Honda City vs Volkswagen Virtus: Price, features, specs, mileage compared

Honda City facelift has been launched in India at a starting price of ₹11.49 lakh (ex-showroom). The compact sedan, which is the best-selling model in the segment, has ditched its popular diesel engines. It now comes with only a 1.5-litre petrol unit and in its strong hybrid avatar. While it is the only model in its segment to offer hybrid version, we take a look at how its petrol variant stacks up against some of its rivals. Here is quick comparison between Honda City 2023 and Volkswagen Virtus, one of the latest additions in the sedan segment.

Honda City vs Volkswagen Virtus: Specs

In terms of its size, Honda City has grown slightly from its predecessor. The length has increased by about 34 mm and now measures 4,583mm. The width at 1,748 mm and height at 1,489 mm remains similar. The wheelbase too remains 2,600 mm.

In comparison, the Volkswagen Virtus is slightly smaller. It stands 4,561 mm, about 22 mm smaller in length. However, Virtus is marginally wider at 1,752 mm and taller at 1,507. The wheelbase is about 51 mm longer than City facelift at 2,651 mm. In terms of space, Virtus can hold 15 litres of more luggage with a boot space of 521 litres against the 2023 City sedan.

Honda City vs Volkswagen Virtus: Features

In terms of features, Honda City facelift is the first compact sedan in India to be offered with ADAS technology. Using Honda Sensing, the ADAS features are similar to the one introduced in the strong hybrid version of the sedan last year. It offers adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and autonomous emergency braking among other safety features.

Besides ADAS, Honda City facelift also offers features like an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 7-inch digital driver display, automatic climate control, panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and PM 2.5 in-cabin filter.

Watch: Honda City facelift 2023: First drive review

Volkswagen Virtus offers a larger 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is also compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a slightly bigger 8-inch digital driver display. It also offers ventilated front seats, cooled glove box, auto-dimming IRVM among some of its features not available on Honda City.

Honda City vs Volkswagen Virtus: Engine and Mileage

Both Honda City and Volkswagen Virtus comes powered with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. Though Virtus is also offered with a smaller 1.0-litre unit too, will keep this limited to the bigger engine for a fair comparison. The 1.5-litre unit under the hood of the City facelift, now compatible with BS6 phase 2 emission norms, offers 121 hp of maximum power and 145 Nm of peak torque. It comes mated to either a 6-speed manual or a CVT gearbox. Honda claims fuel efficiency of 17.8 kmpl for the manual variant and 18.4 kmpl for the automatic variant.

Watch: Volkswagen Virtus: First Drive Review

Volkswagen Virtus draws power from its turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. Mated to a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission, it is capable of churning out 148 hp and 250 Nm of peak torque. Volkswagen claims a fuel efficiency of 18.76 kmpl on the Virtus 1.5-litre variants.

Honda City vs Volkswagen Virtus: Price

The price of Honda City facelift starts from ₹11.49 lakh (ex-showroom), about ₹17,000 more than the price of Virtus base variant. However, the top-spec petrol-only variant of the City facelift, priced at ₹15.97 lakh (ex-showroom), is around ₹3.50 lakh more affordable than the top-of-the-range GT line of Virtus.