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The most talked about situation everywhere in and outside Indians, is the comparison between the Honda City and the Suzuki SX4, everywhere in forums, reviews, televisions, letters.. Honda has boosted up their sales with the help of the City and now Suzuki's hope is to capture the C-segment with the SX4. Suzuki has made a serious jump from the old aging Baleno to the modern looking SX4, the launch of this car has crowded the showrooms for test drives and a first look, now after all the spread of news lets see how the Maruti-Suzuki holds up with the Honda City.
Engines, Power,Variants and Transmission:-
Maruti Suzuki SX4 - 4.5/5
For now Maruti has provided only a 1.6L all-aluminum engine that produces a 103bhp@5500. This is a 16V DOHC and has Torque of 145Nm. This is latest M-series from Suzuki. Three variants are given to the customers that is Vxi , Zxi and Zxi with Leather Option. The Cost of the variants are Rs.6.18 lakhs, Rs.6.89 lakhs and Rs.7.24 lakhs respectively, these prices are of ex-showroom New Delhi. In fact a lot of other engines have been spread as a rumor, now lets wait and see if these engines really come to India or not, and the engines are a 2-Litre engine that produces a 143bhp petrol that will compete against the upper class Corolla, Civic and the Lancer Cedia.
Suzuki borrows the Fiat's Diesel Engines and are likely to put up the 1.3 Multi-jet DDiS engine that will produce a 75 Bhp, the same as the one on the Swift and a 1.9 Multi-jet 105Bhp as seen in the Fiat Bravo. The SX4 only has a 5 speed Manual transmission. The SX4 engine is a bit more powerful than the remaining competitors, even more than the City. The Engine is the latest M-Series from Suzuki and is planned to put up in the Swift also. But we will have to wait and see when this car with a diesel options will be launched.
Honda City - 4.5/5
The displacement of the Honda City is 1497cc and produces a power of a reasonable 77Bhp @ 5000 rpm, has a torque of 125Nm and is a SOHC valve, just like the SX4, the City also has 4 cylinders. But the city offers more variants and with different prices- they are - the EXi, GXi, V-TEC and the CVT 6.77 Lakhs , 7.27Lakhs , 8 Lakhs, 7.87Lakhs respectively(ex-showroom Delhi). An automatic transmission is also available in the CVT model, that the Suzuki SX4 does not have an automatic transmission, this is a boon to the driver, and to get this boon it will be costlier. The City has no diesel options and is selling well without it. The City too has a 5-speed manual and an automatic transmission.
The SX4 has more powerful engine and has greater torque and the Honda City's engine is more refined and reliable. The SX4 comes with a reasonable price, whereas the city has a dragon in it that will burn your pocket, unless you go for the EXi, that is around 6.77 lakhs. And in the case of choosing, the City can help you. If you want a more powerful engine, go for the SX4.
Exteriors and Safety
Honda City:- 4/5
The City's exteriors were all made to make the interiors roomier and The City is still on the block of style and people still like it, and a little bit of styling had been done recently to keep it standing. The City still looks good with the sleek and dynamic styling of its features. The V-shaped Grille with Chrome finish is the main styling feature of the front, with the headlights and the roof mounted antenna, at the rear the new styling given, just to keep the city going in terms of styling. New Design 3D Multi-reflector Headlamps do help a little bit of styling, there is nothing much to say about the styling of the city as its talked about it in many magazines earlier and are found on the road easily since the early 2003.. so lets move on to safety.
The city's does not have ABS, airbags, even as an option. This is one of the main concerns for Indian customers, but the City got good remarks at the crash test. Honda City gives the tag "Safety for all" which is shown in Honda India Site. The "fuel tank, the car's body and even the specially designed seats, with City ZX, you are safe". They made the car in such a way that everybody in and around the city is safe and sound. Lets see what this means:
The City 's fuel tank is located in the middle of the vehicle, which will be safe because it is the farthest place from both, the front and rear impact. For protection against front impact, Honda has used arch-shaped front side frames that improves the absorption of collision impact and reduces danger. The City ZX's neck shock mitigation seats are designed to reduce neck injury in case of a collision by distributing the impact equally between the neck and the torso.
