2008 New Honda City vs Toyota Vios

Now that the Honda City had arrived in Malaysia, one can easily witnessed as always, any new Honda or Toyota would immediately stir huge interest, with visitors flocking to showrooms that stayed open 7 days in a week, trying all their best securing registrations.

Now the perennial question belies: Which is better? Which should I put my bet on?

The first aspect, is to clear your minds off rumors and 'ownership experience' from people who've never owned one, or were plain empty headed 'automotive enthusiasts' giving their two cents worth of armchair quarterbacking. Let's run through these common idiocy before we go on.

"I've heard plenty of City's gearbox experiencing failure, hence I'm not putting my money down." WRONG, the CVT in the previous City is no longer used.

"Toyota have better resale value." WRONG, do some survey before listening to others. Japanese cars are no longer the king on resale value, and resale value comes down on particular models, not brand.

"Toyotas are more reliable." WRONG, yes, they are very reliable, so does Honda.

"Hondas can corner better." WRONG, and this shouldn't even be a point of consideration in car buying, especially in this segment.

"Vios is as good as Camry." WRONG, there are reasons why one sells for twice the price of the other one.

"The (City/Vios) seems quieter on highways." WRONG, stop your armchair benchmarking, they hire engineers to look into these matters, you don't need your father in law/friend of cousin sister's auntie to help you in this aspect. Get them to shut up might help with reducing noise levels.

First off, we're picking on the highest spec available for purchase. Regardless of whether bodykits comes free or with a few thousand of unreasonable money not well spent on Modulo bodykits.

Toyota Vios Spec S: RM 88,325.00
Honda City Spec E : RM 89,980.00

Handling:
These are budget cars with basic McPherson Struts up front and Torsion Beams at the rear for cost cutting and increase of interior space. Even Proton Wajas comes with Independent Rear Suspension. So forget about "I think/heard/feel handles better". Because its all rubbish, they were never design to excel in handling, and they never will be. If you want good handling in this segment, Suzuki Swift will eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper.

Performance:
Yes, Honda City does come with better output at 120hp, whereas the Vios develops 109hp. However Vios's maximum torque and hp comes marginally earlier, whereas a few hundred RPM later City develops both higher torque and hp. Thus, its a very close call worth not taking into consideration despite Honda's marketing bombardment of the magical 120hp figure. Mind you, the engine in the 'new' Vios is exactly the same one from the 'old' Vios, whereas the 1.5 that comes with the Honda City is basically a new engine.

One paradigm shit on the very meaning of 'Performance' nowadays, is a good balance between performance of acceleration and performance of engine efficiency. This is where the City differentiates itself by offering a 5-Speed automatic transmission, this will prove itself coming into good use, and will be noticeable when traveling at higher speeds in terms of performance and fuel economy. Honda nails this one simply with the inclusion of a 5-Speed transmission.

Specifications:
This is where the new City beats the Vios handsdown. Rear seats that recline, USB connection for your thumbdrive or iPOD, air con vents for rear passengers, a shelf compartment underneath rear seats that fits two pairs of shoes and an umbrella, steering column that tilts and telescopes (Important feature). The Vios almost seem like one segment below that of the City when it comes to this aspect, what Honda had done is indeed mold breaking. It's a shame the upward folding rear seats were no longer an option, nonetheless, Honda again nails on this aspect, by far.

After sales service:
Its not like Honda or Toyota will give you sh_t for coming back to them for service, however with Toyota's vast network of excellent 3S centers offering unprecedented experience while owners bring their cars back for servicing, Honda is no match in this aspect, not in terms of deliverables, but in terms of the 'Feel Good' factor as an owner. In fact, Toyota's 3S centers are unmatched, which is a shame to local manufacturers Proton and Perodua.

Looks:
If you need help in this aspect, you're seriously in need of therapy. You might as well email us your husband/wife's photo and let us judge him/her for you.

Conclusion:
It's without doubt Honda nails the City this time around, offering unmatched specifications compared to their arch rival Vios. In fact, a very important factor when it comes to picking which from yours truly, is the amount of effort being put into each car. Toyota's decision for offering the exact same drive train and engine into a larger car and call it a day's off is undoubtedly a case of 'Winners resting on their laurels.' Having such a good head start with unmatched sales from the previous Vios, and to see them solely looking at profiteering on the second generation is enough for many to turn their heads away. On the other hand, baffled by lack luster sales from a better packaged product, Honda is determined in turning the tables this time around - likewise what they've done with the Honda Civic.

So which is our pick? Undoubtedly, the Honda City wins hands down. Thus its now up to biased automotive experts from the F&B/Farming/Construction industries to judge for themselves.

So should I go buy one now?
NOPE. Go get yourself a 2 year old 1.8 Honda Civic.