The Leading H

Nikhil Bhatia analyses if your next petrol-automatic mid-size sedan should have a Hyundai or a Honda badge on it.

If you’ve been eyeing a petrol automatic mid-sizer, the Honda City is sure to have been part of your list. Fresh from a facelift earlier this year, the City is going strong and is presently the most popular auto in its class, high price (Rs 11.58-13.56 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi) notwithstanding. New competition comes in the form of the latest Hyundai Verna that matches the City on specs and is considerably cheaper too (Rs 10.48-12.48 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi). But is the Hyundai the petrol automatic you’d want to buy? Mumbai’s perpetually choked roads have the answer.

SIX-SPEED VS SEVEN-STEP

The basic numbers first. Where the Verna’s 1.6-litre petrol engine makes 123hp and 151Nm of torque, the City’s 1.5 is good for 119hp and 145Nm. Both engines do have their own unique characteristics but, in the case of these very versions of the sedans, the differences in the driving experience are more a function of the gearboxes than the motors themselves. The Verna uses a six-speed torque converter, while the City features a seven-step CVT (continuously variable transmission).

Whether it’s the Verna or the City, in bumperto-bumper traffic, you’d just be happy these cars come with auto ’boxes with creep functionality. Both cars roll forward smoothly as you lift your foot off the brake, but when traffic starts picking up speed, you’ll need to feather the City’s throttle sooner; the Verna’s low-end torque build up takes it forward without any throttle input. It’s a small difference but convenient nonetheless.