[AutoConsultant]

Voted for the City. After Slavia's launch, City has started to make even more sense now.

1. City has better specced lower and mid variants and are clearly a better choice over corresponding Slavia variants
   
2. That 1L turbo is simply not good enough for large size cars such as Kushaq and Slavia. The Turbo lag is immense and very irritating in city driving conditions, you'll have to rev higher every time to get a push on whereas the 1.5 NA in City is an all rounder and very seldom you feel lack of power. The 1L TSI might only be preferred by people with bulk Highway driving (better high speed stability as well)
   
3. The number of niggles we have seen (and I have personally experienced) in the Kushaq immediately negates the minor advantage Slavia would have over the City in terms of build quality

I can live with higher NVH, non-ventilated seats and Wired AA/AC but can't drive that laggy engine in normal traffic conditions or keep discovering new niggles every few days (hope that doesn't happen with Slavia but have to make that assumption at this point).

Note : Talking only about the 1L TSI here. The 1.5 TSI is in a league of its own and there's no direct competition for those VAG twins

[vineshpikale]

Having driven a City for 80k kms over 11 years I can safely say the 1.5L vtec is an absolutely gem. The driveability is incredible. With engine refinement that at idle at most times you need to check the tacho to know it’s fired up. The rear seat is a wonderful place to be.The suspension is decently balanced (No wobbly bubbly feeling like the hyundais on highways or the loud thud crashing of the germans in the city limits). Honda’s ability to extract space within any car footprint is even better than Hermoine’s magic, something the German’s are miserable at. Service standards ar Honda in my experience has been excellent, the car itself needing little more than routine maintenance. The steering is a decent compromise. The ergonomics are spot on. Admittedly the build is a little light but stolid nonetheless. For the Germans while DSGs are fun but the fact is they are not perfect and DCT/DSGs can be a little restless after a couple of years at low city speeds. Factor in the maintenance horror stories and the whole package becomes less attractive. The Honda gets my vote.

[zeus_700]

It’s Honda City for me.

Škoda is a big no for me considering the service quality and expenses. Others not in consideration also.

Have had a City for 10 years. The ownership is nothing short of bliss. That NA with MT is always on sport mode.

Honda may not have a car built like a tank but surely they know how to build cars that are reliable which doesn’t fail easily. So confident they are to give a anytime warranty for up to 10 years.

City has moved the base version game far and it make much more sense to go for the same. Anybody who picks the base variant will not regret considering the plethora of features on offer.

If I am in the market for a sedan, my choice would be Petrol VX CVT which seems value for money as well.

[amol4184]

Skoda vs Honda it's a no contest in my eyes. City all the way and to me it even looks better than Slavia.

Besides it has CVT which I don't mind because of the inherently better FE over any other automatic transmission. If it was Virtus instead of Slavia may be it would have been a closer contest.

[imp!]

It is rare for me to pick a Honda over a Skoda, but in this case, I had to. Fit and finish of the City is on par with the Slavia. That means the Slavia is poorly built by Skoda standards. It is still far superior to it's cross over sibling. The size of these cars means that they will see a decent amount of urban commute. That means stop and go traffic. Not the nicest experience with a laggy engine and a gearbox that only works well on full boil.
If you are using it as a highway carz then the Slavia will be better, but, these small 1 and 1.5 L engines mean that highway cruising speeds have the engines running at high revs. In those circumstances, the City works in it's element while the Slavia loses steam in those operating conditions. Yes, it's more powerful and has a better gear box, but really, it is a disappointing and over priced product.

This coming from an extremely keen driver and rider for whom driving dynamics are almost all that matter. A made for India VAG product with severe cost cutting is just not worth considering.

[Samegoodkid]

I can't vote as of now but if I could, it would go to the city. I saw the car in flesh while getting my Jazz serviced and liked what I saw. I consider reliability to be an important aspect (not just with cars,but in every sphere of life) hence tend to be a little baised towards the Japanese.
Having said that, have seen skoda rapid in my extended family being equally reliable. Tough choice to make, but would go with the bias until I get a chance to drive the Slavia.

