Levelling The Playing Field

With Toyota’s newly-launched Yaris, are the Citys and Vernas feeling the pinch? Read on

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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.

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