[Omkar]

The name Honda City has been synonymous with sedans in India. It has been the king of the C2 sedan segment since its launch in the late 90s. And to most people, it is the default choice for anyone looking at a sedan. Put simply, the City is to the sedan segment what Innova is to the MPV segment.

The year 2023 was important in this segment as Honda brought in the facelift of the 5th gen City and Hyundai launched the all-new Verna. And while the Honda City has been brought up to speed with modern times, the Verna is more competitive than ever. It’s an all-rounded sedan that arguably has a better spread of engines and transmissions. This includes a powerful 158 BHP turbocharged petrol engine mated to a dual-clutch transmission.

And yes, there has been a lot of debate regarding the styling of the Verna. But if you think of it, Hyundai has intentionally gone for funky styling to stand out in the segment that’s filled with cars with conservative styling. You cannot have a neutral design language and expect to go up against the Honda City!

What are some of the factors in favour of Honda City?

Honda City has been the default choice of customers for 25 years, which is not a joke. The Honda City has a neutral styling that still appeals to many. Moreover, it also has a reputation for long-term reliability (4th gen City aside). Compare the naturally aspirated engines and the City has the more powerful engine here. Honda introduced the ADAS tech on the City and it's offered in 3 trims on manual as well as automatic transmission variants! Hyundai offers it only on the top-end automatic variant. Even when you consider the rear seat, which is something a lot of sedan owners focus on, Honda City is more spacious than the Verna.

Features List

Honda recently updated the City’s feature list with the facelift in order to match steps with the new Verna. And when you compare the features list of both cars, they’re pretty well matched. Both cars get almost all the features you would expect from a modern car. This includes 6 airbags, auto LED headlamps, ADAS tech, wireless charging, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, connected car tech, ambient lighting, and more. Some features that are exclusive to the Verna include ventilated front seats, front parking sensors, a powered driver seat, and a smart trunk. The Verna also gets a bigger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit as opposed to the 8-inch unit on the City. It’s also more user-friendly and the 8-speaker BOSE sound system in the Verna sounds better too. Even when you compare the boot space of both cars, the Verna has a slightly bigger boot at 528 litres as compared to City’s 506 litres.

The Driving Part

In terms of powertrains on offer, the Verna gets a 113 BHP, naturally aspirated petrol engine while the Honda City gets a 119 BHP naturally aspirated petrol engine. The Verna additionally gets a 158 BHP turbocharged petrol engine as well which is super quick. Not just that, it also runs on fatter 205/55 R16 tyres compared to the City’s skinny 185/55 R16 tyres. So not only does the Verna get a faster engine option, but it also doesn’t have excessive bounciness at high speeds.

Pricing



Both these cars are available in 4 variants and they’re quite evenly matched in terms of pricing. But if you compare naturally aspirated engine variant-to-variant pricing, it’s clear that the Verna is the more affordable one of the two. It’s important to note that the Honda City offers ADAS features on manual & automatic variants and that too in 3 trims - V, VX and ZX. On the other hand, the Verna gets ADAS features only on the top-end automatic variant. And if you compare the top-end automatic variants of both cars, the Verna is more expensive than the City by ~ Rs. 23,000.

All things considered, it’s safe to say that the 2023 Verna is the most formidable competitor the City has ever had. The real question is, will it outsell Honda City?

[Omkar]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[dr.aviansh]

Nope. Only for a few months, the Verna will have the better numbers, because of a natural tendency of the buyers to own the latest thing in the market. Remember how well the initial response of Slavia was?

The only time Hyundai Verna could outsell the City was in 2011, with the second generation Verna coming in. It looked amazing from the outside, the interiors were a generation younger than the 2008-2012 Honda City, and had a CRDi just when people were moving to alternate fuels due to prices skyrocketing during those days as well. That was the EXACT time when Accord, Civic and CR-V were no more the kings in their respective segments as well.