Safety For Pedestrians:- City ZX has been designed to reduce pedestrian injuries in the event of an accident. Various features of the exterior styling of the car are created specifically with pedestrian safety in mind.In case of an accident, the impact absorbing wiper pivots soften the force of the collision.The bonnet too, is impact absorbing. There is an empty space between the bonnet and the engine, which tries to ensure that no one is very seriously injured. The collapsible bonnet hinge is easily deformed in the event of a collision to help reduce injury to pedestrians. The impact absorbing fender is structured to reduce the force of impact.In this way, the Honda City ZX not only looks out for people inside the car, but it protects those on the outside as well. With Honda, safety is a concept, a belief, a passion and an obsession.
So, eventually the City is a well built safety car, which explains the shape of the car a bit. Overall the Honda City's safety is good, but if the airbags and ABS are available, this car would have been a great safe car.
Maruti Suzuki SX4 - 4.5/5
The exteriors of the SX4 had been crafted to make the interiors more spacious. Though this car is usually a hatch in other countries and is developed to a sedan, the SX4 is different, different from the competitors, its like a crossover, it has the presence of feel of a mini SUV type of look. This is reason why it stays away from the other saloon of this segment, its looks a bit of a class higher, it has the likes to take up with the Optra 1.6 and even the Toyota Corolla. The muscular styling of this car reflects the power under this bad boy and the cockpit like interiors inside, this car is also the tallest, widest and the longest of the competition and makes it the complete young powerful man machine.This car is made from the influence of the so called "Latest European design" . The SX4 is made to provide the best of luxury to their customers. The SX4 has an impressive ground clearance of 190mm, whereas the city has only 160mm. Tubeless tyres, alloy wheels,stop lamp, rear fog lamp, front fog lamps are the other exterior features.
Now coming to safety dual airbags are available for this car and also 3-point ELR front seat belt pre tensioner & force limiter and 3-point rear seats belts and 2 point lap belt for better catch of the passenger in the seat. Anti-Lock Braking System with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution are available to get excellent control of the car, and also has an Intelligent Computerized Anti Theft System (iCAT System) , all these are available in the Zxi versions. Side impact protection beam and Front door-lock canceler are also available.
The Styling is different for different people, so both the cars have good styling of their own characteristics, though the fit and finish of the City is better. The city is quiet old in terms of people who need sporty, muscular and the young look, in this terms the Maruti-Suzuki SX4 scores well..For the people who need a practical, sophisticated and a business like car, the city is the one for that, its not everyday that a person like anil ambani drives a murcielago to his meetings, he would prefer to sit at the back of a rolls-royce with a newspaper. The SX4 definitely looks muscular and will be liked by many people, and also has many features than the city, and in safety, the SX4 scores again, because the city has no airbags and ABS, that the only problem in safety with the City. The SX4 scores because it looks modern and young and can go further and compete against the upcoming car's like the Fiat Linea and Toyota Vios.
Interiors and Comfort
Honda City - 4.5/5
The interiors of the City boasts of luxurious and spacious interiors, Honda had used high quality, upmarket products for the City interiors. The City has Dual Tone Beige Interiors, Chrome Inner Door Handles, High Grade Stereo with CD/MP3 Player, Front Storage Space with Cup Holder, Nice and clean Instrument Cluster and has very good legroom, powerful air conditioners, better than the SX4 and a big boot of 500liters. All of you know the City's interiors and theres nothing much to explain.
The City has a decent amount of comfort features - the city has rear armrest, twin glove box and a center console tray with fordable glass holders. tilt adjustable steering wheel, power door locks and power windows with illuminated switches. The City's interiors are really good and is made from top quality products, but the SX4's interiors are not that far behind lets see it.
Maruti Suzuki SX4 - 4.6/5
The SX4 has interiors is like a mini cockpit, they are so cleanly fitted as they roll down toward the end, a CD-player that goes with the dash look, the steering is embedded with controls and they are great to have, which the city does not have, the SX4 has a climate control and a display to check the interior-outside temperature. Both the SX4 and the City has electronic adjustable side view mirrors and rear defogger and some aluminium pieces are thrown near the console. There is also an illuminated key ring. The SX4 is the biggest and most spacious in the class and also has extra head, elbow and legroom.The SX4 has a height adjustable driving seat for better commanding view of the road, something that the Honda City does not have. The boot is big and roomy of 505 liters. There is a long list of equipments that the SX4 has, and you will be pleased with it. The fit and finish of the City is better though.
