Posts
New Honda City versus the current generation Hyundai Verna Fluidic comparison was long awaited by many. Why? because the City and Verna Fluidic are amongst the top contenders in the C+ segment in the context of the car market in India and have been one of the best selling cars for their respective makers. You can read the review of the new Honda city here!
Honda city is one of the best selling cars for Honda in the country and today the Japanese automaker has launched the latest iteration of the best selling mid-size sedan at a very attractive pricing loaded with features. While for Hyundai – the Korean automotive giant, their Verna Fluidic has been highly successful throughout its tenure as well. These aspects necessitate a comparison on two key factors; features and price between the Honda and the Hyundai.
2014 Honda City Features versus Hyundai Verna Fluidic Features
Honda city E MT is the base version in both diesel and petrol engine variants and brings a host of features such as power windows, painted front grille, antenna, standard MID (Multi Information Display), trunk light, ABS + EBD, Immobilizer, Driver side power window with One Touch Up/Down with Pinch Guard. It also brings one touch lane change indicator, electrically operated power windows and power steering with tilt adjustment along with Beige fabric Upholstery with Black Gear knob. It also features increased wheelbase over the previous iteration and is more spacious than ever before.
The top variant of the Honda City comes loaded with Exterior and Interior features such as the Shark Fin antenna, chrome front grille and door handles, Alloy Wheels, Electrically Operated Sun roof, OVRM turn indicators, Advanced Multi Information Combination Meter with Blue & White Illumination and Chrome Accent, Eco Assist System and Dual Airbags. Automatic Climate Control with touchscreen control panel, Electrically adjustable and foldable OVRMs, One Push Start/Stop Button.
Leather Seat Upholstery, keyless entry, Leather clad door inserts, Leather clad steering and Leather clad gear knob and outside temperature indicator are some other features in the new City. The CVT version gets a shift position indicator as well. It has a boot space of 510 litres which is quite massive and will easily eat up your luggage.
The top variant also brings an Advanced Integrated Audio System with a 5” Screen, Steering mounted audio controls and Hands Free Telephone. CD Player with Aux-in, USB, i-Pod/i-Phone, AM/FM Radio and MP3/WMA/AAC compatibilities are some of the features of the Entertainment system in the new Honda City. It has excellent sounding 4 speakers and 4 tweeter system and 3 accessory sockets along with Speed Volume Compensation.
Hyundai Verna Fluidic
Hyundai Verna Fluidic has many excellent features in its base trim levels in both 1.4 and 1.6 engine variants (petrol and diesel). The base variant brings steel rims instead of alloy wheels, Keyless entry, Fog lights, Bluetooth connectivity in the 1.6 VTVT, Air conditioning (Manual) and Central locking system. However the base variants of Verna Fluidic does not come with ABS + EBD which are quite a vital and necessary feature in most cars these days but it brings stylish wheel caps for the steel rims, power windows on all doors and a shift indicator as well.
The top variant of Hyundai Verna Fluidic is feature packed and brings Automatic headlight control, Impact sensing door unlock, Rear disc brakes, Alloy wheels, LED OVRMS Turn Indicators, chrome door handles, Power windows with Time Lag, Chrome interior package, rear view camera with display, parking sensors, Electrically operated and adjusted RVMs, Projector headlamps and Automatic Climate control AC.
It has a engaging entertainment system with its 2 DIN MP3 Player with support for Aux-in, i-Pod cable and USB. It has 4 speakers and tweeters with steering mounted audio control. It also comes with a hand remote for passengers along with Bluetooth compatibility. Hyundai Verna Fluidic also brings safety features such as 6 airbags for all round protection, Engine start stop button and Clear air-cluster ionizer.
2014 Honda City Price versus Hyundai Verna Fluidic Price
Honda has certainly got the market by surprise with its pricing. They have launched the new Honda City at a base price of ₹7.42 lakhs ex-showroom New Delhi for the base petrol variant Honda City E MT while the pricing for the base diesel engine variant is just ₹8.62 lakhs for the Honda City (Diesel) E MT. This is a very attractive pricing given that the the city is a premium mid-size sedan in the country and Honda seems to have gotten their act together as far as pricing goes. In a economy that has not been very positive for car sales, this move will ensure success for the brand and especially for the model in terms of sales.
Let’s take a look at the pricing for all the variants of the Honda city.
| Petrol Honda City variants and prices | Diesel Honda City variants and prices | ||||||
| Variant | Price | Variant | Price | ||||
| E | Rs 7.42 lakh | E | Rs. 8.62 lakh | ||||
| S | Rs. 8.04 lakh | S | Rs. 9.24 lakh | ||||
| SV | Rs. 8.49 lakh | SV | Rs. 9.66 lakh | ||||
| SV AT | Rs. 9.49 lakh | V | Rs. 10.16 lakh | ||||
| V | Rs. 8.99 lakh | VX | Rs. 11.10 lakh | ||||
| VX | Rs. 9.93 lakh | ||||||
| VX AT | Rs. 10.98 lakh | ||||||
| *All prices are indicative of ex-showroom Delhi | |||||||
The pricing is not only attractive and it is value for money for the new Honda. If you were considering a purchase of the new City keep in mind the following things; It has better ride and handling dynamics, it also features more interior space. The petrol engine on the Honda is one of the most refined engines you will get in the market. Last but not the least is that Honda has a higher brand value in the market. But the downside is that there will be a sizeable waiting period for the petrol version while the diesel variants should be available quickly, perhaps even same day.
Hyundai is currently offering discounts on Verna Fluidic from ₹40,000 to ₹60,000 depending. This makes it a tempting purchase with the price of the base petrol variant starting from just ₹7.40 lakhs for the Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.4 VTVT. The diesel engine base variant is priced at ₹8.62 lakhs for the Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.4 CRDi. Hyundai has been smart with their pricing which has helped them gain a sizeable share of the market in this segment. The discounts further improves the value for money factor of the Fluidic sedan. It has modern features, ample interior space and looks great but it is also relatively easy to maintain in the long run.
Verna Fluidic has hardly any waiting period and you can easily get your hands on a brand new car almost immediately irrespective of engine variant or trim level. Hyundai Verna is also available with Automatic Transmission in two trim levels; both in petrol and in diesel variants. It has a softer set suspension which limits sportier driving but ensures a comfortable ride quality otherwise. The top versions in both engine variants are loaded with a good number of features and the pricing with the aforementioned discounts makes the Hyundai Verna Fluidic a very attractive proposition for purchase.