The all-new City, fiesta, SX4 and Verna aim to offer both. But which one stands out?

For the past 10 years, the Honda City has been the king of the mid-size segment. Challengers have come and gone but none have truly managed to snatch the City’s crown. The SX4 on the strength of its sheer value pipped the previous city in our comparison test (June 2007), while the Verna and Fiesta with their own suite of strengths haven’t been pushovers either. However, despite strong attempts from rivals, the City’s popularity has never been in doubt. Honda has moved the goalposts once again with the new City which, now in its third avatar, is dramatically different and better than before. But it is significantly more expensive too, which means it will have to be that much better to trounce its rivals. So is it really that good?

Design & Engineering

Park these four cars together and the City clearly stands out. It looks a class apart thanks to its stunning design and generous proportions. The new city’s styling has nothing in common with the model it replaced, which is just as well. Even after selling 1.76,000 copies, many just couldn’t get used to the awkward proportions of the previous City. Honda’s engineers were acutely aware of this and wanted to make amends. Dubbed the ‘arrow shot’ design to signify the tension in an archer’s bow, the new City is made up of tightly skinned surfaces. The taut styling with lots of sharp cuts and the striking front and rear lights gives the new city a certain dynamism the other cars in this test simply can’t match. If only the new City sat on alloys and fatter tyres to do full justice to its brilliant shape.

In contrast to the new City’s sharp and edgy contours, the Hyundai Verna with its smooth and rounded shape looks bland. In fact, there is nothing exciting about the Verna’s looks, save for the prominent grille and aggressive air intake in the bumpers. The short stubby boot makes the car feel smaller than it actually is but the generous glass area hints at the space inside. And the pull-tyre door handles feel good and the doors shut with a nice thud, revealing the good build quality.

The Ford Fiesta on the other hand doesn’t feel as solid – the doors shut with an unsatisfying clang. It’s the smallest of this bunch as well and compared to the City appears a segment down. The Fiesta received a minor fact-lift less than a year ago which has given it a sportier look. A new grille, larger headlights and an aggressive-looking bumper are the new bits while the rest of the body remains unchanged. On the ‘S’ model, side skirts, a rear spoiler and chunky 195/55 R15 tyres hint at the Ford’s sporting pretensions. After all, this is the driver’s car. More on that later.

Maruti’s SX4 is the wild card with its unconventional proportions and appears to be a cross between an SUV and a saloon. The oversized wheels and extra height make it tower over the others but it’s an appealing shape all the same. There are some nice stylistic touches like the front quarter-glass which dips into the beltline and the acutely curved headlights.

All four saloons use the conventional non-independent, torsion beam and stabilizer bar at the rear. All use the independent, MacPherson strut stabiliser bar up front. All use ventilated discs up front and drums at the rear. While the SX4 and the City use electrically-assisted power steering systems, the Fiesta and the Verna steering get hydraulic assistance.

Interiors

Like its exteriors, the City’s interiors are brilliantly designed. The ‘arrow shot them’ continues inside with the dashboard arching towards the central console. The multidimensional dash is well sculpted and there are plenty of stylistic elements which meld well with the functional aspect of the interiors as well. You. Won’t mind spending time in the big, comfy front seats and in fact they are the most comfortable of the quarter. From here, it’s easy to reach the big air con knobs, the power window switches fall to hand naturally and the short gearlever is within easy reach. The Civic-derived steering wheel feels good to hold too and comes with audio controls. Cubbyholes and storage space are aplenty, but Honda has left out the twin glovebox feature that the earlier City had. The sound system, cleverly designed to run off a memory stick or an iPod, is a pretty high-tech one but be warned some of the old-generation iPods won’t work. CD player? Shockingly there isn’t one You can opt for a dealer option CD/MP3/DVD player with a screen that fits on the ceiling. You’ll have to pay Rs 16,000 extra for it.

Run your hand over some of the plastics used and you will be disappointed as they don’t have the same quality feel of the previous City. The shiny centre console in particular looks a touch downmarket and the huge air con knobs point to further penny-pinching. There is no climate control and the recirculation mode slider looks quite rudimentary in a Rs 9 lakh car.

The Verna too has iffy plastics, especially the hard-looking central console and small storage, storage box that has a tacky feel to it. The faux wood doesn’t feel luxurious either. The interior design, like the exterior, is not exactly exciting and the smooth dashboard isn’t hugely functional either. The glovebox is small and there are o recesses above it but the useful slot below the steering wheel and large door pockets make amends. The Xi version we tested is short on equipment, but the top-of-the-line XXi comes with alloy wheels climate control, fog lamps and a CD/MP3 player, which makes it among the better equipped of this lot. The fiesta has solidly built interiors with meaty switchgear and hard-wearing materials. This car has a nice. rally car-like driving position. The tall gear lever and the sporty steering wheel give you a clue of this car’s intent – sportiness. However, the feel of the interiors is more functional than luxurious and the design isn’t as upmarket as either the SX4 or the City. In fact, it is substantially lower priced than the City too. However, it feels the best built of the four cars.

