2017 Honda City vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz vs Hyundai Verna: Spec Comparison

Three years after the arrival of the new-gen Honda City, the Japanese carmaker has finally launched the 2017 Honda City facelift in India with prices starting at Rs. 8.49 lakh (ex-showroom). The 2017 Honda City facelift model comes with a host of cosmetic updates and several new features. Honda also offers several additional accessories and customisation packages. In India, the car goes up against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the Hyundai Verna which too will be moving to a new-gen version this year.

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Now, the Honda City moniker has spent close to two decades in the Indian market, and was the best-seller in its segment for a long time. After a brief period of sluggish sales, the sixth generation version gave Honda a strong standing in this segment once again, largely due to the arrival of a diesel heart. But the City has been losing its charm. In fact, Maruti Suzuki's Ciaz sedan has already surpassed the Japanese sedan in sales, while Hyundai is readying new-gen Verna sedan, which surely adds to Honda's worries. And that is exactly why Honda has decided to launch the City facelift as soon as possible. But is the 2017 Honda City equipped enough to give its key rivals a tough competition? Let's find out.

2017 Honda City Facelift

Design and Styling

The 2017 Honda City facelift retains its silhouette but the exterior styling has received some considerable updates. Among the new changes, the City facelift now comes with a new set of LED headlamps with LED daytime running lamps (DRLs). The car also gets a revised front grille with a stylish chrome slat and some other minor tweaks. The profile, on the other hand, remains largely unchanged with the exception of new sporty alloy wheels and mildly tweaked ORVMs. The rear has also been updated with LED taillamps, boot lid-mounted spoiler with integrated LED high mount stop lamp.

As for the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the car comes with the signature long sedan-like profile that has been a major USP for the car. In terms of styling, the Ciaz hasn't received a facelift yet so you get the same four-slat chrome grille flanked by large sweptback headlamps with projector lights, a muscular front bumper housing the central air dam and plastic inserts for the fog lamps. From the sides, the Ciaz has a silhouette that reminds you of the Honda City with similar character lines. The Ciaz does come with a completely different set of alloys wheels and ORVMs though. The rear also gets very similar looking taillamps to that seen on the City and is connected by a slim chrome slat, while the rest of the design unique to the Ciaz. In fact, the Ciaz facelift is also on its way this year which should make the competition interesting.

While Hyundai is slated to launch the new-gen Verna sedan later this year, for now, the current-gen Hyundai Verna is still on sale and will continue to rival the new City. Design-wise, the outgoing Hyundai Verna is probably the most stylish of all three. Upfront, it comes with Hyundai's two-slat grille flanked by sharp-looking projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights. The bumper looks well designed and houses a set of angular LED foglamps and a wide central grille. The Verna has a more compact profile compared to the other two, but the character lines are more evident and the alloys are better-looking. The rear design is simple and comes with wraparound LED taillamps, a beefy rear bumper.

Interior

The cabin of the 2017 Honda City has also gone through a makeover and features better quality seats upholstered in either fabric and faux leather. There are front and rear seat armrests along with leather-wrapped steering wheel, gear lever, and door armrest. The updated city comes with a light cream or beige coloured cabin with good usage of soft touch plastics and other high-quality material.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz comes with dual tone beige and black cabin with dark brown panels on the dashboard and doors. The seats are well contoured and come with the option of either fabric or leather upholstery. There are armrests for both driver and rear passenger with decent headroom and legroom.

As for the Hyundai Verna, it comes with a busier cabin compared to what the other two have to offer. The Verna also gets black and beige dual tone treatment for the cabin with good quality seats upholstered in fabric or leather depending on your choice. There is ample use of soft touch plastic, high-quality material and other features give it a more upmarket feel.

Comfort and Safety features

The updated Honda City will come with a new 7-inch advanced infotainment with turn-by-turn navigation, 1.5 GB media memory, MirrorLink smartphone connectivity, WiFi USB receiver support, voice recognition, HDMI-in port and microSD card slots, and a rear-view camera. Other features include - power folding door mirrors, manual driver seat height adjuster, cruise control, automatic climate control with touch control panel and rear AC vents. Safety offerings include dual airbags, anti-lock brakes system with electronic brake-force distribution, ISOFIX compatible rear side seats, etc. as standard provisions.

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz also comes with a touchscreen infotainment system with audio player along with Bluetooth and AUX-IN connectivity. There are steering mounted controls for volume adjuster and to take or end calls. Other features include automatic climate control, keyless entry, rear AC vents, rear parking sensors, push-button start in specific variants and several other equipments. On the safety front, the car gets dual airbags as an option right from the base variant with ABS and EBD, the company has also standardised ISOFIX child seat mounts as added safety benefit.

The Hyundai Verna is also loaded with a host of smart and comfort features for the convenience of the occupants. A touchscreen infotainment system takes centre stage on the dashboard surrounded by buttons and knobs and vents right above it. The Verna also gets steering mounted controls with tilt adjustability function with features like climate control cruise control and Bluetooth and AUX-IN connectivity. Safety offerings are also similar with dual front airbags ABS and EBD come as standard across variants along with optional features like rear parking sensor, automatic headlight control, and more.

Hyundai Verna

Engine Specifications

The new Honda City will receive a choice of two engine options: the 1.5 litre iVTEC petrol developing 118 bhp and 145 Nm and a 1.5-litre iDTEC that puts out 99 bhp and a maximum torque of 200 Nm. For transmission, the petrol unit will be offered with a five-speed MT or a CVT with paddle shifters, while the diesel engine will get only a six-speed MT.

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, on the other hand, is powered by a 1.4 litre K-Series, petrol engine that develops 91 bhp along with a peak torque of 130Nm. Whereas, the diesel variant comes with the tried and tested 1.3-litre oil burner that is good for 89 bhp and 200 Nm. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4-speed automatic torque converter.

As for the Hyundai Verna, it is powered by 1.4 litre and 1.6 litre engines in both petrol and diesel trim options. The engines produce power between 98bhp to 120bhp and come mated either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox based on the trim level. The automatic though is available only on the 1.6-litre versions of the car.

While the car is yet to go on sale and we haven't driven it yet, the new Honda City facelift is after all just a mid-life update. The City facelift promises to offer improved styling and better features but there are no life-changing updates on the basis of which we could truly say it is better than its rivals, at least on paper. While it's at least at par with the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, if not better, when it comes to engine output and equipment, the current Hyundai Verna offer more engine options, while the new-gen model is expected to be far batter. In any case, we will get to know more about the car once we get to drive it, so stay tuned for our review.