Is Honda City getting tensed waves with Volkswagen Vento on roads ?

Honda is in a state of little worry. Takashi Nagai, at Honda Siel India opines that Volkswagen when combined with Suzuki is ‘quite  worrying’. He said so as for the very first time, Honda Cars India’s pride -  Honda City is under some pressure. The entry of Volkswagen in the Rs 7-10 lakh C-segment through Volkswagen Vento may bring some tensed months for Honda in India. But where lies the truth? Is it really a gloomy affair for Honda or has Volkswagen staggered during its effort of becoming a segment leader? Let us compare and find out.

Both Honda City as well as Volkswagen Vento look great. Volkswagen Vento is a totally different car and it doesn’t give you the feel of Volkswagen Polo. Although, from the point of view of design, you may hardly find any difference between the hatch and the sedan sibling. The only difference can be seen while viewing the profile. Here the increasing waistline and the extra metal over the C-pillar provide a clear difference. Volkswagen did not even try to transform the wheels. One will see the same 15-inch wheels. The boot of the model has been designed thoughtfully. There is a big wrap around tail lamps. On the other side, Honda City is quite famous for its space-age lines. It has got a sharp front-end. The parallelogram head lamps provide a dynamic look. Honda had even added a new variant last year which incorporated alloy wheels and fog lamps. In all, the City provides a look of a car with a low centre of gravity.

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When it comes to the back seats of the Volkswagen Vento, the model will not let you feel cramped. The rear seats in this model have been positioned nicely and that is why you get enough  shoulder room, knee room and head room. Also, its quite comfy to get in and out of the rear seats. But again, these seats are a little low. So you may have to adjust your lower back to prevent it from going numb. The model is equipped with rear air vents and also with an adjustable front passenger seat. This provides more legroom for those seated at the rear. In Honda City, the seats are high and good. It’s also easy to get in and out of them. but the car lacks the rear air vent as well as the adjustable front passenger seat. But again, a lot of support has been provided at the required places. The legroom, knee room is fine but the  non-adjustable rear headrests are really uncomfortable.

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The build quality of Volkswagen Vento is as good as Volkswagen Polo. But it still misses several features  in the Highline, like, no stereo controls on the steering, no aux-in/USB in the stereo etc. On the other side, Honda City has got a USB player but surprisingly, not the CD player. But then also the overall feel and look of City is very  lively on the inside. The vibrant colours are really appealing. The Vento feels a little faded. Honda City has got a 1497cc engine which provides a little more than  116 bhp at 6600 rpm. Its le torque is rated at 14.9 kgm which comes to 4600 rpm. The Vento has got a little larger 1598cc engine comparatively which gives 104 bhp at 5200 rpm. It provides a better torque with 15.6 kgm. But it’s the diesel which should be really appreciated. The Volkswagen Vento diesel gives  25.4 kgm of peak torque from as low as 1500 rpm. Volkswagen Vento can accelerate from 0-100 kph in just 11.81 seconds. It gives nice bottom end torque.  The 80-120 kph and 100-140 kph times of 8.2 and 13.1 seconds makes the model a little slower in terms of mid-range performance. But its top speed of 180 kph is quite decent. The Vento diesel is pretty  quicker than the petrol one. The acceleration in Honda City is quite electrifying and a 0-100 kph timing of 10.59 seconds just strengthens the fact that it is the quickest accelerating model in the segment, petrol or diesel. City’s mid-range performance is also appreciable. Honda City is a good package as a whole but its biggest drawback is its cost -  Rs 9.56 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai. On the other hand Volkswagen Vento diesel is available for Rs 9.85 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai.

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