs 8.88 lakh for the top Highline variant. Prices for the diesel Vento are Rs 8.49 lakh for the base Trendline variant, Rs 9.11 lakh for the Comfortline variant and Rs 9.21 lakh for the top Highline variant.

What's clear here is that as far as prices are concerned, the base and top-end versions of the three cars differ only by a few thousand rupees. Naturally, what sets them apart is the features that each car comes equipped with. Continued..

From the long list of features that accompanies the Honda City, it's clear that Honda has identified the Verna as its primary target. All variants of the petrol and diesel City get ABS with EBD, driver's side airbag, electrically adjustable wing mirrors and a power steering with tilt adjust. On the S and SV variants, there's an integrated four-speaker audio system with a 3.5-inch screen, audio controls on the steering wheel, Bluetooth telephony and height-adjust for the driver. The SV variant, additionally, comes with cruise control.

The V and VX variants of the Honda City get electrically foldable wing mirrors with turn indicators, integrated audio system with four tweeters and a bigger five-inch screen, reversing camera and 15-inch alloy wheels. Only the VX variant gets a sunroof, which neither the Vento or Verna offer.

The Hyundai Verna matches the Honda City on the safety front with ABS and EBD standard on all variants. Electrically adjustable wing mirrors with turn indicators and a rear centre armrest is standard too. The EX, SX and SX (O) variants get a longer features list. They come with a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity with steering-mounted audio controls and height adjustable front seatbelts. Only the top SX (O) petrol and diesel variants get projector headlamps, automatic headlight control and leather upholstery.

The Volkswagen Vento lags behind the City and the Verna in the safety department, as it offers ABS only on the top Highline variant. But, rear AC vents are available on the Trendline, Comfortline, Highline variants. Across all the Vento's three variants, rear parking sensors, height adjustable driver's seat and tilt and telescopic steering are standard. Only the top Highline variant gets 15-inch alloy wheels, leather on the seat covers, gear knob and handbrake lever, and Bluetooth connectivity and a multi-function steering wheel.  Continued..