[steadfast]

Yes indeed! Except engine, high speed stability and high probability of survival after a crash, Vento is in no competition to new City.
City has taken this segment a notch above and all other cars have to fall in line.

[Turbokick]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Take the City ZX (Petrol CVT - 14.45 lakhs) v/s Creta SX (1.5 Petrol IVT - 14.94 lakhs) for example. A common man will notice the bargain amount of features he is getting for an additional 49k -

1. Panoramic sunroof v/s normal.
2. The 6cm bigger & HD resolution touchscreen display.
3. Air Purifier.
4. Electric Parking Brake
5. Wireless charger.

All this + the popular 'SUV' practicality. Of course - City gets 6 airbags over 2 in the Creta SX - but that hardly affects a purchase decision compared to the above!

City VX CVT would be a better match for Creta SX ivt. Difference you have mentioned will remain the same except for LED headlamps vs Projector setup in VX. OTR pricing will be 15.5 lakhs otr vs 17.2 lakhs otr. Difference of 1.7 lakhs is then significant. How well the rubber band effect is controlled in either of the cars can be another factor in deciding the choice (CVT transmission is noisy when pushed is what i have noticed)

Ofcourse the crossover vs sedan equation will remain an interesting conversation.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by steadfast

Yes indeed! Except engine, high speed stability and high probability of survival after a crash, Vento is in no competition to new City.
City has taken this segment a notch above and all other cars have to fall in line.

With ESP and 4 airbags minimum, I guess the City passengers may fare just as good or better than the Vento. The Vento is also an older platform than the current generation City.

[steadfast]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

With ESP , 4 airbags minimum, I guess the City passengers may fare just as good or better than the Vento. The Vento is also an older platform than the current gen. City.

Yes, I also hope so.

ESP, Airbags and all safety gear complement only if the basic chassis of a car is strong. VW and Skoda chassis are 100% Galvanised Stainless Steel hence they are among the strongest in our market. Even Tata and Mahindra have their own fort in strong structure.
Honda claims to have worked on the chassis in this version. So yes, CITY should fare well too.

[carriage.retorq]

I am a potential buyer and the VX falls right into my budget. At this point my only biggest concern is the GC. I do not want to drive in the constant fear of scraping the bottom on uneven roads or driving down road brinks. With a softer suspension than the previous gen. and extra overhangs, as someone above pointed out above, could this be a potential "bottom scraper"? I would really like experts with experience of driving a similar setup in another car could please comment on this.

After totally dismissing C segment sedans to consider sub compacts like the Nexon or the Ecosport, the City has pulled me back into considering it with a mouth watering package and pricing.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by carriage.retorq

I am a potential buyer and the VX falls right into my budget. At this point my only biggest concern is the GC. I do not want to drive in the constant fear of scraping the bottom on uneven roads or driving down road brinks.

It all depends on what road conditions you anticipate while driving. In my experience, I have had less than half a dozen scrapes on uneven roads, with varying loads. I have traversed over bad roads with four adults and luggage and never scraped. On the other hand, once near my office, I was travelling with relatively lightly built people and the car scraped over a seemingly innocuous speed breaker at low speed.
For the most part, you may not face challenges. The engine underbody is also well protected since the 4th gen model. (which was not the case with 3rd gen I believe). But yes, you cant just thud and thump your way over a bad section of the road at 40-50 kph.

[deepakv]

The Honda pricing team is probably refreshing this thread every few minutes to figure out how soon they can hike up the prices! Honda definitely didn't want to play the "value" game here, and will want to bulk up their margins ASAP.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by steadfast

An interesting watch - NA versus Turbocharged

City is no doubt the current segment benchmark but VW's new 1.0 TSI engine still trumps as the choice for enthusiasts.

Was just comparing the Vento and the City over the years.

The City was in it's 3rd gen launched in 2008 when the Vento was launched in 2010.

The City has been through 2 generations with minor updates since then. However since 2008, what has remained the same is the 1.5L VTEC engine. Only now in it's 5th gen does it see a new head with DOHC and some other improvements for BS6.

In comparison we have had the same Vento since 2010 with no sheet metal changes. Just bumpers and lights changed back and forth.

However the Vento has been through 3 petrol engines (1.6L, 1.2L TSI) with the latest 1.0L TSI and through 2 diesel engines albeit similar ones.

Just shows the different train of thought between the 2 manufacturers.

[alikidwhy]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Sedan's are out of fashion not just in India but across globe. Good or bad, no one wants to buy a thing that is out of fashion. The SUV are also far more practical in India. There are bad patches everywhere, monsoon creates havoc in majority of the cities, SUV's with better GC and visibility are a boon. The Verna always offered similar feature set/engine options as Creta but was outsold always by a big margin despite being cheaper.