With the 2013 Honda City coming in, along with the i-DTEC, it took its Crown back. I'm no Honda City fan though, but the current i-VTEC and the no nonsense exterior design will have better numbers than the NA Verna with its already polarising opinion as far as looks are concerned. Also, people are more receptive towards hybrids, like Hyryder-Grand Vitara, so Honda City WILL attract a lot of high mileage users.

The only advantage the Verna has, is the Turbo Petrol which will please a relatively small group of enthusiasts. Though I'm hoping Honda will bring the 1.0 Turbo Petrol by 2025 when the current City will be seeing a successor. But for 20+ Lacs, I would rather buy an XUV 700 Petrol or a Hyryder Hybrid.

[SmartCat]

The answer is YES and NO.

Verna has historically outsold the City after launch. But then slowly gives up gains over 12+ months, and City takes back the lead.

But if Verna manages to maintain lead for a longer time, all Honda has to do is change the front grille & headlight design slightly as part of facelift. After that, City will slipstream past Verna sales.

[Shreyans_Jain]

I no longer see any reason to objectively pick the City over the new Verna. Hyundai’s 1.5 NA engine is more refined than the Honda iIVTEC and when mated with the CVT, performance as well as fuel efficiency are just as good. Have to give Hyundai credit for improvement here. For those looking for performance, there is not even an iota of competition anymore, the new 1.6 turbo petrol absolutely blows the City away. Hyundai has played it smart by offering both manual and DCT automatic option, giving buyers the choice. Both cars have similar space, while Verna is much better equipped and has significantly better ride and handling.

City has only one ace up its sleeve, the hybrid powertrain. Unfortunately, it is so ridiculously overpriced that hardly anyone cares.

[Nav-i-gator]

Could have, but the Tachy styling will not let it beat City (after the initial few months of launch). People buying Sedans these days, buy it for certain classy looks and mature, sleek design. Virtus is the best looking sedan, the most balanced product in terms of features, driving pleasure and clean lines. It doesn't sell even close to City. Hyundai is a much better name now in India, with quite good general perception of quality too.

But that design is too much mish-mash. It would work for CSUVs/Hatches, but sedan segment is limited to a very few people who have a different taste of a "good-looking car".

Happy to be proven wrong though. Verna was always my first choice in the previous avatar.

[Kosfactor]

Verna`s sort of resurrection is no doubt fueled by the VAG twins, City is probably not what they intent to kill, Honda will do that on its own to make room for their new crossover.

Verna`s traditional market has been those long distance drivers looking for a punchy yet economical diesel, after having successfully moved those people over to Creta, this new Verna & its ADAS + Turbo DCT can only be a move to counter VAG.

[Sheel]

Yes.

Apart from the product, it also boils down to the the number of ASC's, sales outlet which should tilt the balance in favor of Hyundai. Someone I know, really wanted the Virtus GT, but just because of the presence of 2 Hyundai dealers here & none of VW (nearest at Patna, some ~300 kms away) dealer or ASC, the Verna becomes the (almost) default choice.

[GTO]

I think the 2023 Verna is one heck of a car, the best it's ever been. Very sharp styling, fast motors, loaded with equipment and an improved suspension (no longer are Hyundais "boats"). If I were to pick between the two today, I'd be very confused (my first choice in the segment is the Virtus though ).

That being said, I don't think the Verna will outsell the City in the longer term. Maybe initially, but not in the long-term. Reasons = the City is the benchmark C2-segment sedan since 1998 and has been the default choice for most families. It's the power of the brand, and the 5th-gen City lives up to that with its safe, conservative & all-rounded nature, improved quality over the 4th-gen, Hybrid option etc. You simply cannot go wrong with a City & no one ever got fired for choosing one. It's similar with other dominating models too = Fortuner, Innova, Dzire, Creta, WagonR. Even if a better product comes along, it's not necessary that it will outsell the king.