So, eventually there is very close competition of interiors between these two in interiors. The City's upmarket interiors v/s the SX4's young and modern cockpit like interiors. The SX4 is more spacious and comfortable and with a long list of features and equipments, the SX4 wins by close points. I would give it a 4.6, its that close though the fit and finish of the City is better. We gave the extra point because of the extra features available in the SX4.
Performance and Handling
Honda City:- 4/5
The Honda city is zippy and is handled a little better than the SX4. The Engine is not powerful and the car is also very quiet and smooth and the manual gearbox pleasure to use. The Honda City with a 77Bhp can do quiet well in the Highway and with that power this car is pretty well in city driving. With the McPherson Strut with Stabilizer and H- Type Torsion Beam Suspension at the rear, the car goes well in handling. But never test another car in overtaking in the highways in high speeds with the City, its not that good enough. The City name itself shows what the car is capable of - it is really a good city driving comfortable car. The Honda City returns a mileage of 10.85kmpl in city and 16kmpl in highway.
So overall the City is a good to drive car especially in the City conditions and returns good mileage. The Servo Assisted Hydraulic braking is good , but with ABS it would have been better.. The City was the best buy in the class at a bigger price. The Honda City sells because of the refined engine,upmarket interiors, reliability of Honda and the Brand Image. Now lets see what the SX4 can do.
Maruti-Suzuki SX4 - 4.5/5
The Suzuki SX4 is also a pleasure to drive, the extra power can be used for highways and with this power you can rip off your opponent. The gearbox is like similar to the Swift and has a top speed of 175 kmph. The ride quality of the Suzuki SX4 is lovable with Stabilizer Independent suspension with gas-filled McPherson strut & anti-roll bar in the front and Semi independent torsion beam with gas filled shock absorbers and absorbs the potholes very nicely and the area of clearance is really good and can take over the bumps quiet well, with Stabilizer Independent suspension with gas-filled McPherson strut & anti-roll bar in the front and Semi independent torsion beam at the rear with gas filled shock absorbers, makes it more comfortable.
The SX4 is fast and fun to drive, and even in the highways.The SX4 also returns mileage similar to the City of 10.9. The car being tall, really rare chances of body roll, because the car has a firm grip on the road. Alloy wheels also help too.
Winner:-
The fight was very very close indeed, we would intend to put both the cars first, but in a fight there is supposed to be a winner, so according to the review, overall - the SX4 wins. The SX4 is more powerful, looks better than the City and looks really modern, it is very much equipped than the city, has ABS, and Dual Airbags and is the longest, tallest, widest in the segment and has an enormous ground clearance with a big boot and great front and rear legroom, iCAT system and lots and lots more..
No other car in this segment has offered so many features, plus with a value for money tag too which is way much cheaper than the city.. So eventually the Maruti-Suzuki SX4 wins with close discount.
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Fiat had been in the market for a long time now from the old padmini till the Fiat Palio Stile, and its not possible for them to stay long with the stile and now big plans for India are made for Fiat-India, under the salesmanship of Tata, Fiat is going tp launch the Fiat Grande Punto and the bigger Punto, the Fiat Linea by June 2008, hoping that the Linea would make Fiat rise up the volumes, lets Check out what the Fiat Linea is really like.
Fiat Linea Happenings:-
The Fiat Linea which was designed by the 'Fiat Style Centre' made its debut in Istanbul with a beautiful show to unveil the Fiat Linea with the new red fiat badge. The Fiat Linea will be manufactured in Brazil, Russia, China and yes our very own land India. The car which was developed by a 50-50 joint venture between The Turkish Tofas and Fiat Auto, this car is already launched in Turkey. The Linea will be marketed in European countries since it has the "Italian" look, which is most liked by these guys. The Linea along with the Grande Punto will be made at the Tata-Fiat Ranjangaon plant and is expected in July of next year, its a long time boy.. but worth the wait.
