Thursday, June 23, 2011

New Hyundai Verna vs Honda City

The new Verna's 121bhp may not seem all that much more than Honda City's 116bhp of muscle. But to a petrol-head, each bhp counts. Bragging right apart, how does the new 1.6 liter petrol Verna compare to the reigning king of petrol midsized?.



Speed:

The Verna's 1591cc Gamma motor is all new. It is unquestionably redefined and it does get quite entertaining after 4000rpm. But the City isnt' the default choice for rev junkies for no reason. Its 1497cc i-VTEC engine may be slightly down on displacement, but what a motor it is. While both the motors feel good in the higher reaches of their power-bands, what separates the two is the manner in which they get there. Where the Verna gathers momentum gradually, the city runs enthusiastically to its 7000rpm red line. The city also has a upper hand in driver-ability.

Balancing Act:
Where the City feels a league above the Verna is in the driving experience. The Honda  has struck a fine balance between  ride and handling here. Low speed ride is only good with sharp bumps which make you feel their presence. The sightly stiff suspension means that the car doesn't get ruffled by the rough stuff even at speed. On the other hand, the new Fluidic Verna's' soft suspension and lifeless steering takes much fun out of the hard driving. However its tyres do offer good level s of grip. To be fair Verna is a car more suited for weekly grind than the sunday sprint.

Interiors: 
Step inside and you can understand the orientation of two cars. The city has typical Honda sporty driving position which gives you a great view of the road ahead over the low dash. All controls falls easily to hand and the chunky steering is great to hold. The swooping dashboard design is nice. The silver finish on the center console looks cheap on this class of car. The cabin is also nosier than the Verna's and doesn't  insulate you as well from engine, road and tyre noise. The Verna's insides are lot more plusher and those wanting that big car feel will really take to the car. Both cars have spacious cabins but the lack of under-thigh support on the Verna's seats does put the Hyundai New Verna at the disadvantage. City feels airier due to large windows.

Best among New Hyundai Verna and Honda City:
Talking looks, this is an evenly matched battle. The Honda city may be over two years old but still manages to grab your attention. Its narrow-like front and large headlights really draws you to it.  But where Honda City is about Simplicity, the New Hyundai FluidicVerna is high street fashion. It has cuts and creases at all the right places to make it a really standout design.  And Finally we get to the price. The City manual range starts at Rs. 8.15 lakh( ex- showroom) to Rs. 9.45 lakh for the higher end Vspec model. Hyundai has prices the manual Verna petrol very competitive with prices ranging from Rs 7.64 lakh to Rs 8.94 Lakh. The verna packs in a whole lot of kit for the money and instantly makes for the more sensible choice. When you buy a petrol midsizer the driving experience is the key deciding factor. , the City stands head and shoulders abouve the Verna.

So as far as the petrol mid-sizer go, the Honda City is till king of the Hill.




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