Spec Comparo: 2020 Hyundai Verna vs Honda City vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

The new 2020 Hyundai Verna is here, right at the cusp of the switchover to BSVI and since it gets new engine options, Hyundai has decided to throw in a few cosmetic tweaks as well. Technically, it is a facelift and it continues to battle it out in one of the tightest spaces in the automotive market- the C-segment sedans. The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the Honda City are the chief competition, followed by the Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid and the erstwhile Nissan Sunny.

Design and dimensions

C-segment was once the crown jewel of car makers and unlike other segments, every manufacturer seems to have expressed themselves in their own manner. Honda's angular styling competes with Verna's busy design while the Ciaz plays it safe with the old-school sedan styling. The Ciaz may not look like it, but it is the longest of the three and also has the longest wheelbase (4490mm length and 2650mm wheelbase). The Honda City and the Ciaz are tied for the top spot for bootspace while the Verna and the Ciaz are tied for the widest tyres size (195/55/R16).

Safety and Features

We are comparing the top-spec manual transmission cars for a level playing field and immediately the Hyundai Verna along with the Honda City take lead with their six-airbag safety net as against the twin-airbag setup on the Ciaz. The Maruti also does not get child-seat anchor points but is the lightest of the three.

Coming to the features list, automatic climate control, all-four power windows and electrically adjustable and foldable wing mirrors are standard across the three cars. The Ciaz misses out on telescopic steering adjustment and gets only tilt, misses out on rain sensing wipers and a remote-operated bootlid opening as against the Verna and the City. It also misses out on the electric sunroof.

The Verna takes a few brownie points for the ventilated front seats, a boon in the Indian summers and in terms of safety, it gets ESP and hill-hold even for the manual, active cornering headlamps and the tyre pressure monitoring system. The Honda City takes a few more points more for its reverse camera with guidance, partially folding rear seats.

Engine and performance

The Verna leads the pack with its engine options – 2 petrol and 1 diesel. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine develops 115PS of power and 144Nm of torque and comes with six-speed manual and CVT gearbox options. The 1.0-litre turbo petrol is offered only with the dual clutch automatic and the top-spec SX (O) trim and develops 120PS of power and 172Nm of torque. The diesel is also a 1.5-litre and develops 115PS of power and 250Nm of torque and comes mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque converter automatic.

The Honda City gets the familiar 1.5-litre VTEC petrol that develops 118PS of power and 145Nm of torque, slightly more powerful than the naturally aspirated Verna petrol. It comes with both the manual and CVT automatic gearbox options. The 1.5-litre 100PS diesel comes only with a six-speed manual gearbox and is known to be quite frugal.

The Ciaz now gets a petrol engine only and the 1.5-litre K-Series engine develops 105PS of power and 138Nm of torque. While the manual gearbox is a five-speed option, the automatic is a four-speed torque converter.

Price

At Rs 12.61 lakhs, the SX(O) 1.5-litre petrol manual transmission Verna offers a lot of features with the star being its ventilated seats. The similar-spec variant of the Honda City is priced at Rs 13.24 lakhs, also ex-showroom, and matches the Verna more or less, spec-by-spec. The CIaz, at Rs 10.09 lakhs ex-showroom, is priced considerably lower but it misses out on the class leading features like sunroof and also loses out on power and safety features.