Step into the SX4 after you’ve been in the other cars and you’ll feel like you are sitting one floor higher. This is not a bad thing as it makes getting in and out really easy, thanks to the high seats. Visibility from this lofty perch is good too but the thick A-pillar does mar vision around corners. If you have upgraded from a Swift to an SX4, you will find yourself in familiar surroundings. The steering wheel, switches and gear lever are carried over. While the SX4 is generously equipped, the materials used don’t have a quality feel, including the factory-fitted leather trim.

Owners of these cars are likely to be chauffeur-driven, so the rear seats are important too. The City wins quite easily thanks to maximum room and generous under-thigh support. But remember, rear seat comfort isn’t as good as in the previous City, which was unbeatable thanks to its near-perfect seating position. Rear seat comfort in the SX4 is definitely a notch below the City’s. The seating position is nice and high but limited legroom and limited space for the third passenger (due to the high floor tunnel and armrest that protrudes when folded up) mark the Suzuki saloon down.

The Verna has loads of space but again seating is not quite the class best thanks to a low ‘hip-point’ and a lack of under-thing support. The seats are nice and soft and have a useful 60:40 split which makes up for the disappointingly small 352-litre boot. The Fiesta comes last when it comes to rear seat comfort. Though the seating position is quite ideal, the overall lack of space is simply not in the class. The narrow door opening don’t’ help either.

Engine, Gearbox & Performance

Honda wants to see the City back on the performance saloon pedestal and is pulling no punches with its powerplant. This 1497cc i-VTEC engine (which shares the same block as the motor in the previous city) maybe the smallest in this group but it’s the highest on tech. It has a full-fledged VTEC system that controls intake valve lift and lots of exotic materials to lower friction. It’s by far the most powerful of this lot churning out 116bhp at a very high 6600rpm. Peak torque also comes in at a high-ish 4600rpm. The engine is the smoothest of the lot and has a sweetness that you only find with a Honda. It’s pretty responsive but the widely spaced gear ratios work against it and the midrange feels quite ordinary. The action however is concentrated in the final 2000rpm of the rev band where you feel a distinctive kick till the 7000rpm limit. The City is the quickest by far, our-accelerating its nearest rival, the SX4 to the 100kph mark by nearly two seconds. And despite the tall gearing, it’s quick in our in gear acceleration tests too which speaks volumes about this engine’s flexibility.

The Ford’s 1.6-litre Sigma engine makes a ‘mere’ 101bhp and doesn’t rev as high but the low gearing makes it the most responsive and it’s particularly quick off the line. In the real world, we enjoyed the Fiesta’s motor the most. It’s not as Fiesta’s motor the most’ It’s not as quick as the City but the Fiesta’s Punchy and linear power delivery makes it a delight to drive. Adding to the fun factor is a smooth engine that enjoys visits to the redline and a delightful gearbox with a short, snappy throw.

The SX4’s engine develops similar power to the Fiesta, has twin cams and four valves per cylinder as well, but doesn’t feel anywhere as nice to drive. Apart from the strong midrange where a thick slug of torque makes overtaking effortless, the lack of low-end grunt and a reluctance to rev eagerly limits this engine’s appeal. The SX4’s engine feels best on a part-throttle and is essentially best for sedate motoring.

The Verna’s motor despite being equipped with variable valve timing engine is the least impressive here. Low-down grunt is not impressive, and throttle response is quite dull. In-gear acceleration is pretty average, the despite the car having the second biggest power output. The culprit here is the widely spaced out gear ratios and specifically, the big gap between second and third gears. It’s quite a refined motor though if you don’t ask too much of it and rewards those who like to potter around at a leisurely pace. The gearshift is pretty good but again, like the engine, doesn’t like being hustled and is not as quick-shifting as the Fiesta’s.

Ride & Handling

The Fiesta stands out as the most entertaining car to drive. The combination of a brilliant steering, well-balanced chassis and terrific grip give it a dynamic edge over the others. The Fiesta’s steering in particular is sublime. It’s quick, accurate and throws back the right amount of feel. But what really sets the Fiesta apart is the delicious way the front end bites. This is the least under-steering of all the cars and the handling is delightfully neutral. But the ride on the stiffly sprung Fiesta S is nowhere near as compliant as either the City or the Verna. There is a distinct hard edge to the Ford; it thumps through potholes and road noise tends to filter through too. But the Fiesta’s overall poise is so flat and consistent that you won’t have much cause to complain. The only real downside to the Fiesta’s road manners are the brakes which lack initial bite and need quite a shove to work well.

