[RavSam]

Honda City for me!

I don't know why but I am always charmed by the Honda City.

It excuses class without being too expensive and seems sophisticated. A silver colored Honda City is love! (Considering that I won't buy any other car in boring Silver, white or Gold)

The performance is adequate, interiors are good and space is aplenty.

Also, just the name Honda City feels posh (atleast to me!)
The Virtus, Slavias and all will come and go but the City will last forever.

[aaggoswami]

Voted for City.

My test drive of VW Virtus 1.5 has been a disappointment with a DSG thats too slow closing urban gaps, rear suspension that needs to stabilize faster after an undulation/bump and AC which need massive improvement.

Slavia would be more or less on the same track I believe, may be a bit here and there, but overall wont change much. Add to this the horror stories of service centers, Slavia was out of equation.

Verna isn't in the list unless a diesel automatic is required, the petrol motors are not as enthusiastic as rivals. 1.0 in Verna isnt as good as 1.0 of VW, the 1.5 is just about likes getting the job done.

Ciaz is a nice overall package, but is now outclassed. Motor is good, but that's about it. Nice VFM package that doesn't appeal to heart.

My Vote went to City, currently am having 4th Generation petrol City. Despite lots of drawbacks which are well discussed on the forum, that beautiful 1.5 motor is the reason enough for me to go ahead with it. May not be the best, but its likely to be reliable over the test of time. Nothing beats the fun factor when one revvs that motor. While world stares at extinction of Internal Combustion Engines, I would have a smile plastered on my face with the City's motor that's born to revv.

[SanjayW]

Skoda slavia 1.5L DSG, most fun to drive among all.
Infact among all the available cars below 30L, my favourite cars are slavia 1.5L DSG and xuv700 diesel AT.

[Latheesh]

City has its share of shortcomings, but as an overall package you cannot beat it (Especially against other sedans listed here and small SUVs).

[GreasyCarb55]

We already have a 2017 Honda City ZX CVT that my father uses as his daily driver so there's no point going for another Honda City Petrol.

I love the way the VW Virtus looks as it's essentially a sedan version of the international MK6 VW Polo. The nail in the coffin here is the lack of a manual transmission with the 150hp 1.5L TSI on the Virtus and just for that one reason, my vote goes to the Skoda Slavia 1.5 MT as I absolutely do not trust the DQ200 DSG gearbox in VW/Skoda cars. If I'm not limited to sedans I'd get a top of the line Thar LX Diesel AT Soft Top or a top of the line Scorpio-N Diesel.

[VVN]

Absolutely torn between the Honda City and Slavia. I own the 4th Gen City and the 5th Gen has just made it better. I voted for the City because of my experience with the brand. Would I go for the City again? Maybe but it will not be a straightforward decision.

[ashishk29]

Definitely the City for me.
Hybrid means great FE, with that Honda reliability and refinement to go with it.

What with all those quality issues on the VAG twins (AC, KNOWN faulty DSG still equipped),
All the cost cutting : no insulation padding in the hood, no under-body protection.

And I personally like the City interiors over the VAG twins.

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

• Build quality still feels light and not as reassuring as competitors

The standard city does have a 4 star GNCAP score, which I would assume applies to the hybird as well.
I would rather have a tested 4 star which "feels light" than untested ones which might as well just have engineered the doors to make that "thud" and make one feel it's a premium car.

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

Missing features for this price point = powered seats with ventilation, rear side sunblinds, wireless charging…

One could argue that none of the competitors getting ADAS and 6 airbags as standard are pretty big misses too.

[TheWall]

Own one and vote for the City. The base variant (5th gen) at around 13-14L OTR is just unbeatable VFM. If you take the 4th gen into account, at 11L OTR nothing beats it. Spend a lakh more on tyres and sound damping and you have a spacious fun to drive reliable car at just 12L OTR. Did I mention Safe ?(4* GNCAP)

VW/Slavia: Of course they cannot be beaten on the "Fun to drive on Highways" part.

