The 2017 Honda City has been launched in India for Rs 8.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). It is mid-life update for the Big H’s C-segment fighter which is now in its fourth generation. Over the last few years, the City has had to fight some major battles for its survival especially during the dieselisation period from 2011 to 2014. Now In the three years that this fourth generation City has been around, the market has changed so much thanks to the introduction of SUVs in this price range. This means the City has to fight to prove itself all over again.
While the SUV craze may be taking over the market, a view of the variant list of the 2017 Honda City indicates that the Japanese automaker is playing on the traditional strength of the City to push it ahead again. It has increased the number of petrol models and at the same time also introduced a new top-of-the-line variant. So how then does competition stand up to the individual variants of the City. Read on then to see our variant wise break up of what you can buy for the price of a 2017 Honda City
Honda City S petrol (Rs 8.49 lakh)
This is the entry-level model for the Honda City and was the second level variant for the outgoing model. Priced at Rs 8.49 lakh it has a variety of competition ranging from SUVs like Hyundai i20 Active, Mahindra TUV300 and compact sedans like the Hyundai Xcent as well as its own sibling the Honda Amaze. In terms of hierarchy, the City holds stead over the compact sedans thanks to its larger size but is not as feature rich as the compact sedans. The i20 Active is a similar story as the compact sedans but in terms of wheelbase and maximised capacity usage it is the TUV300.
Honda City SV petrol (Rs 9.53 lakh)
The SV petrol variant priced at Rs 9.60 lakh gets rivals across the table in terms of diesel and petrol models. Here is also where its first major C-segment competitor in the form of the Hyundai Verna also steps in with a top-level SX petrol model. You get compact sedans in the Maruti Suzuki Dzire and the VW Ameo of which the latter is available as a top-spec Highline diesel automatic. Finally the SUV in this part of the fray is the Mahindra NuvoSport which is a very minor player but still has the advantage of offering the SUV body style.
Honda City V petrol (Rs 9.99 lakh)
This is the mid-level variant for the Honda City and has some interesting competition in terms of what you can buy at this price range. The SUV offering here is the Scorpio which is the first seven-seater to take on the sedan and bring up the question of boot space versus seven seats. The Hyundai Active i20 is back again but this time in the top-of-the-line SX diesel variant. Finally, here you can also have the electric version of the Mahindra Vertio in the top-spec D6 trim. It might have a short range but since going green is the new in thing, the Vertio electric is more of statement maker.
Honda City SV diesel (Rs 10.75 lakh)
This is where the diesel range steps into the fight and it is mostly sedan territory here as you get petrol automatic options of the Ciaz, Sunny and the Verna. You can also have the top-of-the-line diesel SX variant of the Verna or the Ford EcoSport in the Platinum diesel models.
Honda City V CVT (Rs 11.53 lakh)
Here it is a mix of C-segment sedans and SUVs fighting with the Honda City in this price range. You can have the Skoda Rapid as both a petrol and diesel AT with the former being a top-of-the-line model while the latter is one below the top model. The Renault Duster is available in the 85PS RXZ variant and if you want a proper seven-seater SUV you can also have the Tata Safari Storme.
Honda City V diesel (Rs 11.55 lakh)
Just marginally more expensive than it’s AT sibling, the V diesel goes up against a trio of seven-seaters like the Tata Hexa, Mahindra Xylo as well as the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga which has kept the flame going for the private buyer MPV market in India.
Honda City VX petrol (11.64 lakh)
This is highest manual petrol model that you can buy for the Honda City and it fights the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross as well as some lower variants of the Tata Hexa. In the case of the latter, it is the fight of seven-seats versus boot space while the S-Cross is a product born out of new choices and offers similar kind of options as the City.
Honda City VX CVT (Rs 12.84 lakh)
This is the first AT variant of the City that you have and fights with the likes of the automatic models from the Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento range. It is also a rival to the base petrol model of the larger Hyundai Elantra which is a sedan like the City but has a larger boot and bigger cabin. However, what the Elantra has in size, it lacks in features as this is a top-spec City.
Honda City VX diesel (Rs 12.86 lakh)
By now, we have reached the upper echelons for the City making it feature loaded and very premium. Here it rivals the Hyundai Creta and the Mahindra Scorpio in their mid-level models. This means similar features but in the case of the Scorpio with two additional seats. With the Creta, you have the SX diesel and petrol variants.
Honda City ZX CVT (Rs 13.52 lakh)
This is new petrol AT model for the City and has been brought in to showcase the best of what the Honda City can be. It has been introduced in the wake of a shift towards petrol powered cars and takes on the Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano of which the former can be had with AT and MT options.
Honda City ZX diesel (Rs 13.56 lakh)
This model takes on the Tata Hexa and the Mahindra XUV500 and has options quite similar to what their mid-level models offer. It is very similar to its petrol sibling and only lacks the AT option. Its fight also overlaps the petrol ZX trim and together these two models showcase the best of what Honda can offer in terms of features.
source”cnbc”