[car_guy1998]

Finally, VW has introduced 1.5 TSI MT in Virtus.

People, who were disappointed with VW for not launching 1.5 TSI MT in Virtus during its launch and worried with DSG issues and also prefers Virtus looks over Slavia, can pick one now though Virtus 1.5 TSI MT will be available from June as per VW.

And, now there will be a tough fight between Virtus 1.5 TSI MT, Slavia 1.5 TSI MT and Verna 1.5 Turbo MT.

Enthusiasts, who still love driving a sedan with MT, pick your poison.

[Small Bot]

Voted for the Skoda Slavia, and specifically for the 1.5 TSI MT variant. Test drove that when I was car-searching last year and it was a firecracker of a car. And while appearances could be subjective, I personally felt that it looked way hotter than the Virtus.
What dissuaded me from choosing it was that it was a sedan and that too from Skoda, which my family doesn't like as a brand.
The City is way more sedate unless taken to the highways to let her rip, the Verna is way too futuristic and blingy, and the Ciaz is a Dodo and doesn't belong to the sedan discussion any longer.

[Bhodrolok]

I guess with the new MT Virtus 1.5, it's time for this poll to be reset. Most of the naysayers here call out DSG reliability for not choosing it, so now with the MT option this 'drawback' has been removed.

[Iconoclast]

Hi,

I'm a new joiner on this forum. Just had my membership approved today. At- just the right time as I'm in the midst of an upgrade from my existing Ford Aspire Titanium 1.5L Diesel. The car has served me very well over the years and I probably wouldn't have sold it were it not for the Company offered car lease program (and the associated Tax benefits).

So currently I've shortlisted 3 cars - all in the segment covered by this thread. The shortlisted candidates are:-

1. Skoda Slavia 1.0L TSI Style
2. Volkswagen Virtus 1.0L TSI Topline
3. 5th Gen Honda City VX CVT

I did a test drive of all three today but before I get into that, a brief background of my driving habits and expectations of my new car:-

1. I'm a fairly conservative driver. Rarely do I shift between braking and accelerating, very rarely do I slam the accelerator and I've never redlined in the the 10+ years of my driving. Cruising along at 90-100 kmph on the highways in 5th/6th gear is what I enjoy.
   
2. A mix of city and highway driving with a slight tilt towards highways.
   
3. I've always driven Sedans for most part of my life and the fact that we may be moving towards a car market devoid of sedans petrifies me. So I'm considering ONLY sedans.
   
4. Automatic is a necessity for our crowded cities. So no manuals.
   
5. Safety is a priority. Since I'm spending a lot of money here, might as well go for a car that offers 6 airbags and has a stable platform.
   
6. I'm fairly particular about value for money. So what a car delivers for the price we pay is a factor in my decision making.
   
7. Post sales/Service experience though not a top priority, is a factor.
   

This requirement has led me to the 3 cars mentioned earlier. Now for my experience with each:-

1. Virtus - Driving the Virtus felt the best of the lot. Power on tap, the ease with which the car is able to get to high speeds, and very good NVH levels makes you get a feel of driving a premium car, especially coming from the Aspire. Drawback - Zero discounts available apart from the usual corporate benefit.
   
2. Slavia - Driving the Slavia was obviously a similar experience vis-a-vis the Virtus, but the touchscreen in the Slavia is not as good, with wired Android Auto instead of wireless. Besides, the dealership experience of Skoda was a bit underwhelming compared to VW.
   
3. Honda City - There is a sense of roominess, acres of space along with feel good interiors. Driving the car felt good at lower speeds, but at highways, the car felt pushed compared to the effortless feel of VW/Skoda. However, it does the job. The best part over here is the VX variant which is very good value for money. It has almost all the features which I need. However, it felt decidedly less solid compared to the VW twins.

So I'm caught in a heart vs mind dilemma here. Mind points towards the VX variant of the City which offers very good value for money (helped by the fact that they have some pre-facelift stock which comes with an additional discount) which will serve me in 90% of the use cases instead of shelling out an additional 2-2.5 lakh on a VW which runs the risk of reliability, less than satisfactory service and costlier repairs. On the other side, I weigh this against the inferior build quality and driving feel in the City.

Hence, I'm looking for perspectives here from the esteemed members of the community which would help me take a call on the car to go ahead with.

Thanks!

[Sandeep500]

Going by your post and your inclinations towards safety, highway driving and post sales not being top priority ,Virtus may be a good choice for you as you liked it the most on your first drive. So go for it. And welcome to the forum.

[07CR]

Lets go over your requirements list one by one and try to find an ideal car.

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

[*]I'm a fairly conservative driver. Rarely do I shift between braking and accelerating, very rarely do I slam the accelerator and I've never redlined in the the 10+ years of my driving. Cruising along at 90-100 kmph on the highways in 5th/6th gear is what I enjoy.

