2020 Honda City vs rivals: Specification comparison

Honda recently revealed key details of the new City that is set to be launched next month. The fifth-generation model promises to be a marked improvement over its predecessor in terms of space, comfort, technology and performance. So how does it fare against its closest rivals, at least on paper? We find out.

2020 Honda City dimensions: Just how big is it?

2020 Honda City vs rivals: Dimensions
	2020 Honda City	Current Honda City	Hyundai Verna	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz	Skoda Rapid	Volkswagen Vento	Toyota Yaris
Length	4549mm	4440mm	4440mm	4490mm	4413mm	4390mm	4425mm
Width	1748mm	1695mm	1729mm	1730mm	1699mm	1699mm	1730mm
Height	1489mm	1495mm	1475mm	1485mm	1466mm	1467mm	1495mm
Wheelbase	2600mm	2600mm	2600mm	2650mm	2552mm	2553mm	2550mm
Boot capacity	506 litres	510 litres	480 litres	510 litres	460 litres	494 litres	476 litres
Wheel size	16-inch	16-inch	16-inch	16-inch	16-inch	16-inch	15-inch

The new City stretches the tape at 4,549mm in length, 1,748mm in width and 1,489mm in height, making it 109mm longer and 53mm wider, albeit 6mm lower, than the current model. The wheelbase remains unchanged at 2,600mm. And in what will be a first for the company, both generations of the City will be sold simultaneously.

Honda’s latest midsize sedan will be the longest and widest model in its class, with the Maruti coming in second. The Ciaz, however, manages to edge past with a 50mm longer wheelbase. Nonetheless, the City, which is already known for its spacious cabin, will not disappoint on this front.

At 506 litres, the upcoming City’s boot space sees a marginal reduction in capacity and gets bested only by the Ciaz. All models in contention sport 16-inch alloys, except the Yaris which runs on 15-inchers.

2020 Honda City petrol: The most powerful car in the class

2020 Honda City vs rivals: Petrol powertrain
	2020 Honda City	Current Honda City	Hyundai Verna	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz	Skoda Rapid	Volkswagen Vento	Toyota Yaris
Engine type	4 cyls, DOHC, naturally aspirated	4 cyls, SOHC, naturally aspirated	4 cyls, DOHC, naturally aspirated/3 cyls, DOHC, turbocharged	4 cyls, DOHC, naturally aspirated	3 cyls, DOHC, turbocharged	3 cyls, DOHC, turbocharged	4 cyls, DOHC, naturally aspirated
Displacement	1498cc	1497cc	1497cc/998cc	1462cc	999cc	999cc	1496cc
Power	121hp	119hp	115hp/120hp	105hp	110hp	110hp	107hp
Torque	145Nm	145Nm	144Nm/172Nm	138Nm	175Nm	175Nm	140Nm
Manual gearbox	6-speed	5-speed	6-speed/-	5-speed	6-speed	6-speed	6-speed
Automatic gearbox	7-step CVT	7-step CVT	CVT/7-speed DCT	4-speed torque convertor	6-speed torque convertor#	6-speed torque convertor	7-step CVT
ARAI mileage (MT)	17.8kpl	17.4kpl	17.7kpl/-	20.65kpl	18.97kpl	17.69kpl	17.18kpl
ARAI mileage (AT)	18.4kpl	18.0kpl	18.45kpl/19.2kpl	20.04kpl	-	-	18.1kpl

# To be launched in coming weeks

As we have already reported, the fifth-gen City gets an all-new petrol engine. It's a 1.5-litre, dual-cam, naturally aspirated motor (codename:L15B) that pushes out 121hp (a bump of 2hp compared to the previous model) and 145Nm of torque. Manual transmission gets an extra gear ratio and is now a 6-speed 'box, while Honda says that the 7-step CVT auto is a new unit as well.

The uptick in power makes the new City the most powerful offering in its class. It even has the highest torque figure amongst its naturally aspirated rivals. However, the 1.0-litre forced induction units of the Verna, Rapid and Vento, unsurprisingly, take the lead when it comes to overall torque figures.

 

The Ciaz notwithstanding, the fuel economy of the soon-to-be launched City is par for the course for non-turbocharged powertrains.

2020 Honda City diesel: Efficiency oriented

2020 Honda City vs rivals: Diesel powertrain
	2020 Honda City	Hyundai Verna
Engine type	4 cyls, DOHC, turbocharged	4 cyls, DOHC, turbocharged
Displacement	1498cc	1493cc
Power	100hp	115hp
Torque	200Nm	250Nm
Manual gearbox	6-speed	6-speed
Automatic gearbox	-	6-speed torque convertor
ARAI mileage (MT)	24.1kpl	25.0kpl
ARAI mileage (AT)	-	21.3kpl

With most players having exited the diesel market, your choice of diesel sedans is restricted to the new Honda City and the updated Hyundai Verna. The new City uses a BS6-compliant version of Honda’s proven 1.5-litre diesel engine, though output remains unchanged at 100hp and 200Nm.

The 1.5-litre diesel engine on the Verna is new too, and one-ups the City’s unit with higher outputs of 115hp and 250Nm. 6-speed manual gearboxes are standard on both diesel sedans, and you can expect superb fuel economy from both. The Verna is the only one to be offered with an automatic transmission option - a 6-speed torque converter unit. Sadly, Honda won’t offer a diesel-CVT combo on the new City. 

2020 Honda City price: Will it be expensive? 

2020 Honda City vs rivals: Price
	New City*	Old City*	Verna*	Ciaz*	Rapid 1.0 TSI^	Vento 1.0 TSI^	Yaris*
Petrol MT	Rs 10.50-13.50 lakh (est.)	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 12.50-15 lakh (est.)	Rs 11.82-14.31 lakh	Rs 11.95-13.99 lakh	Rs 9.98-11.10 lakh	-	Rs 12.10-13.30 lakh	Rs 9.56-14.30 lakh
Diesel MT	Rs 10.50-15 lakh (est.)	-	Rs 10.66-13.95 lakh	-	-	-	-
Diesel AT	-	-	Rs 13.20-15.10 lakh	-	-	-	-

Honda has confirmed that the new City will be launched in our market next month. Positioned higher up in the Japanese automaker’s portfolio, expect it to carry a premium over the current model and be priced in the range of Rs 10.50-15 lakh*. Whether the existing City sees a price rationalisation is something to watch out for. Nonetheless, you can expect Honda’s latest midsize sedan to be priced at the higher end of the segment.  

Which of these sedans’ specs are you most impressed by? Let us know in the comments section below.

* ex-showroom, Delhi

^ ex-showroom, India

Also see:

2020 India-spec Honda City image gallery