While an expert calls the launch of 3rd generation Honda City as return of the emperor another expert compares Hyundai Verna 1.6 to find out the winner.
He drove the new City through all terrains and environments in India and found it to be agile on the crowdy roads of Jaipur. With the ‘Arrow Shot Form’ design in the front, it has an appealing look. The tail lamps resemble that of BMW and long bonnet give a comparatively better look than the earlier cab-forward design. The car’s length and width have been increased by 5mm but the height is lowered by 15mm. He appreciated the colour combination of the interiors and the paddle shift feature, iPod compatibility of audio system, driver seat height adjustment feature but expressed disappointment over less displacement of the front seat.
Another expert has given 9/10 stars on design and engineering of the newest Honda City stating that it retains the best of 1st and 2nd gen City along with new features to give you a breathtaking experience. The car has made improvements in terms of luggage space giving whopping 506 litres space.
After taking an exclusive test ride from Delhi to Ajmer an expert expressed gaiety over the 1.5l VTEC engine and called it the ‘state of art unit’. He observed a fact which none other could is that the rear door opened closely to 90 degree angle. Honda has chosen integrated audio system with USB, Bluetooth and iPod compatibility over the regular CD/DVD player which every other car has and states that the music quality is fairly nice. The automatic version with the paddle shift feature gave him a momentary feeling of being in a Ferrari. At rpm greater than 5000 the engine gives uncomfortable noises. Braking is safe because of the ABS technology. He felt safe changing lanes even on very high speeds.
Here’s comes a comparison between the new 1.5l i-VTEC City and 1.6l Verna petrol versions, Verna has 1591cc gamma motor while City has 1497cc engine. Verna has lower acceleration than City; City gathers momentum quickly to reach high speeds. City also has edge over Verna in terms of drive quality and maneuverability however Verna has softer suspensions.
