The Honda City is one of the oldest brands in the compact sedan segment and one that's been around in India for over two decades. It's also one of the most trusted models on offer in our market and once used to rule the segment. However, that changed when other automakers came in with more models in the compact sedan segment, giving the City a tough fight. Well! The Japanese carmaker has updated the 2020 Honda City and the fifth-generation model is expected to heat things up being a leap over its predecessor. Honda has already released the specifications of the 2020 City and here's how it fares up against the competition.
Also Read: The Return Of The King: All-New Honda City Review
The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is offered only with a BS6 petrol engine.
| Specifications | Honda City (Petrol) | Maruti Suzuki Ciaz (Petrol) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre | 1.5-litre |
| No. Of Cylinders | 4 | 4 |
| Max Power | 119 bhp at 6600 rpm | 102 bhp at 6000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 145 Nm at 4300 rpm | 138 Nm at 4400 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-Speed MT / CVT | 5-speed MT / 4-Speed AT |
While the new Honda City will be offered in India with both petrol and diesel engines, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is offered only with a BS6 petrol engine and the diesel engine has not been upgraded to meet the BS6 standards. The Honda City still has the edge in this comparison, featuring a more powerful 1.5-litre, four-cylinder motor which is mated to a six-speed manual transmission as standard while a CVT automatic gearbox is optional. The comparatively humble 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine in the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz gets a five-speed manual transmission while the four-speed torque converter automatic gearbox is optional.
The Hyundai Verna has the widest range of engine and gearbox combinations on offer.
| Specifications | Honda City (Petrol) | Hyundai Verna (Petrol) | Hyundai Verna Petrol (Turbo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre | 1.5-litre | 1.0-litre |
| No. Of Cylinders | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Max Power | 119 bhp at 6600 rpm | 113 bhp at 6300 rpm | 118 bhp at 6000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 145 Nm at 4300 rpm | 145 Nm at 4500 rpm | 172 Nm at 1500 - 4000 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-Speed MT / CVT | 6-Speed MT / iVT (CVT) | 7-Speed DCT |
The Hyundai Verna is offered with a wide range of BS6 engine and gearbox combinations which include two petrol engines and one diesel engine with different choice of gearbox for each motor. First up is the 1.5-litre, four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine of the Verna that is almost at par with the 1.5-litre, four-Cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine of the City in terms of power figures, just that the City has a marginally better top end. Both models also get a six-speed manual transmission as standard while a CVT gearbox as optional.
That said, the Hyundai Verna also gets the Hyundai Venue sourced 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, GDI Turbo petrol engine that delivers better power and torque output and gets a 7-Speed dual clutch transmission as standard.
| Specifications | Honda City (Diesel) | Hyundai Verna (Diesel) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre | 1.5-litre |
| Max Power | 99 bhp at 3600 rpm | 113 rpm at 4000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 200 Nm at 1750 rpm | 250 Nm at 1500 - 2750 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-Speed MT | 6-speed MT / 6-Speed AT |
The 1.5-litre, four-cylinder BS6 diesel engine in the Hyundai Verna still is the most powerful diesel engine in the segment offering 14 bhp and 50 Nm more power and torque output than what the similarly sized 1.5-litre, four-cylinder BS6 diesel engine in the Honda City. While the Hyundai Verna diesel offer both six-speed manual and automatic transmissions, the Honda City diesel only gets the six-speed manual transmission as standard.
The Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento are offered with a common turbo petrol engine.
| Specifications | Honda City (Petrol) | Skoda Rapid Petrol (Turbo) | VW Vento Petrol (Turbo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cubic Capacity | 1.5-litre | 1.0-litre | 1.0-litre |
| No. Of Cylinders | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Max Power | 119 bhp at 6600 rpm | 108 bhp at 5250 rpm | 108 bhp at 5250 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 145 Nm at 4300 rpm | 175 Nm at 1700 - 4000 rpm | 175 Nm at 1700 - 4000 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-Speed MT / CVT | 6-Speed MT / 7-Speed AT | 6-Speed MT / 7-Speed AT |
We already know that both the Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento are sister models and have been recently upgraded with a new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, BS6 Turbo petrol engine that replaces the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder BS4 engines which was offered in its predecessor. The 1.0-litre motor delivers around 11 bhp less, but puts out 30 Nm more torque than what the 1.5-litre motor of the Honda City offers. While six-speed manual transmission is standard in all three models, the Rapid and Vento gets a seven-speed torque convertor automatic transmission as an option and the City, as we know gets an optional CVT automatic gearbox.