Engine and Gadgets:
The Fiat Linea has 2 engines launched in Turkey, the 1.3 multijet diesel engine which is found in the swift, and a 1.4 petrol engine. The 1.3 Multijet diesel engine with a variable geometry turbo, 16v produces 90bhp and the 1.4 FIRE petrol produces 77bhp and torque of 115Nm, underpowered compared to the rivals here in India. A 1.4 petrol engine is likely to come later with a 16v Turbo that produces a whooping 120bhp. A 1.8 and 2 litre engines will be available by next year and is mostly expected to launch in India, and another fast and fun to drive engine the 1.4 T-jet that produces 88bhp and torque of 206Nm and we might also see a 1.9 Multijet Diesel which was put up in the Bravo and the Grande Punto. According to Fiats website, the Linea 1.4 FIRE has the best in class mileage - 6.3lit in 100km and the multijet 1.3 4.9Lit in 100km. The !.4 T-jet reaches 100 in just 9 seconds and a top speed of 200 Km/h and the multijet goes
A special version will be launched in Brazil,which will be powered by the new 1.9 Flexfuel engine that shoots 130 bhp, it runs on gasohol, which contains ethanol and pure bio-ethanol.
Now coming to the Gadgets(all are international version, some might not come to India) this is a part where cars of the same segment dosent have it and compares itself with higher sedans, such as certain sophisticated climate and infotainment devices improve the comfort and quality for long runs for passengers, automatic climate control,USB port, Cruise Control, a radio with CD-Mp3 player, parking sensors and other lovely guddies.
Special Features:-
First of all, i want to say is that, most of the features, might not come to India, i am telling this because there are possibilities of them coming to India.
Its all about the Sensors in the car:-
1. Parking Sensors - This is a very important thing for this car as it is long and the thing s below the boot cannot be seen. The Parking sensors helps the driver to know that there are objects in the back, which helps the driver to avoid that hit, it is noticeable when the car is on, reverse gear and during maneuvering.
2. Rain Sensors - The Linea guarantees clear visibility even in rainy conditions, the sensors behind the rear view mirror enables to start the front viper and manages the speed by the force of the rain.
3.Air conditioning - The Linea Air conditioning is not just throwing out cool air, it balances the heat and humidity comparing to the temperature outside and inside and maintains the amount of coolness, and maintains the attention of the driver at the optimum level, giving greater significance in terms of safety.
Performance of 1.3 Multijet
Those of you watching NDTV. This Test is done by the Ndtv car and bike show
"The Car was surprisingly responsive for a 1.3 diesel engine, for a car of this size. While the gearbox was quite annoying in traffic conditions, which might be a major problem in India, like the notchy gearbox of the Chevrolet Aveo, which got many complaints, Fiat better fix up the problem. The Torque is a sweeping 200nm and is offered in 5-speed manual, 6-speed dualogic automatic, it has a very satisfactory pickup, and solid dynamics even at sharp curves, overall the car is great to drive and might work well for India. The Diesel Engines might come as a success in India as the only competitor is the aging Skoda Octavia."
The NDTV Ends here!!
The Diesel cars - Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Octavia, the upcoming Optra Diesel.
Fiesta's Diet car - Mileage is a main concern for us Indians.. the most important.
Hyundai Verna - The Performance Car of the Year Badge and good performance.
Skoda Ocravia - Performance with ageing car and surviving interiors.
Optra Diesel - This new car might be the main competitor for the Linea, as GM boasts to give maximum Performance and now with a SRV head and better upmarket interiors. Looks like competition.
Exteriors of the Linea
The Fiat Linea was designed by the Fiat Style Centre. The exterir styling is elegant, dynamic and typically ‘Italian’. It screams ITALIAN everywhere..the new red Fiat logo looks great and the Grill was placed and made nicely. The headlights are big and gives the car a maseratish and astonmartonish look, the front looks classic and awesome. The front curves beautifully that gives it a sport look and a little bit of aeroplane is shown.. i think they treid streamlining.. The fog lamps go well with a nice plastic finish. Coming to the side body colored side mirrors with a little bit of plastic and chrome finish for the door handles, We Indians have love with chrome that it makes it feel that Chrome gives a rich look. Heres another interesting thing that the side mirrors are placed on the door.
