Honda recently launched the new-gen model of the Honda City in the Indian market. 2020 Honda City comes with a load of high-end features along with various other immensely likeable traits. However, does the new Honda City’s fully-equipped model has more kit than all other rivals?
2020 Honda City First Drive Review (Hindi)
The fifth-gen Honda City was one of the most anticipated launches of this year. Launched at a starting price of Rs 10.90 lakh, the new Honda City is available in three trims, V, VX and ZX. Honda City is already known as a premium car with various features. With the new edition, the sedan further enhances its strengths by introducing some attractive and exciting new features. IndianAuto gets into the intricacies to give you full feature comparison between the Honda City and other vehicles in its space.
Honda cars have always received praises for their outstanding safety and high reliability. The new Honda City lives up to this well-established tradition of the Japanese car brand and packs a wide range of safety features, some of which aren't available on certain rivals.
Safety features |
2020 Honda City |
Old Honda City |
Hyundai Verna |
Maruti Ciaz |
Skoda Rapid |
Volkswagen Vento |
Toyota Yaris |
Airbags |
6 |
6 |
6 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
ESP |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Auto headlamps |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Auto wipers |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Auto-dimming rearview mirror |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Parking sensors |
Rear |
Rear |
Front and rear |
Rear |
Rear |
Rear |
Front and rear |
Parking camera |
Rear |
Rear |
Rear |
Rear |
Rear |
Rear |
Rear |
Tyre pressure monitor |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Blindspot monitor |
LaneWatch camera |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Honda City is built with a high concern for safety. It is underpinned by an updated platform which is built with ultra-high tensile steel. This material offers a stronger structure and better protection against collision. Notably, the Thai-spec City has been given a full star rating at the ASEAN NCAP test. The Indian version has not yet entered the Global NCAP test but one can safely expect similar results on the testbed.
All-new Honda City Base Model Walkaround Video - Full Details
Along with an enhanced structure, the 2020 Honda City is offered with a wide range of safety features. It features standard features that most cars in the market are equipped with like parking sensors, rear parking camera, auto headlights, auto wipers, automatic dimming rearview mirror, and dual front airbags. Apart from these standard features, the sedan is also offered with less popular features that might not be found in other competitors. For example, the new car gets electronic stability program (ESP), blind-spot monitor system and tyre pressure monitor system.
8 Things YOU DON'T KNOW About All-new Honda City (Hindi)
In its class, the Hyundai Verna and Toyota Yaris are two models that can challenge the new City in terms of safety features. While the Verna is provided with front parking sensors, the Toyota Yaris is available with up to seven airbags. However, the Honda City also has its own unique offering of LaneWatch camera system. This feature transmits the live video of the left side camera to the infotainment touchscreen, thereby helping the driver with overcoming the blind spots.
Fifth-gen Honda City features the largest-in-segment infotainment touchscreen (8-inch). Hyundai Verna and Skoda Rapid also offer a similar-size touchscreen unit. However, the new Honda City’s unit supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the Skoda Rapid’s infotainment touchscreen misses out on these.
Hyundai Verna and new Honda City are two leading vehicles in this class when it comes to the connectivity system. While the Hyundai Verna is offered with the Hyundai’s BlueLink system which is also available on the best-selling Hyundai Venue and new Hyundai Creta, the new-gen Honda City comes with Honda Connect system. Moreover, the Honda City has an upper hand since it comes with Amazon Alexa integration. About the instrument cluster, the Hyundai Verna and City are the only two cars in the lot to feature a full digital display for the instrument cluster.
Infotainment system |
2020 Honda City |
Old Honda City |
Hyundai Verna |
Maruti Ciaz |
Skoda Rapid |
Volkswagen Vento |
Toyota Yaris |
Touchscreen infotainment |
8-inch |
7-inch |
8-inch |
7-inch |
8-inch |
6.5-inch |
7-inch |
Apple Carplay/Android Auto |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Connected car tech |
Honda Connect with Amazon Alexa |
No |
BlueLink |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Instrument cluster |
Digital |
Analogue |
Digital |
Analogue |
Analogue |
Analogue |
Analogue |
Comfort and convenience are among the main focuses of sedans which is the biggest attractions for customers of this segment. Most of the sedans are fully-equipped with a load of comfort and convenience features. Features like LED DRLs, Automatic climate control, keyless entry, cruise control, and leather upholstery are offered in all cars of the premium sedan space. Even in such a competitive segment, the 2020 Honda City still stands out with its above-average offering. Honda City gets full LED headlights, paddle shifter and sunshade. Hyundai Verna is City’s biggest rival when it comes to creature comforts. The Hyundai Verna gets ventilated front seats and wireless smartphone charger which are not available on the new City.