All three cars can do this all day long. So it's a tie.

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

[*]A mix of city and highway driving with a slight tilt towards highways.

I am assuming this as 40% city and 60% highways. While the Virtus and Slavia are undoubtedly better at higher (100+) highway speeds, considering your driving pattern the City should be a better choice. It's only the higher highway speeds where the relatively softer setup in city results in bounciness at the rear. In city, nothing beats the CITY! So I would choose city here.

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

[*]Automatic is a necessity for our crowded cities. So no manuals.

All three have the automatics, so a tie here. CVTs however have slight edge in terms of pure city driving, hence CITY gets the nod.

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

[*]Safety is a priority. Since I'm spending a lot of money here, might as well go for a car that offers 6 airbags and has a stable platform.

Both VW group cars are 5 star certified. While the City hasnt yet been tested by GNCAP, it was rated 5 star in AESEAN NCAP. Still if you believe in GNCAP, the VW group cars get a nod here. That said, ADAS in City should be another layer of safety, which can be very handy.

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

[*]I'm fairly particular about value for money. So what a car delivers for the price we pay is a factor in my decision making.

Be it space, features, practicality, or a good steering feel, City is head and shoulders above the rest two. Core strengths of VW group cars high speed ride quality, is not a prime requirement for you. Again, City wins in this criteria.

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

[*]Post sales/Service experience though not a top priority, is a factor.

You are comparing a Honda vs VW/SKODA. A CVT vs DSG. A NA motor vs turbo petrol motor. Anyday in terms of ASS, reliability and niggles factor, the City remains an obvious choice.

So net, I would choose the City if I was in your shoes.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

Hence, I'm looking for perspectives here from the esteemed members of the community which would help me take a call on the car to go ahead with.

Thanks!

If you want to go solely based on your experience, you should go with the Virtus. You'll appreciate the highway dynamics more even at moderate speeds. Your experience with after sales will completely depend on the dealership for any brand you consider.

Any specific reason you're not looking at the Verna IVT? If not for the question mark on safety, it's a very compelling choice for sedate drivers.

[Iconoclast]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Any specific reason you're not looking at the Verna IVT? If not for the question mark on safety, it's a very compelling choice for sedate drivers.

Thanks for your response. So I'm not looking at the Verna mainly because of Hyundai-Kia's relatively poor record in crash safety tests. Since I'm shelling out quite a bit of money on this purchase in a category where competitors have safer products, I've decided to give Verna a skip.

[Bhodrolok]

Originally Posted by Iconoclast

Hence, I'm looking for perspectives here from the esteemed members of the community which would help me take a call on the car to go ahead with.

Thanks!

Is this going to be a self drive car? Then go for the Virtus without too much thought.

Is this going to be a chauffeur driver car? Then go for the City without too much thought.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

Is this going to be a self drive car? Then go for the Virtus without too much thought.

Is this going to be a chauffeur driver car? Then go for the City without too much thought.

City is great for being chauffeured around, but only at urban speeds. Its back seat is one of the worst to be in, out on the highway. The rear suspension gets very bouncy and you have to suffer through continuous up and down movement. Virtus back seat experience is almost as good at city speeds, and FAR nicer once the pace picks up.

[AravBS]

Voted for Honda City!

While competition has raised the bar by offering powerful engine, loads of features, Honda City stays relevant even after 25 yrs in the Indian market for the butter smooth engine, reasonably fun to drive, acres of cabin space and most importantly, fuss free ownership.
The sheer number of 1st, 2nd & 3rd gen Citys on road is a testimony for the reliability of the vehicle.

While high speed manners with puny tyres and bouncy rear are a reason to complain, City is an all rounder within the legal speed limits.
The only grouse is Honda has not bothered to correct their mistakes:-(

[balenopower]

Not even surprised to see the venerable City topping the list. It's still a no-brainer for someone who wants a hassle-free sedan experience. My choice however would be the Virtus 1.5 with the DSG.

[AYP]

An excellent comparison between the Virtus GT and the Verna Turbo by PowerDrift-

https://youtu.be/onrCctMTjZw

[AravBS]

Link to last year's poll on the same subject (before the launch of new Verna):

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedan...dai-verna.html (Volkswagen Virtus vs Skoda Slavia vs Honda City vs Maruti Ciaz vs Hyundai Verna)

Volkswagen Virtus is close no.2. City needs to spice up things if it has to keep the No.1 position.

[arjan3]

Hi Fellow members,

This is my first post on the forum. I am planning to replace my 2016 Honda City Petrol with a new car . I am currently in a dilemma . I have taken test drive of the City Hybrid and I very much like the smoothness of the hybrid system . Now here comes the confusion - Does it make sense to purchase the Hybrid over normal Petrol version ? Considering the price difference of almost 5 lacs over the normal version ? My current running is around 1000 kms per month . I haven’t shortlisted the VAG twins simply because of reliability reasons .