The Honda City had been a segment winner since the time it was launched in the Indian market. The current version , the third generation in India , also ruled the roost for months till recently when the likes of the Maruti SX4 diesel and Volkswagen Vento pulled away customers from its showrooms. The latest rival to the Honda City has been the all-new Hyundai Fluidic Verna which packs in enough features and variants with a tempting price tag – enough to make the Honda City look pricey. However , Honda has once again turned the tables in its favor by offering a huge price cut across the City range – as much as Rs 66 , 000 on the ex-showroom price of the base City version. So , can the Honda City with a cheaper price tag overshadow the feature loaded Hyundai Verna? Here’s our take:

Looks and design:
The Honda City has always been rated high in the way it looks. It follows the same trend seen in other modern day Honda offerings in the international market. It follows the company’s “Arrow Shot Form” philosophy and hence the sharp and striking front end. The sleek lamps with the horizontally stacked grille dominate the front end. The design of the fog lamps though is rather sedate and so are the alloy wheels on the top end model. However , seen side on , the profile of the City is very sporty and racy though we would have loved larger 16-inch wheels instead of the current 15-inch ones. In terms of dimensions , the City is marginally longer and higher than the Verna though the latter is wider by 5mm. Another feather in the City’s cap is its perceived brand value which is higher than the Verna brand.
The Fluidic Verna breaks new grounds as far as aesthetics are concerned. It follows Hyundai’s new approach to designing cars – the fluidic philosophy. This was first seen on the new refreshed i10 and is more visible in the new Verna. Right from the fantastic L-shaped fog lamps to the huge headlamps , the Verna has lot of prominent and crisp design lines running across the length and breadth of the car. The side profile also shows the sloping roof which adds to the sporty touch. The rear continues to be a good point again with the waist line merging in well into the tail-lamps. The rear-view mirror integrated indicators , boot-lip and twin exhaust pipes complete the package. On the whole , it would be fair to say that here is car that finally matches upto the City in terms of road appeal!

Looks overall - Honda City – 9/10
Looks overall - Hyundai Verna – 9/10

Interiors – design , space and features:
This is another area where the City has always scored very high. When this current generation model was launched in 2008 , it re-wrote the rules in the segment as far as design , quality and space was concerned. It truly justifies as a 5-seater and has enough space for a typical five people Indian family. The design , keeping in mind with the exteriors , is again modern and radical. Take for instance the steering wheel design or the silver finished central console which helps to break the two-tone interior treatment. The speedometer console is also very striking and looks good with the red back-lighting. There are enough cubby holes for keeping knick-knacks though the manually operated air-con with knobs looks out of place. Boot space of the City is class leading at 506 litres.
However , the new Verna outshines the City in a lot of areas. It might not have the same amount of space (including boot space) but as far as making its occupants feel comfortable and pampered is concerned , this Hyundai does the job remarkably well. The interiors get the two-tone colour treatment and the fascia swoops down into the central console brilliantly. Blue backlighting is carried over from other Hyundai offerings and the top end Verna gets an automatic climate control system , Bluetooth enabled music system , key-less entry , key-less “Start-Stop” , reverse parking sensors , reverse parking camera , six air-bags (top-end model) et al. The list of feature is endless on the Verna and this is what makes you feel special and your money spent well. At the same time though , the omission of small things like light for vanity mirror is a little shocking!

Interiors overall – Honda City – 8.5/10
Interiors overall – Hyundai Verna – 9/10

Engine – performance , power , torque , fuel economy , smoothness:

Yet again , this area is what the Honda City is known for. The Japanese firm builds One of the best engines in the world and the City’s 1.5-litre unit is a gem of a motor. It produces enough power and torque to keep enthusiasts happy and yet is refined and punchy enough to satisfy those who love driving in a cautious manner. At 118PS of power and 146Nm of torque , the engine scores high on performance. Pedal to metal , the City responds very well and this combined with the slick gearbox means that the City is preferred by petrol heads. However , it isn’t the most frugal engine around , losing out to the Verna in terms of the ARAI certified figure. At the same time though , it scores very high in engine smoothness and refinement.
The Verna breaks new grounds in this segment as far as maximum power and torque figures are concerned. At 123PS of power and 155Nm of torque , on paper it is the best petrol engine around and this is reflected in the way it drives too. It has 20mm wider tyres than the City (a wider tyre has more rolling resistance) and yet ends up performing equally well on outright acceleration. On the fuel economy front , inspite of a bigger engine and wider tyres , it outshines the City’s ARAI fuel economy figures! Brilliant. However , one shortcoming with the Verna’s engine is its smoothness and refinement at high revs. Drive the car at over 130km/h on open roads and the ‘booming’ sound from the engine easily filters into the cabin , making it hard to continue a conversion with co-passengers.
Engine overall – Honda City – 9/10
Engine overall – Hyundai Verna – 9/10

Suspension – Ride , comfort and handling:
Drive the Honda City for a minute and you instantly appreciate the light steering and ease of driving this car. Drive it over bad roads and the suspension shows its prowess to handle rough roads with ease. For those who drive in a spirited manner , the suspension set-up is firm enough to inspire confidence and the steering has enough feel to transmit feedback to the driver. In a nutshell , the City provides one of the best ride and handling packages in India today.
The first feel you get of the Verna is that of a softly tuned suspension. It scores very high in terms of gliding over pot-holes and bad stretches (helped also by the larger 16-inch wheels). The steering , typical of a Hyundai , is very light though it doesn’t weigh up at speeds rise – this basically means that changing lanes at high speeds doesn’t feel as confident as it feels in a Honda City. However , in most cases , the Verna will be used as a family car and in this context , it does the job pretty well. It isn’t a car you would want to drive in a spirited manner on weekends , rather it is one that loves cruising on highways or demolishing bad roads inside the city.
Suspension overall – Honda City – 9/10
Suspension overall – Hyundai Verna – 8.5/10

Value for money – sticker price , standard features:
Honda’s cars have always demanded a premium over their rivals and the same was the case with the City. Yet , with the kind of package it delivered , it continued to find enough buyers to make it the best seller on a monthly basis. However , with new options like Maruti SX4 diesel , Volkswagen Vento and recently the Hyundai Verna , the City suddenly started looking over-priced. This problem was rectified recently when Honda shelved the City’s price by a huge margin – as much as 8% on the base EMT model. This revision in prices has made the Honda City a tempting and recommended deal in this segment. The Honda City range now starts at Rs 7.49lakh (ex-showroom , Delhi) and this is very much in the same ball park as others. We say this because unlike some of the other rivals , the base model of the City comes loaded with a decent list of features.

However , the same time , as compared to the Verna , the City seems under-equipped. The list of features that the Verna has over the City endless! The 1.6-litre petrol Verna model starts at a price that is approximately 15K over the City. The top end model of the Verna though is cheaper than the City’s top end and yet comes loaded in a way that it tends to shift your focus away from the Honda City. In terms of sheer value for money , we safely feel that the Verna has an edge here.
Value for money – Honda City – 8.5/10

Value for money – Hyundai Verna – 9.5/10

Verdict:

The Hyundai Verna is selling like hot cakes. There are umpteen options on offer but here , let’s stick to the 1.6 petrol model for this comparison. The new Verna looks hot , has feature rich interiors , a power packed yet efficient engine and finally looks like a better value for money deal. It also has features never before seen in this segment. The top end model for instance ends up giving your best bang for your buck.

However , that said , with the reduced sticker price (we are also told that dealers are further offering a discount) , the Honda City finally is a dream come true for true Honda fans – it also has a better brand notion and probably better re-sale value too. Even after being cheaper than the entry level Hyundai Verna 1.6 , it still gives you dual air-bags! Either way , we think , you won’t be going wrong with the two cars here – this is as close a call as it can ever get in the Indian passenger car market.

Read more "EXPERT REVIEWS"

---

Content courtesy: 

---

---