[techmotor]

My vote goes to Honda City. I haven’t driven either Slavia or City 5th gen. However I do own a Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI and have driven 3rd Gen City for a considerable number of KMs. City 5th gen seems to tick majority of the requirements as pointed out by others. Following is my view based on Rapid vs City 3rd gen.

• Engine performance - Rapid’s TDI engine is much sportier with strong power delivery in mid-range and turbo lag is non-existent. However, I didn’t find the performance of City’s petrol engine to be boring/un-involving. In fact I was pleasantly surprised by it’s performance both in highways and urban areas. It’s perfectly adequate for different mix of usage. I expect the same with Slavia and Gen 5 City.
  
• Build Quality - With Rapid, you get the tank like build quality. Everything is so well put together and feels built to last. City on the other hand didn’t have the typical European build sheerness but it didn’t feel like a tin can either. It’s also well built and put together. Now what i hear and see from multiple reviews is that Slavia doesn’t have that typical build quality we expect from European cars. This should make the build quality at par with that of City’s if not worse.
  
• Ride, Handling and NVH - I’d say the ride and handling of both cars are good. High speed stability is good and at no time you’ll feel nervousness(based 100 km/h drives). Would add that the City’s cabin felt more comfortable and the NVH levels were far superior (as expected from a petrol vs diesel engine perspective). I’d expect the same with Slavia and City as well. Regarding NVH levels, City’s NA engine should fare better compared to the TSI engines.
  
• Reliability and After Sales Service - I think no one would have a second thought here. Honda is far superior in this aspect. Comparison based on 10 year ownership of my Rapid TDI and my cousin’s City 3rd gen.

[asbshyam]

Voted for the City. Reliability is paramount and the City CVT is a known good configuration.

Brand Skoda and it's reliability, both with the car and the garage, does not inspire confidence. The horror stories on TBHP is a lesson in itself.

But, if Skoda were to confidently offer a 10 year warranty on the DSG, my next car will be a Skoda Automatic.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by GTO

Tough choice between the Honda City & Skoda Slavia. The other 3 sedans don't even come close to these two.

Good point GTO.

I was also considering the Verno 1.L turbo as my next car. What are your reasons for leaving it out?

[pd1108]

I vote for the Slavia. It is definitely more modern and up-to-date and importantly it is high enough to handle the many potholed roads we encounter. It is also much more fun to drive with the 1.5L option.
I agree with GTO, why throw away 99% fun for the 1% reliability of the DSG. With the extended warranty in place, it's only a question of suffering a few days and not the cost.

[vinya_jag]

Voted for City
Somehow felt the City was a complete package, excellent interior quality, decent leg room at the rear, and power to go with.

Slavia was a big letdown, specially to my wife. She was looking for a significant upgrade on our 2014 Polo, but couldn't find anything to her liking. Plastics were hard, switchgear was a notch lower quality, air con vents felt flimsy, the seat height adjust lever was an eyesore, door pockets were tacky.
For me, the Slavia for me is the current Gen car, which loses the VW appeal, but pleases the market. Ths same happened to our Old Figo, when the new Figo was launched. The old one was lacking the engine, but nothing else, and the new one fixed the engine and broke everything else

Verna felt a little too cramped at the rear. The new i20 seems to be a better package than the Verna. Also the engine options are dull on the i20. I wish Hyundai upgraded their engines on their Sedans. Possibly the 2liter from the Elantra and the TC to go with it.

And the Icing on the cake can be the City Hybrid. If the driving experience is going to be any better than the current one, I would vote cor the City hybrid anyday.

[Fan@Automotive]

My Vote goes for the Skoda Slavia.

I currently own a 2015 Honda City and a 2015 Skoda Rapid. Having driven them for the more than 6 years, I would list out the following reasons (which come from my experience) and compare them.