But as on overall package, I think City takes the cake with no major shortcomings.

P.S. I think the poll results would have been very different if the VAG twins were offered with a diesel option.

[PrideRed]

I am not in market and haven't test driven any in the list. Purely from how cars look, I am floored by Virtus, has a killer road presence despite being a sedan. However I have not come out of my bad experience with VW earlier , is not going to be easy going back. Love the new City too, decent engine, good looking, and proven reliability(Petrol). Both are neck to neck, can shortlist only after test drive.

[harry10]

If it's a sedan i will pick a Honda in a heartbeat. We had the Honda City for 7 years. The reliability and peace of mind is unmatched. Plus so much space and FE is always stellar. I will always choose the car which won't leave me stranded on the side of road rather than the one which drives better but is unreliable.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Driven the Virtus 1.5, City AT & City MT (all petrol). Slavia is too busy for me. Ciaz, Verna are ancient.

Here are my thoughts:

1. City AT after driving the City MT is a waste of money. The sweet engine is killed by the LETHARGIC CVT. Best if you have a sedate driving style. So between the two, it's City MT for me.
2. Virtus 1.0 is not even on my consideration list. Coming from a Polo 1.2 TSI, even the 1.5 TSI was not fun. It is too linear for the specs it carries on paper and even though it delivers quickness on the road, I found it disconnected. Interiors are a letdown in the Virtus if you compare the City. Headroom for both cars with a sunroof is limited (one inch in the city, 1.5 inches in the Virtus). The seating position of the city is much better though a short codriver has issues with the exposed seat hump at the rearmost position (also the inclined leg is not something that I am used to would have preferred a flat one). I also found the ride to be better in the city over the Virtus. Add to that the additional premium (22 l vs 17 for the city), and it simply doesn't make sense to buy Virtus over the City.

City Hybrid excites me, but haven't been able to drive it yet. The Toyota HyRyder if launched at a sensible price will be another option. Not interested in other Pseudo SUVs though the ScorpioN has me anchored.

[travelwriter]

I voted for Virtus.

I drive a Vento 1-ltr TSI Auto and there is nothing to complain except for the lag at lower RPMs. I believe the DSG will take care of that irritant pretty well (I have owned a DSG Passat earlier). For my family (where the tallest member is 6'1"), the Vento provides adequate space.

The boot space is great to carry 6 pieces of luggage and the highway drive is absolutely brilliant. I waited a lot for VW to launch the T-Roc engine/transmission combo in a sedan style but eventually got tired and bought the Vento last year.

My service centre experience has been quite good and hope that continues.

I drove the City, i20, Rapid before falling for the Vento. I doubt that decision will change in these new scenarios.

Travelwriter

[tristis2008]

I test drove 1.5 Virtus recently. I found the DSG much less eager compared to my T-Roc. Also the suspension was softer compared to T-Roc. Thus it seems to be fine for roads and traffic like in Bangalore ! Yes, certainly there are compromises on the interior and feature list, but given my experience with 1.5, especially on highways, since last 2 years, I would go for Virtus/Slavia. On the other hand if reliability is the priority choose City. Voted for Virtus.

[armaan_singh]

I voted for the Honda City - I’ve owned one before and in its newest avatar, it’s a real joy to drive while also boasting of its legendary Japanese reliability.

On a side note, my brother in law recently picked up a base variant Ciaz for under 10 big ones on road, with the only purpose being to chauffeur around his parents, and for south of 10, the Ciaz is amazing value.

[coolmel]

Proudly voted for the City because we still own one and it has been a smooth experience. Whatever makes the Virtus and Slavia great, the questionable A.S.S stories forever ring to mind. Would rather have something reliable than have something which is prone to failure. Also service costs have been more or less cheaper than its chief German rivals. The new City still flexes muscle and I hope so it does for a long time to come.