[greenhorn]

I'm somewhat torn between the verna and the city. On one hand the verna is a very competent car, with a great engine, and I actually love the styling. But Hyundai's inconsistent mechanical reliability (Hyundai India - The occasional serious quality lapse and apathetic manufacturer response!) is a deal breaker. My city is the same one where CrAzY dRiVeR's Xcent was stuck for 69 days, and the same shady dealership group that used to run the tata dealership runs the other Hyundai Dealership. Maybe if I were in another city

The vote finally goes to the City. I'm a Honda fanboy after my US Civic Ownership, and I will take a Vtec over a turbo any day. Yes there is cost cutting and the less that stellar service, but after driving around in a rental 4G city and getting my inlaws a 4G City ZX. Have to say It's a great, and more importantly reliable engine, with sorted mechanicals, and thats good enough for me.

[SUVolens]

Full disclaimer - I drive a Virtus GT.

In this lot, would I buy it again? Well, barring the new Verna, nothing changed, so I’d have to say “hell yeah!”.
I’m reading great things about the new Hyundai from all those who’ve driven it and I’ll admit, as a product, it probably represents the biggest leap of improvement over its predecessor. But that design just doesn’t cut it for me. Tries too loud to be ‘different’ while ticking off prior talking points of the GT in a obvious ‘me too’ move - black alloys, red callipers only in front, all black interiors with red highlights.. carries on. The GT on the other hand, though not perfect (stance too high, can look a bit pinched from rear three quarters and that’s about it) is still a timeless design, that’ll draw admiration even a decade down the line. The engine is a beauty, the handling 9/10, the economy is achievable as claimed and the service hasn’t been as feared, yet. So yes - that GT in red. Again.
Slavia pipped to the post on looks alone, but almost got the vote and cash for that manual 1.5.
City, is a bit too vanilla for my taste. And I personally find the interiors old fashioned even if supremely comfy.
The Ciaz is like an honest bloke among these. Hard working and unpretentious family wage earner. I’d go for it if I wasn’t so besotted with style and brashness.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by jigar1791@gmail

Ciaz it is.

If you do a statistical comparison between the contenders on the vote list and their performance, you will find the %age increase in price is not in direct co-relation to the performance improvement in those cars.

Law of diminishing returns applies to everything in life. By that logic, we should all be driving WagonRs, the % improvement in everything will not justify the% increase in price.

Originally Posted by Manudon

We often end up comparing only the top end versions, but all of these have a lot of different flavours in the lower variants which could change the equation.

For e.g, the automatic versions of Slavia Ambition 1.0, Vitrus Highline 1.0, Verna SX iVT and Honda City VX are all priced very close to each other (just a shade before 15L). Would the City be a clear winner in this case?

Not really. The cars are more or less similarly equipped as well. City does offer ADAS, but it is a novelty feature, not a deal making one. The cons of the City are mechanical, and that does not change with the variant. Cars of this category are expected to be genuine all rounders, and that’s where the City come up short. The only way it wins is if the usage case is rigged. If the car is to be used almost exclusively for city driving, only then does it come on top, where the combination of NA engine, CVT, light everything and soft suspension is in its element. VW’s 1.0 turbo is much better than the iVTEC on open roads. Even Hyundai’s 1.5 NA is just as refined and tractable, while the car has much better dynamics and manners.

[CArspeed]

Virtus it is.

Reason: The ride and handling finesse that this group is able to achieve coupled with top notch safety.

Additional thoughts: I drove the Taigun as well and I can confidently say that it’s a better handler although with a little compromise on the quality of ride for the rear passengers as it has more forward movement and did not hug the passengers as well the Virtus did.

Do I miss any other sedan: Yes of course, it’s the Corolla Altis CVT and my family hasn’t approved me for a change of car as they did not find the rear seats as comfy in any other car. For me it’s still a complete package with a spot on balance between the ride, handling, performance, reliability and safety.

[sunikkat]

Virtus / Slavia for me without any doubt for its ride and handling, MQB chassis, safety and performance. Being a VAG it would have better mod potential too. And it looks better, not a fan of Verna’s looks and overdone LEDs.
City and Ciaz are honestly boring among the turbo petrols.

[ags82]

Voted for City. The so called European cars, are they really European or masked as European? Where do they stand in terms of product quality and reliability with actual European cars?

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by ags82

Voted for City. The so called European cars, are they really European or masked as European? Where do they stand in terms of product quality and reliability with actual European cars?

Just go through the City niggles thread and see if the quality reputation holds. Look at the sheer amount of rusting and water leakage issues. My own car has huge problems with both. So much for quality.

Honda City is mechanically reliable. But it’s not as if it has a monopoly on reliability. The reputation for quality and reliability was built by the Gen2 and Gen3 model Citys, and that was against the kind of cars we had back then. Esteem, Accent, Aveo, original Verna, Fiesta, Sail, SX4. The competition has improved by leaps and bounds, while the City has pretty much stayed the same or even regressed in a few areas.