Comfort features |
2002 Honda City |
Old Honda City |
Hyundai Verna |
Maruti Ciaz |
Skoda Rapid |
Volkswagen Vento |
Toyota Yaris |
Headlights |
LED |
LED |
LED |
LED projector |
Halogen projector |
LED |
Halogen projector |
LED DRLs |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Automatic climate control |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Keyless entry |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Push-button start |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Paddle shifter (AT) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Cruise control |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Leatherette upholstery |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Powered driver seat |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Ventilated front seats |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Wireless phone charger |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Sunroof |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Rear sunshade |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
One of the biggest factors that determine the success of a model in the market is pricing. Even when the car is fully-loaded, it could not compete with others if the pricing is not attractive. Honda City has a clear advantage over other rivals owing to its fully-loaded feature package. However, can this advantage be interpreted into better sales? To answer this question, let’s compare the price of Honda City with other cars in the same segment.
The City has always been one of the most expensive offerings in the segment. The new Honda City, however, doesn't get any price hike over the earlier model. The variant-to-variant price difference hardly ranges from Rs 14,000 to Rs 44,000, for the petrol range. Apart from the petrol variants, the new-gen Honda City also gets a range of BS6-compliant diesel variants, which is something that is not available on the earlier generation anymore.
Variant |
Current Honda City |
2020 Honda City |
Difference |
Petrol |
|||
SV MT |
Rs 9.91 lakh |
NA |
|
V MT |
Rs 10.66 lakh |
Rs 10.90 lakh |
Rs 24,000 |
VX MT |
Rs 11.82 lakh |
Rs 12.26 lakh |
Rs 44,000 |
V CVT |
Rs 12.01 lakh |
Rs 12.20 lakh |
Rs 19,000 |
ZX MT |
Rs 13.01 lakh |
Rs 13.15 lakh |
Rs 14,000 |
VX CVT |
Rs 13.12 lakh |
Rs 13.56 lakh |
Rs 44,000 |
ZX CVT |
Rs 14.31 lakh |
Rs 14.45 lakh |
Rs 14,000 |
Diesel |
|||
V |
N.A |
Rs 12.40 lakh |
_ |
VX |
N.A |
Rs 13.76 lakh |
_ |
ZX |
N.A |
Rs 14.65 lakh |
_ |
Compared to other cars in the segment, the new Honda City is the most expensive. However, on the higher variants of the petrol range, the price gap between Honda City and other vehicles in its class is narrowed down significantly. The price of these variants closely matches with the Yaris, Vento and Verna’s high-spec variants.
Powertrain |
2020 Honda City |
Old Honda City |
Hyundai Verna |
Maruti Ciaz |
Skoda Rapid |
Volkswagen Vento |
Toyota Yaris |
Petrol-MT |
Rs 10.90-13.15 lakh |
Rs 9.91-13.01 lakh |
Rs 9.31-12.60 lakh |
Rs 8.32-10.09 lakh |
Rs 7.49-11.79 lakh |
Rs 8.87-11.99 lakh |
Rs 8.86-13.06 lakh |
Petrol-AT |
Rs 12.20-14.15 lakh |
Rs 12.01-14.31 lakh |
Rs 11.95-13.99 lakh |
Rs 9.98-11.10 lakh |
N.A |
Rs 12.10-13.30 lakh |
Rs 9.56-14.30 lakh |
Diesel-MT |
Rs 12.40-14.65 lakh |
N.A |
Rs 10.66-13.95 lakh |
N.A |
N.A |
N.A |
N.A |
Diesel-AT |
N.A |
N.A |
Rs 13.20-15.10 lakh |
N.A |
N.A |
N.A |
N.A |
Hyundai Verna and Honda City are the two vehicles to come with diesel engines. Between the two, the Hyundai Verna is more affordable. Moreover, the Hyundai Verna is offered with both manual and automatic gearbox option for both fuel variants, while the Honda City diesel comes exclusively with a manual gearbox. It should be noted that Honda will offer the new City along with the older version. It also means that customers will have more options to consider.
2020 Honda City 1.5L Diesel MT Acceleration Test (Hindi) | 0-100kmph
In terms of powertrain, Honda City can be powered by either a 1.5-litre petrol or a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The former is capable of making 121PS/145Nm while the latter can develop 100PS/200Nm. A 6-speed manual gearbox will be offered as standard. Only the petrol version is offered with an automatic gearbox option.