The Wheel arch has been nicely curved and made and the curves goes through the back doors. More chrome works had been done to entertain those chrome fans, down in the doors and bekow the lights. The front shape of the car has given it a fiercing sport and muscle look, as for the back a nice and class style. The bodys line and curves are nicely made and gives it a muscle look, rather than a boxy shaped look like the WagonR.. The taillights are clear and overall the car calls itself "Italian". Awesome design and we better keep our hands tight for this beauty, its a looong way to Alabama mamaa..
Dimensions:-
Width - 1730mm
Length - 4560mm
Height - 1500mm
Wheelbase - 2600mm
Boot - 500 Litres
Comparison of Dimensions
1 Width - Linea beats the Aveo, City, Fiesta, Verna, Indigo Xl,Optra, Corolla, Mercedes C-Class and the Lancer Cedia. Wow!! beating the C- Class, cool, but the new c class definately beats it amd the octavia beats it by a mere 1mm, and the SX4 by 5mm and the 3 series with a huge 87mm and the civic by just 20mm.
2 Length - With 4560mm the Linea beats everyone in the category making it the longest car. Cool!!
3 Height - Aveo - by 5mm , SX4 - by 60mm and the Indigo XL - by 40mm defeats it in Height
4 Wheelbase - Beats every car but Indigo Xl, Civic, C-Class and 3 series, but ties with the Optra, Cedia, Corolla.
5 Boot:- Beats every other car but Ocavia and ties with City
Interiors
Class.. Pure Class.. The Interiors are great and upmarket products are used.. starting with the dash.. The Gauge is not bulging out like the other cars in India, it stays low and can be seen clearly through the steering wheel, and hence better view of the road. Audio controls, cruise control, climate control and other stuff are embeded within the steering wheel. Nice rectangular aii vents give the dash a clean and poper look.. The center console is given a steelish kind of look and an indash CD-player.
The Gauges with metallic elements look sporty good. Rear AC vents are available for the rear passengers!! The BlueAndMe is a technology that allows to use the phone in the car with bluetooth technology and to listen to various music formats with USB ports. The Seats finish is nicely done and looks great. Rear Headrests are available in threes and is adjustable, an armrest for the driver and rear armrests for the passengers at the rear. If you look from the side the driver side of the dash is pulled toward the steering wheel that denies other passengers to peek into the instruments and gauges. this car has lot of button that takes some time to learn all those.. Its like a cockpit.. a mini cockpit though.
Overall:-
The Linea is Fiats next big hope after the Punto and the Bravo and will definately bring sales to Fiat.. Great Interiors, sporty and classy exteriors and good performance and a price range of 8-11 lakhs, the Octavia, Corolla, Civic and other cars better watch out and out of the 1.4 engine s the Fiesta, Verna, Aveo and SX4 better stay tuned..looks like Fiat got a winner in their hands.
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The Worlds largest automobile seller, which has overtaken General Motors, is planning for a new launch in India, The Vios, a c-segment car, planning to kill the rising charts of the Fords and Hondas, The Toyota Vios was showcased in the Recent Bankok motor show. And now with the increasing customers changing from the hatches to the starting segment of sedans, maruti udyong recently gave the SX4 sedan a shot and Mahindra-Renault's wide body economy car, Tata's longer Indigo, the already ruling cars - the Fiesta and City with the Aveo along the famous Hyundai Verna and the upcoming Big Punto Daddy, The Fiat Linea, whoof, a lot of competition eh.. Toyota better bring the Vios faster than Fiat's Linea to get better sales.
The Toyota Vios Happening:-
The Vios is based on the Toyota Yaris, this car is also known as the Toyota Belta and the Toyota Yaris Sedan, in some region. Though most of the stuff is brought from the Yaris hatch. The previous version of the Vios, is one of the best-sellers in Thailand. Good..Good.. And also a car of the year in Thailand.
The New Vios is already launched in Thailand and will soon enter other markets.. Dont ask me when, but it will. Well, this car is mostly popular in Asia. Though the Yaris sedan is more popular out of Asia.
