Skoda Slavia vs Hyundai Verna vs Honda City: A Comparative Analysis

July 5, 2024

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This analysis compares three popular sedans in India: Skoda Slavia, Hyundai Verna, and Honda City. Here is a detailed comparison of these C-Segment Sedans.

Engine Specs:

Skoda Slavia:
- Engine Options: 1.0-liter TSI petrol (114 bhp @ 5000-5500 rpm) and 1.5-liter TSI petrol (148 bhp @ 5000-6000 rpm).
- Transmission: 6-speed manual, 6-speed Torque Converter (1.0 TSI), or 7-speed DSG (1.5 TSI).
- Ride and Handling: Offers precise handling and solid build quality for an engaging drive.
Hyundai Verna:
- Engine Options: 1.5-liter petrol (113 bhp @ 6300 rpm) and 1.5-liter Turbocharged (158 bhp @ 5500 rpm).
- Transmission: 6-speed manual, IVT, and 7-speed DCT.
- Ride and Handling: Provides a comfortable ride with balanced suspension, but handling is less sharp than the Slavia.
Honda City:
- Engine Options: 1.5-liter petrol (119 bhp @ 6600 rpm) & 1.5 Liter Hybrid Engine(97 bhp @ 5600-6400 rpm).
- Transmission: 6-speed manual and CVT.
- Ride and Handling: Known for a refined engine, smooth ride, and balanced handling.

Design and Size:

The stance of the Slavia makes it look minimal, simple, and clean. Furthermore, there’s no cosmetic difference between the 1 L and 1.5 L Skoda Slavia. It more or less appears the same to the mass. After the facelift of the Honda City, it looks a lot more characterised now, with its bigger and more aggressive grill. In terms of lens, it is the longest in the segment but due to the wheelbase, it looks a bit awkward or it looks under tired. The new Verna’s looks are a bit controversial with its sporty and sleek front and a muscular and elegant rear. Its design language becomes confusing. You can either love the new design language or maybe it’s not for everyone.

Ingress and Egress:

Due to the fact that the Skoda Slavia is the tallest in the segment, ingress and egress become a lot easier than the other two sedans. On the other hand, the lower Honda City makes it a little difficult for entry and exit. The Hyundai Verna is the lowest in the segment and also has a sloping roofline with an even lower seating position, which makes it very difficult for ingress and egress.

Interior Design & Quality

Hyundai Verna

Hyundai-Verna

If you want a sporty feel, the Hyundai Verna should be your go-to with red accents on the interior and a beefier steering wheel that is very engaging. In terms of quality, the Hyundai Verna offers soft-touch materials and looks very premium with 2 10.25-inch displays that are very smooth to use and set the benchmark for other sedans. It offers connected car tech features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also offers Blue Link technology with voice commands. The Verna offers electronic horizontal adjustment of the front seat, but you have to adjust the height manually.

The steering wheel can be adjusted for both reach and tilt. The seat is wide and well-balanced in terms of suspension, making it very comfortable even for long distances. The Hyundai Verna with its low rear seating position offers the best overall rear seating experience. The Verna backrest is angled to offer a very comfortable seat with impressive thigh support and outward visibility. The rear seat armrest is ergonomically recessed into the door armrest, so you’ll feel balanced when sitting.

The Hyundai Verna offers switchable climate control that offers control of both the climate control and the infotainment system. It also offers ventilated and heated seats. It also offers ambient lighting, which makes it look very premium.

Honda City

Honda-City

On the other hand, the Honda City looks and feels classy when it comes to interior quality. It sets the bar in terms of quality as it also offers soft-touch materials on the touch points and even the plastic grain looks very premium. The climate control controls are very tactile and sensitive. The Honda City offers an 8-inch infotainment system that is easy to use and offers features like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is a huge upgrade from the last generation Honda City.

The steering wheel can be adjusted for both reach and tilt. Light upholstery will give you an airy feeling. The seating position in the Honda City is very impressive and provides a good view of what is ahead. The seat is very wide, so even healthy people can fit in it, but it’s very flat, so it doesn’t offer much support. The padding is the softest. The rear seats have impressive knee room, but due to the location of the fuel tank, the legroom is a little compromised. There is plenty of headroom in the back, the rear bench offers three fixed headrests and a three-point seat belt for the middle passenger.

The rear bench also has a folding armrest, which is not so ergonomically placed but offers comfort. Thanks to the light upholstery and huge windows, it feels very airy and does not seem claustrophobic at all.

The base variant of the Honda City offers an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, steering wheel controls, and a tire pressure sensor. ADAS is also offered in all other variants except the basic variant. You get one-touch window control for all windows in Honda City. Instead of USB charging ports, you get two 12V charging sockets for the rear seat.

Skoda Slavia

Skoda-Slavia

The interior of the Skoda Slavia looks very sophisticated compared to the other two sedans. It also feels a little more airy thanks to the lighter color used with the upholstery, but in GT trim that upholstery is also black.

The 10-inch infotainment is tricky to navigate and takes a while to get used to, but it offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an 8-inch speaker. The seat offers a very sporty driving position by being able to go as low as possible in terms of height adjustment. However, the view may be limited. The seat offers support so you don’t tip over when cornering, and the firm seat suspension offers more comfort over long distances.

The steering wheel is available for both reach and tilt. The rear seats have amazing thigh support as well as leg room so you can stretch your legs easily. The rear bench offers three headrests, so you can accommodate three people in the back. In the Škoda Slavia, you get a customizable multi-information display. In Slavia, the passenger also gets the function of adjusting the height of the seat. The car trunk offers a spring-loaded feature, making it easy to load things into the trunk when your hands are full.