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..

The base E variant of the Honda City is similar to the base EX variant of the Verna as far as equipment is concerned, with both offering just the basic essentials, along with ABS and EBD. However, the Honda City E is cheaper than the Verna EX by around Rs 70,000. And, the petrol Vento Trendline is cheaper than the City E petrol by around Rs 8,000. The base Vento Trendline gets rear air-con vents, rear parking sensors and height adjustable drivers seat. 

The Honda City V M/T (petrol and diesel) costs around Rs 19,000 more than the Verna SX M/T variant and comes equipped with more features. The Vento Highline petrol is cheaper than the City VX M/T but dearer than the Verna SX. The Vento Highline diesel is cheaper than both the diesel City VX and the Verna SX.  

The top Honda City VX variant feels like better value than the Hyundai Verna SX (O), which also comes with an equally impressive long list of features. The City petrol VX costs Rs 30,000 more, while the diesel VX costs Rs 12,000 more than the Verna SX (O). However, the City VX gets cruise control and a sunroof, neither of which are available on the top SX (O) variant of the Verna.  

The Honda City, with its aggressive pricing and long list of features, is bound to cause a stir in the Indian market and eat into the market share of the Hyundai Verna and the VW Vento.