Honda City vs Hyundai Verna vs Toyota Yaris
With newly- launched Yaris, are the Citys and Vern as feeling the pinch? Read on
For a reasonably long period the sedan has been an answer to the needs of most middle-class households. It has been the got-to vehicle for almost all family motorable needs. At a time when the grand old ambassadors and fiats were making a graceful exit, the aggressively manufactured and advertised sedans were aptly filling in that void. And it did not take long before Honda Citys and Maruti-Suzuki Esteems became the sedans of the season. What made them popular apart from their size and feasibility, was the fact that families could now use these modern machines, both in the city and as a sort of multi-utility vehicles often times transforming from a sedan to a wagon and sometimes even as a off-roader for the brave few. This was ofcourse, before the SUVs showed up!
Also, an upgrade to a sedan was subconsciously seen as a lifestyle shift for the aspirational Indian. That was then and be that as it may, Indians continue to be fascinated by the ever-so-trusted sedan.
It is for this reason, that our last month’s road test featured the best of compact sedans
and to complete that picture, this month we put together a road test of proper full sized sedans that are not only feature rich but are also make for a cracker of a drive. And here’s how the recently launched Toyota Yaris compares to its rivals the Honda City and Hyundai’s Verna.
EXTERIORS
Let’s start with the newest kid on the block Toyota’s Yaris. The Yaris looks sharp from almost any quarter you look at. It has a somewhat compact look to it and adding to the sporty hue are the reduced overhangs. The large sweeping headlamps and the small grille in between looks rather different and adding to the uniqueness is the large air dam on the front bumper. Toyota has also added DRLs on the bumper and in profile, it wouldn’t be so wrong to think that the inception of Yaris might have been inspired by coupes. The roofline is sweeping and adds a dash of sportiness to the overall design. The same goes for the rear where large wrap around tail lights continue with the theme seen up front.
The City on the other hand portrays a certain finesse to its overall design. This could be directly attributed to Honda’s experience with the car since the past two decades. It has emerged to be sleeker than before and loaded to the gills. The projector headlamps are new and now incorporate DRLs within. The City also gets a sunroof in the top-of-the-line variants. The taillights
are new and feature LEDs. Overall the City continues to exude the quintessential Japanese design sense.
The Verna too has been evolving rapidly. In this new avatar the sedan sports a sleeker front end and gets a projector headlamp set along with integrated daytime lights. The front grille gets hints of chrome which look good. The ORVMs now come with winkers and even the tail lamps sport LED lighting technology. Hyundai has also added a sunroof to the package and at the same time a
shark fin antenna.
INTERIORS
The Yaris is simple with clean lines inside. The dash, though small offers all necessary features for the driver, like steering-mounted controls, audio, Bluetooth and more. The centre console houses a touchscreen infotainment system which somehow looks like an aftermarket item. The features offered though are at par with most new age units and include navigation, audio and Bluetooth. It is the integration which seems to be an issue. The climate control system sits below and then there are numerous stowage options. The instrument panel is loaded to the gill and the graphics, we think are brilliant. We also like the integration of the rear AC vents which are positioned on the roof panel.
It also offers mood lighting and individual controls for the vents. Space though is something which the Yaris falls a bit short of as compared to the competition. Boot though is spacious and access is easy. Another fea-
ture which we must compliment Toyota on, is safety. A plethora of airbags and other safety systems are offered as standard in the Yaris. Moreover, the Yaris also gets parking sensors up front and in the rear too.
The City gets a fancy dash with the new Digipad audio system and touchscreen operation for the climate control system. It is classy to look at and at the same time the functionality is fairly simple. However we must say that the instrument panel could have been upgraded to offer more informa- tion. Space is aplenty inside the City be it up front or at the back. We presume, this is the reason how the City has emerged to be a popular choice amongst buyers. It satisfies the driver and the driven all at the same time. The boot too is spacious and can gobble in considerable amount of luggage.
As for the interiors of the Verna, the quality has been enhanced from the outgoing model, therefore they also come across as classy. The infotainment system is well integrated within the centre console and is easy
THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IN THE TOYOTA YARIS IS LOADED TO THE GILL AND THE GRAPHICS, WE THINK ARE BRILLIANT AND EASY TO USE
to use on-the-go. Climate control is standard and then comes what is perhaps our favourite feature in the car, the ventilated front seats. They work wonders during the maddening Indian summers and cool the seats quickly. Space is found aplenty within the Verna as well.
DRIVABILITY
The Yaris comes in with a 1.5-litre petrol mated to a CVT. The power output is rated at 107bhp and torque output is 140Nm. The engine feels smooth and idles without sending any vibes. Acceleration is decent however one feels the lack of punch. This is also because of the CVT gearbox which generically takes a bit of time to go through the ratios. So once you tab the accelerator, revs rise high and the engine pumps power while the car gathers speed. For safe drivers the Yaris is impres- sive. The gearbox shifts through seamlessly at low rpms and this means that one barely gets to hear the motor. Cruising then is also surprisingly comfortable in the Yaris. There are paddle shifters in the offing too which adds to the convenience factor. In our fuel run, we recorded an efficiency of 10.9kmpl in the city and 16.9kmpl on the highway, which we believe is decent for a car this size.
The City uses the 1.5-litre i-VTEC mo-
CRUISING IS ALSO SURPRISINGLY COMFORTABLE IN THE YARIS. THERE ARE PADDLE SHIFTERS IN THE OFFING TOO WHICH ADD TO THE CONVENIENCE OF DRIVING IN A CITY
tor churning 119bhp and 145Nm of torque. It is also smooth and offers decent amount of tug when needed. The CVT in the city is better tuned to offer a sportier drive. Acceleration is better too and the City gets to 100kmph in just under 11 seconds. And at the same time the i-VTEC motor ensures that the City offers high fuel efficiency figures. To sum up, Honda has managed to get a near perfect tune that offers best of both worlds. The Verna has the biggest engine amongst these sedans.
A 1.6-litre motor offering 123bhp and 151Nm of torque. It’s now mated to a 6-speed automatic box. The motor is smooth and has always impressed us with its performance. The only weak link to the Verna automatic was the old gearbox. This has changed with the new 6-speeder and as a result so has the overall drive feel. Acceleration has improved and
The Honda City is the biggest of them all and offers the best performance and resale
in city drivability is great as well. The motor has ample grunt for high speeds and we obviously liked that a lot.
RIDE AND HANDLING
The Yaris is not pretending to be a sports car and as a result has been tuned to absorb bumps, a sustained effort going into keep- ing passengers comfortable. It does its job well and even decent sized humps are dispatched with ease. It also holds its line well around corners. The steering set up though is heavier and it could have been little more responsive.
The City is brilliant at tackling corners and allows the driver to enjoy the drive. The steering is light and quick and offers decent feedback. The Verna sits right in middle. It is well tuned and offers good bump absorption at low speed. It no longer wallows like before thanks to an upgraded suspension setup. The steering though light needs to offer more feedback. This is especially the case at high speeds where it feels rather dead.
VERDICT
The Yaris is a good effort from Toyota. It should offer years of hassle free service and we are also impressed with the overall quality of the product. The Verna too has been reigning supreme in the market and scores well thanks to the plethora of features it offers. Special mention to the ventilated seat option which works wonders during the scorching summer.
The winner though is the Honda City which is celebrating its 20th birthday. It offers the best performance, has a lot of features to pamper users and at the same time has maximum space.