Power and Engines
The Toyota Vios which is similar to the Toyota Belta and the Toyota Yaris sedan is powered by 1.5L engine that produces a 109bhp, which might come down a little in India. The Belta went on sale in North America in 2006, equipped with 1.0 to 1.3 L engines (in Japan) and a 1.5 L from the Scion xA, xB, and the Toyota ECHO. The Vios in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia is powered by 1.5 liter 1NZ-FE engine with VVT-i. The smaller 1.3 liter 2NZ-FE engine is offered in the Philippines.
The Vios Turbo is only available in Thailand. The turbocharged 1.5 liter engine with an air-to-air inter cooler produces 143 PS with light boost. Standard on the Vios Turbo are a functional scoop on its hood, wrap-around body kits, stiffer springs, firmer shock-absorbers and 16" alloys. in India there are possibilities of Toyota bringing a 1.5 liter VVT-i putting out 110PS(might decrease in India) at 6,000rpm and 140Nm of torque at 4,400rpm, since th VVT-i is popular in India of the Toyota's.
The Vios Exterior:-
The previous version of the Vios looks like a shrunk corolla, and this time, This car got a little Camry-like face. If you look close it doesn't look actually like a c-segment car, first I thought that this was the new Corolla!! Nice Quality of building though..yep, just like the rest of the Toyos. It looks Fat and heavy in the Front, as it goes modeling through the back.
I like the way they shaped the side and back, don't know about you guys though, i think its great.
People from Malay don't actually like the car, they complain about the car looking like a fatter smaller Camry with a moustache?? A moustache?? Where did they see that from? Anyways back to the car. The lights are the Honda City-like. The exteriors are generally good to see thanks to the so called "Toyota's new Vibrant Clarity styling language" . Overall, nice exteriors, very good for Indians, we will like it, i like it too.
Comparison of Dimensions -
The Dimensions of the car is length - 4300mm, Width - 1700mm, Heights - 1460mm, Wheelbase - 2550mm
In competition - Aveo and City defeats the length with 10mm and 90mm respectively, but bigger than the Fiesta and Logan. In width - Aveo and Logan defeats it by 10mm and 40mm respectively but wider than the City and Fiesta. Its height is low, guess every other car defeats in height, but the height will increase when it comes to India, most of the road's are quiet bumpy in India, and really great in other places. The Wheelbase is 2550 which only the Logan defeats it. Overall we can expect good interior space and good maneuverability. This car also has a ground clearance of 143mm.
The Vios Interiors and safety:-
This is the part where the Toyota Vios should be appreciated. Great interiors with good storage areas. Toyota claims that this car has about 35.7 inches of rear legroom, and an expansive 16.7 cu-ft (472 liters) boot space. Like seen in the recently launched spark this car also has the speedometer and the other stuff in the center. A nice clean console is fitted in the center with a cd player. In the international markets airbags are provided and in India I guess it will be optional or would be available for the top end version. The rear seats are nicely placed for comfort in long drives and adjustable headrests at the rear also.
A lot of tubby holes are found and that s what most of the Indians are crazy about..Storage.. the Vios interiors are derived from the Yaris, which is known to be very spacious and this is a good thing done by Toyota. An arm rest for the driver and a compartment inside the armrest and a storage area behind the center console.. something that Indians have not seen before, and 2 flapping cup holders for the driver seat and the driver, just below the vents. The rear is supposed to be very spacious and the rear platform is completely flat and therefore better comfort for the 5th passenger also. now coming to the suspension part they have used Mc pherson strut in the front and torsion beam suspension at the back. Like all the c-segment cars in India, the rest of the safety parts are almost similar.
Overall - How the car is:-
The Yaris Sedan being popular everywhere, and the Vios is the Yaris with the different name. Toyota's got the car to great styling and awesome and spacious interiors with a decent amount of guddies. When it comes to Engines, a lot of varieties are available, we just have to wait and see which one comes to India, i hope its the Turbocharged 1.5 Turbocharged one, most probably the 1.5 VVT-i Engine. And when it comes to performance, the older Vios being the car of the year of Thailand and being an upgrade of the Yaris hatch, performance might go well. The Vios is expected to launch in the end of this year or the starting of next year. All in all, its a great car, but not as great as to look than the coming up Fiat Linea. With Brand image, good exterior styling, awesome interiors, the unknown performance, good engines, the Vios will be loved by us.