The Honda has the best compromise. The suspension has a suppleness that was never present in the earlier City. This means that over most surfaces and at most speeds, you won’t find any reason to complain, the long wheelbase City effortlessly soaking up the road with ease. If there is a hint of stiffness, it can only be felt with sharper bumps and on really bad roads. The City’s sorted ride hasn’t come at the cost of handling either. The steering is a huge revelation and unlike the Playstation-like feel of the earlier City, the new model comes with a lot more feedback. Improving the City’s steering was one of Honda’s main tasks and the key reason why its electric steering’s motor was upgraded from 40 to 60 amps to dial in more a feedback. Like the Civic, the City has a responsive and quick steering feel but it’s nowhere near as linear as the Fiesta’s. There’s good front-end grip, but you have to watch out for the slightly soft rear which tends to get unsettled by mid-corner bumps. We were also disappointed by the amount of ambient noise that entered the cabin. Penny pinching has been done somewhere.

The Verna throws up the Limitations of an overly soft setup the minute you attack a corner. There’s a fair degree of body roll and the narrow tyres let go well before the chassis reaches its limits. Mid-corner bumps affect the car’s composure and the Verna generally doesn’t like being hustled through corners. The light, lifeless steering, which is great at parking speeds, is completely out of its element here, However, the ride remains the best of this group. At low speeds it absorbs bumps without letting too much reach the occupants. As speeds increase, the long travel suspension soaks up bumps without upsetting the car too much either. Again, the Verna proves itself as the unenthusiastic driver’s choice, which is not always a bad thing.

The SX4’s setup on the other hands is too stiff to be comfortable at low and medium speeds. It gets skittish over mildly rutted roads and every small bump puts you offline. There’s massive torque steer and the inconsistent steering feedback forces you to constantly make corrections under hard acceleration. It’s not all that bad though. The SX4 has the best ground clearance, so you can confidently sail over bad patches. The tall dimensions means there is a considerable amount of body roll but there’s plenty of grip from the very wide 205/60 R16 tyres. For everyday driving, the SX4 proved to be the most practical, not giving a second glance to speedbreakers or potholes over which the City would be forced to crawl over. In traffic as well, the SX4’s height is a huge advantage and gives you a psychological edge in the cut and thrust of urban driving.

Fuel Efficiency

Honda’s claim that the more powerful new City consumes the same amount of fuel as the old City i-DSi is not entirely true, but it’s pretty close. We got 10.1kpl in the city and 16.5kpl on the highway. Compare that to the old City’s 109kpl and 16.6kpl respectively. But what’s important is that the new City, despite being the most powerful, is distinctly more fuel efficient than its rivals, a fact which speaks volumes of the i-VTEC engine. Playing no small role either is the 1,100kg. kerb weight, the lightest I the group.

There’s not much to choose between the others which return near-identical figures in the city cycle. We expected the Fiesta S to be more efficient but it is thirstier than the regular Fiesta. We put this down to the 20mm wider tyres which may have increased rolling resistance. The SX4 could have been more fuel efficient too for the same reason. We feel the massive footprint of the Suzuki saloon makes it thirstier than it should be. The Verna loses out on the highway where a figure of 13.8kpl puts it at the back of the pack.

Autocar Verdict ( Honda City | Ford Fiesta | Maruti SX4 | Hyundai Verna)

We have to say that it’s the Fiesta s which stole our hearts with its brilliant driving experience. We kept asking ourselves why this car isn’t doing as well as it should. We found the answer when we moved to the rear seat which is where a lot of owners will reside. The Fiesta now feels half-a-size too small and lacks the luxury touch to give it the all-round talent owners now demand.

The Verna is a good all-rounder. It does everything well but is not exceptional in any one area. And that is its problem. The driving experience though pleasant is quite underwhelming and the Verna’s lackluster nature pulls down the excellent value proposition that it otherwise is.

If it’s value you are looking for, then it’s the SX4 that is the car to beat. It’s got the best equipment levels and comes with Maruti’s low cost of ownership promise. It is pretty good to drive too and the huge ground clearance gives it a unique advantage But despite all this, it’s still no match for the all-new city. Despite being shamefully under-equipped and the most expensive too, the City trounces the competition in other areas. The brilliant styling, the flexible engine, economy, comfort and sheer technology make it a clear winner.