Honda City had been the best selling sedan for almost 4 straight years with no competition at all. When Volkswagen decided to enter this segment things drastically changed for Honda. Honda’s major disadvantage being it offered only petrol version in India. Volkswagen launched its Vento that drastically affected the sales of Honda City. Vento is available both in Petrol and Diesel.
Price of Vento Diesel was marginally higher than the Honda City. Due to this sales of Honda City had been affected so much so that Honda had to go for price cut of Rs. 67,000. Honda still does enjoy a special place in the heart of Indian people. Post this price cut, sales of Honda City are up again.
In, this article we compare the top end petrol variants of both Honda City and Volkswagen Vento. As you can see from the list below both cars are evenly matched on features front. But Honda has a slight edge when it comes to power output of engine and mileage of the car.
| Honda City 2008 | Volkswagen Vento | |
| Model | 1.5 V MT | Highline Petrol |
| Dimensions and Weights | ||
| Overall Length (mm) | 4420 | 4384 |
| Overall Width (mm) | 1695 | 1699 |
| Overall Height (mm) | 1480 | 1466 |
| Wheel Base (mm) | 2550 | 2552 |
| Ground Clearance (mm) | 160 | 168 |
| Front Track (mm) | - | - |
| Rear Track (mm) | - | - |
| Bootspace | 405 | - |
| Kerb Weight (kg) | 1100 | 1130 |
| Gross Vehicle Weight (kg) | - | - |
| No of Doors | 4 | 4 |
| Fuel Economy | ||
| Mileage Highway (kmpl) | 14 | 13.8 |
| Mileage City (kmpl) | 11 | 10.6 |
| Mileage Overall (kmpl) | 11.6 | 11.2 |
| Capacities | ||
| Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 |
| Fuel Tank Capacity (liter) | 42 | 55 |
| Performance | ||
| Top Speed | - | - |
| 0-100kmph | 10 | 10.98 |
| Quarter Mile | - | - |
| Engine | ||
| Engine Type/Model | 1.5L, SOHC, 4-cylinder, i-VTEC | 1.6L Petrol |
| Displacement cc | 1497 | 1598 |
| Power (PS@rpm) | 118PS @6600rpm | 105PS @5250rpm |
| Torque (Nm@rpm) | 146Nm @4600rpm | 153Nm @3800rpm |
| Valve Mechanism | SOHC | DOHC |
| Bore | - | - |
| Stroke | - | - |
| Compression Ratio | :1 | :1 |
| No of Cylinders | 4 | 4 |
| Cylinder Configuration | Inline | In-line |
| Valves per Cylender | 4 | - |
| Fuel Type | Petrol | Petrol |
| Fuel System | EFI | - |
| Transmission | ||
| Transmission Type | Manual | Manual |
| No of Gears | 5 | 5 |
| Suspensions | ||
| Front Suspension | McPherson Strut with Stabilizer, Coil Spring | Mc Pherson Strut with stabiliser bar |
| Rear Suspension | Torsion Beam Axle with Stabilizer, Coil Spring | Semi-Independent trailing arm |
| Steering | ||
| Steering Type | Rack and Pinion, Power-assisted, Speed-sensing | Electronic power steering(EPS) |
| Minimum Turning Radius (meter) | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Brakes | ||
| Front Brakes | Discs | Disc brakes |
| Rear Brakes | Drums | Drum brakes |
| Wheels and Tyres | ||
| Wheel Size | 15×5.5J | 15 Inch |
| Tyres | 175 / 65 R15 | 185/60 R15 |
| Interior | ||
| Cup Holders | Yes | Yes |
| Folding Rear-Seat | - | No |
| Tachometer | - | Yes |
| Leather Seats | No | No |
| AM/FM Radio | Yes | Yes |
| CD Player | Yes | Yes |
| Comfort & Convenience | ||
| Air Conditioner | Yes | Yes |
| Power Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Power Door Locks | Yes | Yes |
| Power Steering | Yes | Yes |
| Power Seats | No | No |
| Steering Adjustment | Yes | Yes |
| Central Locking | Yes | Yes |
| Defogger (Rear) | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Boot/Fuel-Lid | Yes | Yes |
| Exterior | ||
| Alloy Wheels | Yes | Yes |
| Tubeless Tyres | Yes | Yes |
| Sun Roof | No | No |
| Front Fog Lights | Yes | Yes |
| Rear Wash Wiper | No | No |
| Safety & Security | ||
| Anti-Lock Braking System | Yes | Yes |
| Driver Air-Bags | Yes | Yes |
| Passenger Air-Bags | Yes | Yes |
| Immobilizer | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control | No | No |
| Child Safety Locks | Yes | Yes |