I recently spent a lot of time with a 2009 Honda City AT & was amazed at how well it was running, despite its age & almost 100,000 km. They have longevity - based on anecdotal evidence, I sure see a lot more 3rd-gen Citys on the road than the Vernas of the same time. Heck, in Bombay, I see more 3rd-gen Citys than the 4th-gen!!!

At best, I think the Verna will outsell the City at the start. But a couple of quarters down, the City will get the throne back. Lest we forget, we will be seeing a new 6th-gen City in another 2 years which will generate fresh interest in the model. Honda's new-gen timeline for the City has been in the 5-6 year range. They'll lick the market clean if they localise the Hybrid and offer it at a diesel engine-like premium.

[Turbohead]

I really believe the Verna is a genuinely good product when compared to the City apart from the question of safety ratings which the larger public doesn't care about anyway.

The Verna is truly a desirable product and the interiors look really premium and is good enough to make the ardent Honda fan to consider it. There is no end to the features list and the NA petrol, which most people will consider, is quite competent for must use cases. The ride is good and I'm pretty sure the regular folks as well enthusiasts would increasingly prefer the current Verna.

Indians love the desirability factor, which the City lacks, and they wouldn't let it go if it's a good price. I honestly believe the Verna will finally trump the City this time around for good.

This is because the City is no longer desirable and only appeals to the older crowd who would prefer to have an SUV for ease of ingress and egress.

[lamborghini]

I believe so! The biggest fly in the ointment for most buyers (not the safety conscious lot because most of us won't touch mass market Hyundai's with a bargepole) was the rear seat space and comfort compared to the City which has been resolved.
The better ride & handling balance, performance on offer, features on offer, etc. should see the Verna maintain a lead over the City for a while - at least until Honda does a comprehensive update.

[Maverick1977]

Honda is getting ready to launch the Elevate soon. People visiting the showroom to see the City might just get attracted to the Elevate. If this happens the Verna might just admit edge out the City for longer.

[Mustang_Boss]

People love Bling and the Verna has tonnes and tonnes of it. So, it should technically outsell Honda City.

On the other hand, Honda city is the same since 2019? It's the same car with some touchups and no mechanical or interior changes. And to top it off, Honda is losing their sales volume, which makes it difficult to outsell Verna. Their brand value is just eroding day by day and on the other hand, Competition is just outperforming at unprecedented rate.

In my opinion, its highly unlikely for Honda to retain its Crown, with the current City. The best they could do is bring their hybrid price by 2-3 Lakhs to pull in more customers.

[pqr]

- Ever since the introduction of the fluidic design theme, every new-generation Hyundai Verna has always had a lead over the Honda City for at least two years before losing steam.

- But this time Hyundai Verna gets an additional 1.5 turbo-charged engine beside its staple naturally aspirated engine, which has the potential to add 20% additional volume over the City. City's strong-hybrid is highly overpriced, and the additional volume scope is a mere 5%.

- Moreover, the current Verna, except for unproven safety, is a better all-rounder and undercuts City’s pricing in this introductory phase.

[ashivas89]

Originally Posted by pqr

Attachment 2450983

- Ever since the introduction of the fluidic design theme, every new-generation Hyundai Verna has always had a lead over the Honda City for at least two years before losing steam.

- But this time Hyundai Verna gets an additional 1.5 turbo-charged engine beside its staple naturally aspirated engine, which has the potential to add 20% additional volume over the City. City's strong-hybrid is highly overpriced, and the additional volume scope is a mere 5%.

- Moreover, the current Verna, except for unproven safety, is a better all-rounder and undercuts City’s pricing in this introductory phase.

The sales of the Verna in the past was heavily bolstered by the availability of a supremely capable and loved diesel + diesel AT. Until recently the last gen Verna stayed afloat purely due to this combo. The City was available with a mediocre diesel (no AT) for a very short duration in comparison. The City was ahead despite this.

Once the hype fades the City will overtake the Verna again.