Honda City vs Hyundai Verna vs Toyota Yaris vs VW Vento – Shootout

Performance – Talking about petrol engines first, the Vento is the only car here to get a turbocharged petrol engine which is a 1.2-litre TSI mill with an output of 105 PS and 175 Nm. The City and Yaris get 1.5-litre petrol engines producing 119 PS, 145 Nm and 107 PS, 140 Nm respectively while the Verna gets a 1.6-litre unit making 123 PS and 151 Nm. All of these engines are very good in refinement and NVH levels are also quite nice. The engine on the Yaris is pretty laid back and just doesn’t have the GO to match its numbers. The low-end and mid-range are quite average and this is where rivals have an upper edge because the petrol engines on the City, Verna and Vento are very good. The i-VTEC mill pulls cleanly till the redline and offers very good drivability and similar is the case with the Verna which delivers power effortlessly. The Vento TSI is in another league with that engine providing solid performance.

The Vento’s 1.2-litre TSI petrol unit with the DSG has incredible performance

Interestingly, the Yaris doesn’t even come with a diesel engine while its rivals boast of punchy oil-burners. The City’s i-DTEC mill which produces 100 PS and 200 Nm is quite noisy but offers linear driveability. However, it is the Verna’s diesel (128 PS and 260 Nm) which has more grunt and better performance than the City. While the City has controlled turbo lag, the lag on the Verna is more pronounced. Similar is the case with the Vento (110 PS and 250 Nm) which has some turbo lag but after that it delivers strong performance. Honestly, none of these cars feel out of breath at even high speeds. The Verna is the most refined and quietest diesel car here while the Vento and City are way noisier.

The Honda City MT comes with a slick shifting gearbox mated to a light clutch and same is the case with the Verna which gets a very smooth 6-speed MT. The Vento gets a 5-speed MT too but the clutch is relatively heavier while the 6-speed MT on the Yaris has a light clutch but shifts are notchy. In AT, the City gets a 7-step CVT with the petrol engine while no diesel AT is offered. The CVT makes a lot of noise and the rubber band effect is also felt. The Yaris gets a CVT-i tranny which has a slightly lesser rubber band feel. The Verna gets a 6-speed torque convertor which is definitely way better than both the CVTs and offers seamless shifts while the 7-speed DSG on the Vento is the best-in-class gearbox here with its quick shifts and overall responsive nature.

Coming to fuel efficiency, the City petrol MT gives about 10-14 km/l while the CVT gives 8-12 km/l. In comparison, the Yaris gives 9-12 km/l for the CVT while the MT variant returns similar figures as the City MT. The Verna petrol MT and AT give 9-12 km/l and 8-11 km/l respectively while the Vento TSI gives 10-14 km/l and the diesel gives 13-16 km/l for the MT and DSG alike.