[SkyWalker]

I am looking for Sedan on company lease for 3 years. I might want to keep this car to replace my aging Palio (6.5 yrs and still running like a dream) after 3 years or sell it off. Either way - resale is a key aspect due to multiple other reasons.

1) between Honda City & Verna who will retain value Better after 3 years?
I know both brands keep their value well - with the possible catch of:

• Honda can provide CC/Alloys in a later version
• Verna can have challenges from other diesels as well as getting replaced with a new one

2) How does Verna fare in :

• congested city traffic? (i didn't like it when i TD'ed, is it me just getting used to Diesels?)
• high altitude areas? (lets say if it has to climb an incline on winding ghat sections?)

3) which one of these is the best for highway for spirited driving?
this is one area where TD didn't help me to make a conclusive decision, but to me Verna had an edge in the limited ring roads i drove.

• We might be driving on bad roads/ghats on our few trekking trips - which's what makes me vary of City (low GC).
• But definitely no off-roading plans and hence no SUV.
• Need a big boot to carry lots of stuff
• Driving distance doesn't justify a diesel (<12K Kms/year), but i cannot find another sub 10L Sedan which would retain value well.

Need to decide in 10 days. Biased towards City so far. Thanks for reading - and your suggestions.

[Guna]

Just curious why Fiesta is not in the list as this is one driver's car.
I have mainly driven ANHC in the City and it is very zippy and likes to be thrown around like a hatchback. But in the 'ownership' section I read about people taking it till 160 kmph, so it should be equally competent on highways.
I have been driving ANHC AT in the conjusted traffic and it is almost effortless. Ergonomics are right on spot and the cotrols are featherlight with an engine that responds even to a slightest tap.

I think the boot space of Verna isn't much (around 400 ltrs if I remember).

[maverick030581]

1) between Honda City & Verna who will retain value Better after 3 years?
IMO the City.All Hondas tend to hold their value better than other brands.

congested city traffic? (i didn't like it when i TD'ed, is it me just getting used to Diesels?)
There will be turbolag in city driving followed by a massive burst of torque,takes some getting used to.City will be easier in the ..um..city.
high altitude areas? (lets say if it has to climb an incline on winding ghat sections?)
You will have to keep the Verna on the boil in her rpm range on ghats.Again here the City will be easier.

which one of these is the best for highway for spirited driving?
Verna handles like a speedboat at speeds above 120.I think the City with its safety features as standard wins here.

[*]Driving distance doesn't justify a diesel (<12K Kms/year), but i cannot find another sub 10L Sedan which would retain value well.

Based on your considerations I'd say the City has a substantial advantage over the Verna.

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by Guna

Just curious why Fiesta is not in the list as this is one driver's car.

I like the car, but i avoided it since resale after 3 years is key criteria for me

• Ford has poor resale compared to Honda/Hyundai
• new Fiesta around in 2011

[RX135]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

high altitude areas? (lets say if it has to climb an incline on winding ghat sections?)3) which one of these is the best for highway for spirited driving?

Originally Posted by maverick030581

high altitude areas? (lets say if it has to climb an incline on winding ghat sections?)
You will have to keep the Verna on the boil in her rpm range on ghats.Again here the City will be easier.

I am not sure about this. Diesels have much better torque at lower rpms compared to Petrols, main reason why they always have better roll-on figures. For ghat sections, diesel power will rock you, unless you high rev your petrol car.

On high speed driving on highway, I would like to be in City than in Verna. Verna is good in straight line but too soft around corners. Even on straight but bumpy road, Verna pitches up and down like a boat.

[hellstar]

Hi Skywalker in opinions and experiences in bold and inline ....

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

1) between Honda City & Verna who will retain value Better after 3 years?
I know both brands keep their value well - with the possible catch of:

• Honda can provide CC/Alloys in a later version
• Verna can have challenges from other diesels as well as getting replaced with a new one - is that not a universal fact even for the ANHC ?

