The C-sedan segment has largely been dominated by the Honda City and the Hyundai Verna for quite a few years now, and we expect the rivalry to get even more intense now
Honda Cars India finally revealed the new-gen version of the City recently, and the car is set to hit the showrooms in July this year. The City has been around in India for over two decades now, and is already a pretty popular name in the country. Honda only aims to take the sedan’s success further with the new-gen model.
However, just like the outgoing model, the City will face tough competition from its arch rival, the Hyundai Verna. To top it off, the latter recently received a mid-life refresh which lent it a range of new features and three new powertrains as well.
Here is a detailed specifications comparison between the upcoming new-gen Honda City and the recently launched Hyundai Verna facelift –
Dimensions
The new-gen Honda City measures 4,549 mm in length, 1,748 mm in width, stands 1,489 mm tall and has a 2,600 mm long wheelbase.
| Dimensions | 2020 Honda City | 2020 Hyundai Verna |
| Length | 4,549 mm | 4,440 mm |
| Width | 1,748 mm | 1,729 mm |
| Height | 1,489 mm | 1,475 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,600 mm | 2,600 mm |
In comparison, the 2020 Hyundai Verna facelift has a length of 4,440 mm, a width of 1,729 mm, a height of 1,475 mm, and a 2,600 mm long wheelbase. This makes the new-gen City 109 mm longer, 19 mm wider and 14 mm taller than the Verna, while both the C-segment sedans have a wheelbase that measures 2,600 mm.
Powertrains
The Honda City will continue to be offered with BS6-compliant 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines. With that being said, the petrol motor now puts out 2 PS more power, and is now rated at 121 PS/145 Nm. On the other hand, the oil burner continues to produce 100 PS power and 200 Nm torque.
The transmission duties on the new sedan will be handled by a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard, while the petrol models will additionally be offered with an optional CVT gearbox.
| Petrol Car | 2020 Honda City | 2020 Hyundai Verna | |
| Engine | 1.5-litre NA Petrol | 1.5-litre, NA Petrol | 1.0-litre, turbocharged Petrol |
| Power | 121 PS | 115 PS | 120 PS |
| Torque | 145 Nm | 144 Nm | 172 Nm |
| Transmission | 6 Speed MT / CVT | 6 Speed MT / IVT | 7 Speed DCT |
In comparison, the 2020 Hyundai Verna facelift is offered with three different powertrains – 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol and diesel engine borrowed from the new-gen Creta; as well as a 1.0-litre TGDi turbo-petrol mill taken from the Venue. The 1.5-litre petrol engine produces 115 PS and 144 Nm, while the 1.5-litre oil burner is rated at 115 PS/250 Nm.
On the other hand, the 1.0-litre turbo petrol mill generates 120 PS of max power, along with 172 Nm of peak torque. The NA petrol and diesel engines are offered with a 6-speed MT as standard, along with optional IVT and AMT gearboxes respectively. The 1.0-litre TGDi powertrain comes with a 7-speed DCT auto as standard.
| Diesel | ||
| Car | 2020 Honda City | 2020 Hyundai Verna |
| Engine | 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, turbo diesel |
1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, turbo diesel |
| Power | 100 PS | 115 PS |
| Torque | 200 Nm | 250 Nm |
| Transmission | 6-speed MT | 6-speed MT/ 6-speed AMT |
Features
The new City is loaded up to the brim with features and gets features like an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Weblink compatibility, Honda Connect telematics system with 32 connected car features and industry first Alexa remote capability, a 7.0-inch MID with G-Force meter, paddle shifters (CVT only), rear sunshade, an electric sunroof, auto-dimming IRVM, ambient lighting etc.
The Verna is currently the most feature-rich car in its segment, and comes equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an electric sunroof, a fully digital instrument cluster, ventilated front seats, BlueLink connected car tech, smart trunk, a wireless phone charger, Arkamys premium audio system and more.
Safety
On the safety front, the 2020 City will come with features like six airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, vehicle stability assist, agile handling assist, hill-start assist, Honda’s LaneWatch camera, a tyre pressure monitoring system and a rear parking camera.
In contrast, the top-end Verna gets 6 airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors, ABS with EBD, emergency stop signal, Vehicle Stability Management, Hill-start Assist Control, Electronic Stability Control, rear disc brakes and so on.
Price
Hyundai retails the petrol Verna facelift at a base price of Rs 9.30 lakh, which goes up to Rs 13.99 lakh for the top-end SX (O) Turbo trim. In contrast, the diesel variants of the Verna have been priced from Rs 10.65 lakh to Rs 15.09 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom).
Honda is yet to reveal the prices of the next-gen City, and will do so around its launch in July. We expect the Japanese carmaker to price it between Rs 11 – 16 lakh (ex-showroom).
Comparison Verdict
The recent facelift brought a lot of new features and powertrains to the Verna’s table, and the sedan feels like the most value for money C-segment sedan in India as of now. However, the 2020 Verna is finally going to get a worthy rival in the form of the new-gen City. Both the Verna facelift and the 2020 City go neck and neck against each other as far as equipment is concerned.