I would disagree to this point. Sedans serve a different purpose than SUVs as you know.

None of the ‘SUVs’ south of 25 Lakhs can be deemed a proper SUV. These are filled with blings to attract our general population that believes in ‘Might is right’ and ‘badi gaadi’.

I agree that GC is a common woe yet you wouldn’t care enough to be disturbed by the lower GC 75% of the time.

Most of us never do proper off-roading (speaking for the majority) wherein these cars may be better than a sedan. Otherwise my City has tackled every road that a Fortuner or Land Cruiser has tackled (Except that I have to drive slower which is a compromise I’m willing to make for the cornering capabilities).

[NPX]

Originally Posted by alikidwhy

I agree that GC is a common woe yet you wouldn’t care enough to be disturbed by the lower GC 75% of the time.

Those 25% of times hurt the most.

My friend has a 3 year old 4th Gen Honda City and in this short period he has changed front bumpers 2 times that too while driving on city roads . Everytime we scrap the belly we pray to God.

Last week we went to a nearby dam. We overcame every bad patch & bumpers on village roads on the way, but when 10% of the distance was remaining there came such a bad road that we didn't dare to go any further. Reason - lower GC. (Yes, the name of the car itself says to drive it only on city roads )

A screenshot from Overdrive's Review of the New Honda City:

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by alikidwhy

I would disagree to this point. Sedans serve a different purpose than SUVs as you know
None of the ‘SUVs’ south of 25 Lakhs can be deemed a proper SUV....
that I have to drive slower which is a compromise I’m willing to make for the cornering capabilities).

Sedans don't serve much of a purpose compared to a full size hatch, I can't think of a sedan that is comfortable for me if I have to take the back seat. I have been on long journeys sitting in the back of my punto, head room is a breeze, only an suv can replicate that. The alternative is not proper SUVs, just crossovers that are simply superior in every way. The approach angle is what matters, GC on paper matters little in the real world.

Offroading is not the purpose of buying an suv, most sedans aren't great at handling, factor in the stricter speed limits, there is no perceptible difference in their favour. Most sedans have lousy suspension unless you are talking about the real expensive ones, with rear wheel drive or a multi link suspension.

The City won't stand a chance if Honda brought out a decently powered wrv with an automatic and a Creta rival. That's where sedans are right now. Monsoon is a good time to know the advantages of an SUV, there is no alternative for the safety of being able to see far ahead, that makes driving very relaxing. I prefer an ecosport over the punto any day.

[iamitp]

Was in the same soup of Sedan vs SUV last year. Rented a Creta and Ecosport Revv for a couple of days to see.

Don't know if it's just us but both me and my girlfriend ended up feeling nauseated in the Creta. Maybe it's the seating position or perhaps it's the bodyroll but an hour of driving around (within Delhi city) was enough to leave both of us feeling uncomfortable.

Not as much of an issue with the Ecosport, but somehow I just don't enjoy sitting on top of the road. It just feels too upright.

For reference, I'm 6'1" and generally sit with the car seat all the way down in my 3rd Gen City. Have rented a 4th Gen City and Verna too recently and much prefer their overall seating experience over C-SUVs.

The bumper scraping definitely hurts but I wouldn't trade it for the joy of throwing a sedan around corners and roundabouts.

[carriage.retorq]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The City won't stand a chance if Honda brought out a decently powered wrv

Couldn't agree more. Plonk that 1.5 iVtec in the WRV and it would sell more, even at a premium. No two ways about it.

[vipul_singh]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The alternative is not proper SUVs, just crossovers that are simply superior in every way.

Just chiming in to say that not everyone agrees with that. We considered CUVs last year (including the Tuscon, Creta, Seltos and the XUV), but one drive in the Civic convinced us that the lower driving position is more involving.

With respect to the City, it has the added advantage of having a bigger boot than its CUV competition, and (probably) more passenger room. And the WRV is not even in the same league of boot space - I know because I have a Jazz too.

I think Honda should introduce the new 1.5 in the Jazz and WRV, without worrying about cannibalization. Else, others will eat Honda's lunch anyway (already proven).

[fhdowntheline]

There is also the the issue of aesthetic appeal. None of the CSUVs, barring perhaps the Seltos, evoke any sense of aesthetic beauty, although that is highly subjective. Whatever be the merits of a crossover, they should be evaluated within their own community. If we look across body types, then the sedan would always be alluring.For those who are looking for a reliable, comfortable , powerful and (now) tech-laden car with all essential safety features, the City is a package that is unrivalled at the moment.