2) How does Verna fare in :

• congested city traffic? (i didn't like it when i TD'ed, is it me just getting used to Diesels?) - I love driving diesels in city traffic , slot the car into first for second gear an just modulate the clutch without even bothering to touch the gas pedal, this could be an adjustment issue.
• high altitude areas? (lets say if it has to climb an incline on winding ghat sections?) - any vehicle deserves to be treated as it shoudl be and you have to do what it takes to keep your engine in the power band. I have personally breezed up and down the Kalahatty 36 hairpins with ease sometimes even breezing past gasoline cars.

3) which one of these is the best for highway for spirited driving? - verna All the way , you need to get used to the car and i regularly take the car to speeds in excess of two digits and unless i am threading on the higher side of 150 kmph i am fine with the vehicle dynamics. The newer versions of the verna with ABS and disc brakes all round and a tweaked suspension would make it even better than my ride which is one from the initial batches - the best part is that i still get FE figures in excess of 20 kmpl on diesel. At speeds over 170 kmph the incabin NVH becomes harsh but i dont think anyone can do such speeds on a sustained basis.

• We might be driving on bad roads/ghats on our few trekking trips - which's what makes me vary of City (low GC). - check out the thread of a fellow BHPIan ( potlaravi) in the travelogue section where he took the Verna Off roading - ofcourse not in the real sense , but IMHO a ANHC would have had problems managing this terrain.
• But definitely no off-roading plans and hence no SUV.
• Need a big boot to carry lots of stuff - both cars have well endowed rear ends !
• Driving distance doesn't justify a diesel (<12K Kms/year), but i cannot find another sub 10L Sedan which would retain value well. - this is not essentially a good basis for chosing between a diesel and petrol sedan

.

The look of the ANHC is extremely slick and i simply adore the looks , havent had a chance to drive the car at length , although i have taken a test drive. Ans yes the car loves to be thrown about but doing that with th verna takes some getting used to .

All said and done the final choice rests with you .

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

• high altitude areas? (lets say if it has to climb an incline on winding ghat sections?)

a. ghats are not high altitude!
b. I've seen more and enough vernas around manali and himachal to believe in their capabilities!!

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by maverick030581

Based on your considerations I'd say the City has a substantial advantage over the Verna.

Thanks Mav for your feedback. Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by RX135

I am not sure about this. Diesels have much better torque at lower rpms compared to Petrols, main reason why they always have better roll-on figures. For ghat sections, diesel power will rock you, unless you high rev your petrol car.

Now, i am a little confused. While i know petrols well, havent driven many diesels, and mostly short drives. Can someone confirm which way this is?

Originally Posted by hellstar

• Verna can have challenges from other diesels as well as getting replaced with a new one - is that not a universal fact even for the ANHC ?

Yes, but i don't expect the ANHC to be replaced in the next 4-5 years.

Originally Posted by hellstar

• congested city traffic? (i didn't like it when i TD'ed, is it me just getting used to Diesels?) - I love driving diesels in city traffic , slot the car into first for second gear an just modulate the clutch without even bothering to touch the gas pedal, this could be an adjustment issue.

good input - i should take a TD again and try that. My experience tells me it would stall in 2nd without the gas pedal. Mebbe i shud unlearn my petrol ways.

Originally Posted by hellstar

3) which one of these is the best for highway for spirited driving? - verna All the way , you need to get used to the car and i regularly take the car to speeds in excess of two digits and unless i am threading on the higher side of 150 kmph i am fine with the vehicle dynamics. The newer versions of the verna with ABS and disc brakes all round and a tweaked suspension would make it even better than my ride which is one from the initial batches - the best part is that i still get FE figures in excess of 20 kmpl on diesel. At speeds over 170 kmph the incabin NVH becomes harsh but i dont think anyone can do such speeds on a sustained basis.