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The most talked about situation everywhere in and outside Indians, is the comparison between the Honda City and the Suzuki SX4, everywhere in forums, reviews, televisions, letters.. Honda has boosted up their sales with the help of the City and now Suzuki's hope is to capture the C-segment with the SX4. Suzuki has made a serious jump from the old aging Baleno to the modern looking SX4, the launch of this car has crowded the showrooms for test drives and a first look, now after all the spread of news lets see how the Maruti-Suzuki holds up with the Honda City.
Suzuki borrows the Fiat's Diesel Engines and are likely to put up the 1.3 Multi-jet DDiS engine that will produce a 75 Bhp, the same as the one on the Swift and a 1.9 Multi-jet 105Bhp as seen in the Fiat Bravo. The SX4 only has a 5 speed Manual transmission. The SX4 engine is a bit more powerful than the remaining competitors, even more than the City. The Engine is the latest M-Series from Suzuki and is planned to put up in the Swift also. But we will have to wait and see when this car with a diesel options will be launched.
The SX4 has more powerful engine and has greater torque and the Honda City's engine is more refined and reliable. The SX4 comes with a reasonable price, whereas the city has a dragon in it that will burn your pocket, unless you go for the EXi, that is around 6.77 lakhs. And in the case of choosing, the City can help you. If you want a more powerful engine, go for the SX4.
The City 's fuel tank is located in the middle of the vehicle, which will be safe because it is the farthest place from both, the front and rear impact. For protection against front impact, Honda has used arch-shaped front side frames that improves the absorption of collision impact and reduces danger. The City ZX's neck shock mitigation seats are designed to reduce neck injury in case of a collision by distributing the impact equally between the neck and the torso.
So, eventually the City is a well built safety car, which explains the shape of the car a bit. Overall the Honda City's safety is good, but if the airbags and ABS are available, this car would have been a great safe car.
The Styling is different for different people, so both the cars have good styling of their own characteristics, though the fit and finish of the City is better. The city is quiet old in terms of people who need sporty, muscular and the young look, in this terms the Maruti-Suzuki SX4 scores well..For the people who need a practical, sophisticated and a business like car, the city is the one for that, its not everyday that a person like anil ambani drives a murcielago to his meetings, he would prefer to sit at the back of a rolls-royce with a newspaper. The SX4 definitely looks muscular and will be liked by many people, and also has many features than the city, and in safety, the SX4 scores again, because the city has no airbags and ABS, that the only problem in safety with the City. The SX4 scores because it looks modern and young and can go further and compete against the upcoming car's like the Fiat Linea and Toyota Vios.
The City has a decent amount of comfort features - the city has rear armrest, twin glove box and a center console tray with fordable glass holders. tilt adjustable steering wheel, power door locks and power windows with illuminated switches. The City's interiors are really good and is made from top quality products, but the SX4's interiors are not that far behind lets see it.
So, eventually there is very close competition of interiors between these two in interiors. The City's upmarket interiors v/s the SX4's young and modern cockpit like interiors. The SX4 is more spacious and comfortable and with a long list of features and equipments, the SX4 wins by close points. I would give it a 4.6, its that close though the fit and finish of the City is better. We gave the extra point because of the extra features available in the SX4.
So overall the City is a good to drive car especially in the City conditions and returns good mileage. The Servo Assisted Hydraulic braking is good , but with ABS it would have been better.. The City was the best buy in the class at a bigger price. The Honda City sells because of the refined engine,upmarket interiors, reliability of Honda and the Brand Image. Now lets see what the SX4 can do.
The SX4 is fast and fun to drive, and even in the highways.The SX4 also returns mileage similar to the City of 10.9. The car being tall, really rare chances of body roll, because the car has a firm grip on the road. Alloy wheels also help too.
No other car in this segment has offered so many features, plus with a value for money tag too which is way much cheaper than the city.. So eventually the Maruti-Suzuki SX4 wins with close discount.
