New Honda City vs Rivals: Specifications Comparison

- The 2020 Honda City will be offered in both petrol and diesel variants.
- It will be launched in India next month.
- The 5th generation City has been thoroughly updated.
The Honda City is one of the oldest brands in the compact sedan segment and one that's been around in India for over two decades. It's also one of the most trusted models on offer in our market and once used to rule the segment. However, that changed when other automakers came in with more models in the compact sedan segment, giving the City a tough fight. Well! The Japanese carmaker has updated the 2020 Honda City and the fifth-generation model is expected to heat things up being a leap over its predecessor. Honda has already released the specifications of the 2020 City and here's how it fares up against the competition.
Also Read: The Return Of The King: All-New Honda City Review
Honda City vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is offered only with a BS6 petrol engine.
| Specifications | Honda City (Petrol) | Maruti Suzuki Ciaz (Petrol) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre | 1.5-litre |
| No. Of Cylinders | 4 | 4 |
| Max Power | 119 bhp at 6600 rpm | 102 bhp at 6000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 145 Nm at 4300 rpm | 138 Nm at 4400 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-Speed MT / CVT | 5-speed MT / 4-Speed AT |
While the new Honda City will be offered in India with both petrol and diesel engines, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is offered only with a BS6 petrol engine and the diesel engine has not been upgraded to meet the BS6 standards. The Honda City still has the edge in this comparison, featuring a more powerful 1.5-litre, four-cylinder motor which is mated to a six-speed manual transmission as standard while a CVT automatic gearbox is optional. The comparatively humble 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine in the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz gets a five-speed manual transmission while the four-speed torque converter automatic gearbox is optional.
WATCH: 2020 Honda City Review
Honda City vs Hyundai Verna
The Hyundai Verna has the widest range of engine and gearbox combinations on offer.
| Specifications | Honda City (Petrol) | Hyundai Verna (Petrol) | Hyundai Verna Petrol (Turbo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre | 1.5-litre | 1.0-litre |
| No. Of Cylinders | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Max Power | 119 bhp at 6600 rpm | 113 bhp at 6300 rpm | 118 bhp at 6000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 145 Nm at 4300 rpm | 145 Nm at 4500 rpm | 172 Nm at 1500 - 4000 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-Speed MT / CVT | 6-Speed MT / iVT (CVT) | 7-Speed DCT |
The Hyundai Verna is offered with a wide range of BS6 engine and gearbox combinations which include two petrol engines and one diesel engine with different choice of gearbox for each motor. First up is the 1.5-litre, four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine of the Verna that is almost at par with the 1.5-litre, four-Cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine of the City in terms of power figures, just that the City has a marginally better top end. Both models also get a six-speed manual transmission as standard while a CVT gearbox as optional.
That said, the Hyundai Verna also gets the Hyundai Venue sourced 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, GDI Turbo petrol engine that delivers better power and torque output and gets a 7-Speed dual clutch transmission as standard.
| Specifications | Honda City (Diesel) | Hyundai Verna (Diesel) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre | 1.5-litre |
| Max Power | 99 bhp at 3600 rpm | 113 rpm at 4000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 200 Nm at 1750 rpm | 250 Nm at 1500 - 2750 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-Speed MT | 6-speed MT / 6-Speed AT |
The 1.5-litre, four-cylinder BS6 diesel engine in the Hyundai Verna still is the most powerful diesel engine in the segment offering 14 bhp and 50 Nm more power and torque output than what the similarly sized 1.5-litre, four-cylinder BS6 diesel engine in the Honda City. While the Hyundai Verna diesel offer both six-speed manual and automatic transmissions, the Honda City diesel only gets the six-speed manual transmission as standard.