I don't intend to go beyond 150 - at least not in Indian roads . About the bouncy ride on bumpy roads at high speeds - can someone please clarify?

Originally Posted by hellstar

The look of the ANHC is extremely slick and i simply adore the looks , havent had a chance to drive the car at lenght , although i have taken a test drive.

All said and done the final choice rests with you .

yes, but your inputs are much appreciated. Thanks

[kpzen]

[City driving + only 12k kms in a year ] - You need a petrol so obviously it has to be ANHC.

But with Verna i can assure you that you will start doing more of highway trips and start covering more than 12k kms in a year

[sj_koova]

If you asked me NHC or Verna, I had definite answer.
I had taken test drive of NHC/Fiesta/Verna/Corolla/cedia a year back. NHC stood last in my list and Cedia on top.

But when it comes to ANHC, my perspectives have changed. I am yet to take a test drive, but the specs and looks are really attractive. And I heard that ANHC has made significant improvement on highway performance and usability in city traffic.

I have nothing in favor for Verna other than the fact that it is CRDI. Verna does not return great FE with diesel (My friend gets only 12 kmpl with his CRDI). The price difference between petrol and diesel have narrowed also. I don't see any reason to choose a Verna CRDI in present situation.

My vote goes to ANHC. (ANHC is all new and Verna is all old)

[ashthedivx]

Originally Posted by sj_koova

....
I have nothing in favor for Verna other than the fact that it is CRDI. Verna does not return great FE with diesel (My friend gets only 12 kmpl with his CRDI). The price difference between petrol and diesel have narrowed also. I don't see any reason to choose a Verna CRDI in present situation.....

Low FE with Verna Diesel This is something new to me, last i heard about bad FE it was something 18km/ltr when droven harshly.

[hellstar]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

Now, i am a little confused. While i know petrols well, havent driven many diesels, and mostly short drives. Can someone confirm which way this is?
[/list]Yes, but i don't expect the ANHC to be replaced in the next 4-5 years. - yes , but to be fair i am sure that Verna will not be phased out during the period that you have mentioned, do remember that the Verna was a replacement for the Accent CRDi.

good input - i should take a TD again and try that. My experience tells me it would stall in 2nd without the gas pedal. Mebbe i shud unlearn my petrol ways. - whoooaaa dont start from a dead stop on your second gear yes you can if you use gas pedal but at the risk of damaging your tranny. I use the 2nd gear for just crwaling along slow moving traffic.


yes, but your inputs are much appreciated. Thanks -

Glad to be of assistance

[vasudeva]

Looking at your requirements and your shortlist (City or verna), I would suggest City AT or alternately manual (for perhaps ease of resale).

In my opinion, 12K does not justify a diesel. Even 18K.
City is supposed to have better resale value.
Have not driven the new City, but found the old City (i-DSI) to be very light at 70-80 kmph. The new City with more power should be better.
In my opinion, even the old City (no looker) looked better than the egg Verna. The new City is absolutely better looking, and the gap in looks has widened.

Finally above all, I am extremely biased towards AT, after having driven an AT for more than 2 years in all traffic conditions.

[sj_koova]

Originally Posted by ashthedivx

Low FE with Verna Diesel This is something new to me, last i heard about bad FE it was something 18km/ltr when droven harshly.

Until he told me, thats what I too thought. He gets 16-17kmpl on highways and he does lots of long drivers. So he is kind of happy with it.

On the other hand Fiesta returns great FE with diesel but as SkyWalker mentioned, Ford is not a good car for long term ownership and resale.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by hellstar

I love driving diesels in city traffic , slot the car into first for second gear an just modulate the clutch without even bothering to touch the gas pedal, this could be an adjustment issue. .

But in other words, is it difficult to control the speed in a crawling speed wihtout modulating the clutch? Personally I see this more as a drawback then an advantage. Forester, eventhough a petrol, needed simillar approach in crawling speed and I found it to be a pain.