Skoda Rapid MT Style Plus Diesel
- Better build quality
- The size of the car is not much felt as it cocoons the driver well
- Drive and handling is way better
- Turbo engines are modification friendly
- Suspension is much sorted
- I have not suffered any major/minor troubles with the car (touchwood) till date
- Hard plastics, feel cheap

Honda City VX IVTEC (specific to my car)
- Poor build quality
- The size of the car (especially the length) is felt a lot in city traffic
- upsizing the tires to 195/60 R15 (Michelin XM2 first and Continental UC6 now) from the small 175/65 R15 has deteriorated suspension comfort as well as confidence in braking
- Naturally aspirated engine though great is not modification friendly, you get bored after a while
- Starter motor failures (thrice already)
- Electrical failures (electrical boot release switch - costs a whooping 8500 INR, low beam head lamp bulbs, tail lamp bulbs, pilot lamp bulbs, etc.)
- Feeling inside the cabin is richer

No long term experience with the automatic transmission and hence I cannot comment.

I have had more issues with reliability in my Honda City than my Skoda Rapid, strangely.

I have also heard that the overall quality of 5th generation Honda City is better over the 4th generation one, but it is no where close to its predecessor in the 3rd generation. We have to also note that European brands in general are relatively lowering their build quality in successive generations.

Slavia adds the much needed second row space which was missing in Rapid. Technology and hence features surpass the competition. The Diesel mill will be missed, for sure.

Based on my experience with the 2 brands, I strongly believe Skoda Slavia would be a better proposition, which still needs to be proven. The rest are not in the league for me.

[Puneet0051]

Its difficult choice between Slavia and Honda

On the interiors - +1 to Honda, Far better than Slavia.
Equipment - Lower Variant & Mid variant - +1 to Honda. Except for those puny tyres ��
For a mostly city drive - +1 Honda
For servicing and ownership - +1 Honda
For highway heavy driving - +1 Slavia
For Exteriors - Lower & Mid variant - +1 to Honda , Projectors still look better than the halogen treatment on Slavia. Top models look equally good

I don't see any value in picking up base/ mid variant Slavia. I cannot pay higher for Slavia over Honda , coming from previous Rapid owner. Chose Honda city

[Nav-i-gator]

I don't get it. as much as I love Skoda, this 2.0 strategy is neither here nor there.

1. Build quality, from general perception, has gone down. Not typical Skoda/German anymore

2. Still the same, unreliable DSG gearbox

3. nothing much have changed on the service front, not in terms of no of touch points, nor in terms of customer delight

4. They are out-pricing themselves and everybody else.

5. From what I see on youtube, 1.5L has a terrible bottom end, their own 1L turbo and even 1.5L NA of City is beating it in quarter mile drag race.

6. Not the plushest of interiors, not the cheapest, not the most spacious one, even the spread of variants is not the cleverest.

What for I buy it? To drive 120+ KMPH on highways only, keeping the roadside assistance and towing services numbers handy?

Don't get me wrong, all I want to say is, Skoda, through Slavia to be specific here, is asking too much from customers - in terms of money, patience and perhaps "dangerous thrill" , than what it offers. Maybe down the line, with discounts, it will be much better package.

[aashiqb]

The new Slavia is definitely going to shake up the now quite dull sedan market, and VAG group's Virtus is joining the party soon after. I drove the Slavia (1.5 DSG) and the Honda City recently, and I do agree that the Slavia DSG did disappoint me. I have driven the 2017 Polo GT TSI and the new Octavia 2.0 TSI, but the 1.5 TSI with the DSG gearbox didn't live up to it's older siblings in the race, and no wonder it lost out to the 1.0 TSI and the likes of it in the quarter mile dash.

I think the DSG option's target customer are those who want a seamless automatic transmission that does the work without them even realizing it, and the steep price for that is questionable.

The build quality, styling, interiors are all IMO, subjective. It's a love it or hate it gambit there, and I personally liked the car as a whole, especially with the way it mimics the Octavia's design language, albeit with more affordable parts. I am yet to try out the 1.5TSI manual and from all the reviews on YouTube, that seems to be the car for enthusiasts and for those who want a "fun" car to drive across on the highways.

The Slavia does however, seem more relevant to today's car market, with the bells and whistles like ventilated seats, sunroof (seriously, why though?), and oh, it also does not have a physical knob for the AC controls. Whoever decided that was the future needs to be punished!

In the day and age of (pointless) SUVs, and people just opting for an SUV just because, the Slavia (and the Virtus) is here to play, and I'm sure we're going to see a lot of these on the streets soon. The Germans are bringing sexy back, with beautiful sedans