Honda City vs Skoda Rapid And Volkswagen Vento
The Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento are offered with a common turbo petrol engine.
| Specifications | Honda City (Petrol) | Skoda Rapid Petrol (Turbo) | VW Vento Petrol (Turbo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cubic Capacity | 1.5-litre | 1.0-litre | 1.0-litre |
| No. Of Cylinders | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Max Power | 119 bhp at 6600 rpm | 108 bhp at 5250 rpm | 108 bhp at 5250 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 145 Nm at 4300 rpm | 175 Nm at 1700 - 4000 rpm | 175 Nm at 1700 - 4000 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-Speed MT / CVT | 6-Speed MT / 7-Speed AT | 6-Speed MT / 7-Speed AT |
We already know that both the Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento are sister models and have been recently upgraded with a new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, BS6 Turbo petrol engine that replaces the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder BS4 engines which was offered in its predecessor. The 1.0-litre motor delivers around 11 bhp less, but puts out 30 Nm more torque than what the 1.5-litre motor of the Honda City offers. While six-speed manual transmission is standard in all three models, the Rapid and Vento gets a seven-speed torque convertor automatic transmission as an option and the City, as we know gets an optional CVT automatic gearbox.
Latest News
Jaiveer Mehra | Feb 5, 2026Honda Dio 125 X-Edition, Shine 125 Limited Edition LaunchedBoth special editions get a variant-specific colour scheme and graphics.1 min read
Seshan Vijayraghvan | Feb 5, 2026Tata Punch EV Facelift To Be Launched On February 20The electric version of Tata’s SUV-esque hatchback will be launched on February 20, 2026, and, like the petrol-powered version, it will receive a range of visual and feature upgrades.2 mins read
Bilal Firfiray | Feb 5, 2026Hyundai i20 Line-Up Now Starts At Rs 5.99 LakhThree variants of the Hyundai i20 have received a price rejig – Era, Magna and Magna Executive.1 min read
Jaiveer Mehra | Feb 5, 2026New Mercedes-Benz V-Class India Launch On March 3The V-class is set to return to the Indian market in Extra Long Wheelbase guise and is likely to be a CBU import.2 mins read
Seshan Vijayraghvan | Feb 4, 2026Skoda Kylaq Crosses 50,000 Units Sales MilestoneThe Kylaq has been the brand’s best-selling car, which has led to Skoda Auto India’s best-ever sales performance in 2025.1 min read
Seshan Vijayraghvan | Feb 4, 2026Volkswagen Tayron R-Line’s Pre-Bookings Open For Rs. 51,000Customers can pre-book the SUV for a token of Rs. 51,000; however, the price announcement will take place sometime later in February 2026.1 min read
Bilal Firfiray | Feb 4, 2026Volkswagen Tayron R-Line Review: Sensible Flagship For IndiaVolkswagen has introduced a made-in-India flagship SUV that offers space, comfort, performance, and German driving finesse in a practical three-row package. But is the Tayron R-Line good enough?6 mins read
Preetam Bora | Feb 2, 2026TVS NTorq 150 Road Test Review: Bigger, Better & More Efficient!We test the new TVS NTorq 150 out in the real world to get a sense of what it offers in terms of performance, dynamics and fuel economy.7 mins read
Bilal Firfiray | Jan 21, 2026Tata Punch Facelift Review: New Turbo Engine; Same Old SoulWith the update, the Tata Punch facelift retains its character of being a healthy runabout, which is perfect for Indian roads. But have these changes made it any better?7 mins read
Amaan Ahmed | Jan 17, 2026Bajaj Chetak C25 First Ride Review: Basic, Likeable E-Scooter For First-Time RidersThe Chetak C25, in quite a few ways, is poles apart from the larger and more powerful 30 and 35 Series models, but in its mannerisms, it is very much a Chetak.8 mins read
Bilal Firfiray | Jan 9, 2026Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: 10,000 km Long-Term ReviewAfter spending over three months and 10,000 km with the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Hybrid, we were impressed by its real-world mileage, seamless hybrid, practical comfort, and Toyota reliability. Is it the best C-SUV then?5 mins read




























































































































