2026 Honda City facelift vs Volkswagen Virtus: Base variants' price and specifications compared

Honda Cars India launched the 2026 Honda City facelift in the country just a few days back, bringing a much-awaited refreshing touch to the popular midsize SUV. The new Honda City comes with a significant number of updates to the exterior and inside the cabin. However, the powertrain continues to remain the same as before. With this update, the Honda City has revised its competition with rivals such as the Volkswagen Virtus, Skoda Slavia, and Hyundai Verna.

The Volkswagen Virtus has been the segment leader in the midsize sedan category in India for quite some time. The Honda City, which has been in business in India since 1998, revised its competition against the segment leader with the latest update.

If you are planning to buy a midsize sedan and opting for the base variants, here is a quick look at the comparison of price and specifications between the base variants of the 2026 Honda City facelift and Volkswagen Virtus.

2026 Honda City facelift vs Volkswagen Virtus: Base variants' price comparison

2026 Honda City facelift vs Volkswagen Virtus: Base variant price comparison
Base variant	Honda City SV	Volkswagen Virtus Comfortline
Price (ex-showroom)	₹11,99,900	₹10,49,900

The base variant of the 2026 Honda City facelift is the SV trim, which is priced at ₹11,99,900 (ex-showroom). On the other hand, the base variant of the Volkswagen Virtus is the Comfortline trim, which is priced at ₹10,49,900 (ex-showroom). This means the Volkswagen Virtus' base variant is ₹1.50 lakh cheaper than the 2026 Honda City facelift.

2026 Honda City facelift vs Volkswagen Virtus: Base variants' specifications comparison

2026 Honda City facelift vs Volkswagen Virtus: Base variant specification comparison
	Honda City SV	Volkswagen Virtus Comfortline
Engine	1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol	1.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol
Transmission	6-speed MT	6-speed MT
Power	119.35 bhp	114 Nm
Torque	145 Nm	178 Nm
Fuel economy	~17.8 kmpl	~20.8 kmpl

Specification-wise, Volkswagen Virtus comes with an edge over the Honda City. While the facelifted version of the City comes with a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine, the Volkswagen Virtus uses a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor. For transmission duty, both sedans use six-speed manual gearboxes. The Honda City offers a bit of extra power, but the torque delivery of the Virtus is significantly higher than that of its rival. When it comes to fuel economy, both sedans offer similar figures.

Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2026, Best SUVs in India.