[MyLife_MyCar]

Voted for Verna, as it offers a complete package.

Of course there are shortcomings for each vehicle listed here. Let's do a quick comparison:

Verna
Looks are polarizing. However, i found it to my liking after seeing the car in flesh.

Turbo engine is powerful. I haven't driven it, but looking at videos on YouTube and a drag race between Slavia and Verna, TGDi was a clear winner. There may not be a sudden burst of power, but still fast enough.

Handling and suspension is subjective. I'll leave it at that.

ASS: Though DCT technology is still not as robust as we'd like it to be, I'd put my money in Hyundai over VAG for peace of mind.

Virtus/Slavia
Virtus has a timeless design and will go a long way. Best looking car in the segment for me. Slavia, not so much.

Engines: both 1.0 and 1.5 turbo are competent. However, I hear that the "adrenaline" rush on flooring the gas pedal is tuned down to increase efficiency. Perhaps that's the reason Slavia lost to Verna in that drag race.

A.S.S: Still horrible. And the attitude of "replace rather than repair" doesn't seem to go down well with owners. Less network coverage is always a concern if you are out on a long drive.

City
Good looking car, but no longer a head Turner.

Reliable 1.5NA, but that's about it. I feel turbo is the future for petrol engines and cannot think of driving an NA engine for next 8-10 years.

A.S.S: Neutral. Mechanics must be very competent given that they work on city and amaze day-in day-out (because those are the only cars selling).

However, the major downside is the previous generation touch screen. I simply cannot live with given that it will be one thing that will be frequently used by me and co-passengers. Verna excels here.

Another advantage Verna offers is adaptive guidelines on reversing the car. Very helpful.

Ciaz
Only for those who care for "perceived" peace of mind.

[IREV]

Voted for the City as I'm a big fan of it's VTEC engine but if I want a turbo petrol then my choice goes for the Slavia.

I will never touch the Verna or any modern age Hyundai (except Tuscon) with a barge pole. The poor safety record of Hyundais and Kias, plus giving small curtain airbags as standard instead of bigger curtain airbags (courtesy - Carens crash test) and the questionable quality control of current Hyundais like paint peeling, falling parts and steering issues make me stay away from them unless they try to improve their safety. From the Hyundai-Kia lineup only Tuscon and Carnival are worth considering in my point of view. Even older Hyundais are better built than the current ones.

About the Ciaz, I don't what Suzuki is doing with it. It's outdated and outclassed by the others.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by jigar1791@gmail

Ciaz it is.

If you do a statistical comparison between the contenders on the vote list and their performance, you will find the %age increase in price is not in direct co-relation to the performance improvement in those cars.

Eg - the Ciaz Delta and Alpha variants tops out at about 10.30 L, where as the others are with a premium of about 15% - 30% (Variant to Variant, pertol only).

Do these cars offer a similar improvement in performance output? Or even in the overall size or width or comfort? I doubt.

PS - above are personal views, not meant to offense anyone else on the forum.

Alpha variant at 10.3L? What blasphemy are you talking about! In Pune the Ciaz Alpha Manual tops at 13.4L onroad. Auto at 14.8L!
Verna topend manual comes in at 19L, while the DCT at 20.6L. Sure it's about 40-45% more but the performance, drive experience, features and overall comfort is more than 100% more. Ciaz in 2023 is hopelessly outdated product. I didn't even this car was even on sale, until very recently

[sanjayrozario]

Chose the Skoda Slavia. Simply for the brilliant 1.5L TSI, sheer driving pleasure & 5-star safety. I own it & I can tell you it's whole lotta fun.

[amiya.c]

Voted for Verna as it provides a complete package. Heart says Virtus but after seeing so many horror stories and frequent niggles with AC and breaking noise I would rather go with the manufacturer who has shown more committment to resolve such problems.

[headbanger]

Voted for Verna. Simply because it's the most complete package out of the options listed. My use case is regular drives with max upto 120kmph on expressways.

Virtus and Slavia, though may have a little more driving pleasure come with notorious dealers and brands. Hence, they are out of contention for me. That 1.5DCT in Verna is not too far away from 1.5DSG in VAG cars. For the occasional cravings, that combo in Hyundai is more than good enough.

Ciaz is too basic and Honda have reduced city to a case study of cost cutting.

[Bhodrolok]

Has to be the Virtus for self drive... Absolute stunner with the best ride & handling along with the top engine gearbox combination, top notch safety and decently kitted.

Would go for the City if its chauffeur driven.

[tsi_niks1989]

Voted for Virtus, having driven both Kushaq and Virtus GT now for more than 6 months I can surely say the platform MQB IN is just amazing. They have made some cost cutting to keep prices in check but ensured the structure, dynamics are in check and goes with the core DNA of the brand.

All 4 cars whether it be 1L TSI or 1.5TSI are very much fun to drive, stand right at the top of the safety charts in India and definitely brings smiles when you are behind the wheel.