Maruti Suzuki SX4 is one of the best sedans in the market and has been a highly acclaimed and has been topping the sales for Maruti ever since and giving a hard time to all its competitors in the market. It has been launched in a diesel variant recently to compete with the diesel cars in the market. However the petrol segment has often faced tough competition from the Honda. Honda City is the best seller for Honda and by far one of the best cars from the segment. It features unmatched Honda reliability, luxury and features and is great value for your money. We compare these two cars in their petrol engine variants and see how they fare against each other.
Looks and design:
Maruti Suzuki SX4 is a sedan with world class looks and premium feel to it and it is a beautiful car that and a radical looking sedan. It sports a very aggressive stance when look at from the front owing to its large headlamps and body colored bumpers with fog lamps and mesh grille with the Suzuki badge with adds to the styling. Maruti SX4 has excellent road presence and looks great from any angle you look at it. SX4 has 10 spoke alloy wheels and flared wheel arches which combined with the long wheelbase of the car looks fantastic from the side profile. Maruti has given their hot sedan SX4 very good build quality while the paintjob, fit and finish is all very good.
Honda City offers an excellent combination of looks and sporty design thanks to its unique modern aerodynamic looks thanks to its stylish arrow-shot design. It bears some similarities to the bigger Hondas with the headlamps and front grill with their fused look adding to the sporty character of the vehicle. Honda City has very contemporary styling and has often set a benchmark for sedans in its segment. Honda has taken great to give excellent build quality to the City with high quality paint and finish and has been put together very well.
Looks overall – Maruti Suzuki SX4 7.5/10
Looks overall – Honda City 8/10
Interiors – design, space and features:
Maruti Suzuki SX4 brings excellent list of features and goodies such as the Kenwood stereo music system with CD player, MP3 and FM radio support. It has a functional speedometer, tachometer and MID which also displays outside temperature and these look great at night and are highly visible during the day. It has very good interiors and an elegant looking dashboard and comfortable seats with leather upholstery which gives it a feel of luxury and there’s the extra leg room and head room inside which lets 5 people sit comfortably. The fit and finish of the interior plastics in the SX4 sedan is very acceptable. SX4 sedan has features such as climate control rear defogger, adjustable shoulder anchor, power-steering and power windows. It also brings a cavernous boot space of 504 liters to carry your entire luggage.
Honda City features attractive interiors with dual tone dashboard and comes with beige upholstery which perfectly blends in and matches the rest of the interiors of the car. City has very comfortable seats with excellent back and thigh support for both front and rear passenger and generous cabin space and plenty of leg room and head room and will seat 5 people comfortably. Honda City has additional features such as the advanced integrated stereo music system with compatibility for iPod, CD, MP3 and USB and also features steering mounted audio controls. Its instrument panel looks sporty with orange backlight and red needles. Honda City has excellent storage space of 506 liters for all your luggage carrying needs.
Interiors overall – Maruti Suzuki SX4 7.5/10
Interiors overall – Honda City 8/10
Engine – performance, power, torque, fuel economy, smoothness:
Maruti Suzuki SX4 comes in only one petrol engine variant and offers stellar performance from its 1.6 liter four cylinder powerhouse and it develops a maximum power of 102 BHP at 5500 RPM and 145 NM of maximum torque at 4100 RPM which ensures maximum drivability under difficult conditions. This engine is mated to a five speed manual transmission which makes it easy to drive the car under varying load and road conditions and comes with a well weighted clutch which is quite comfortable to use while shifting gears. The engine has low NVH levels and ensures maximum comfort to the passengers. SX4 sedan is rated by ARAI to deliver a maximum fuel efficiency of 15.5 kmpl.
Honda City comes with an all new 1.5 Liter i-VTEC four cylinder, 16 valve engine, advanced petrol engine from Honda. This engine develops a maximum power of 116 BHP at 6600 RPM and 153 NM of maximum torque at 4800 RPM. It is available in two gearbox options of a 5 speed manual and 5 speed automatic transmissions with paddle shifts. Honda City has been certified by ARAI to deliver a max fuel efficiency of 16.70 kmpl and the automatic variant of Honda City gives 15.50 kmpl respectively. The performance available on tap makes the car ease to drive in city traffic thanks to oodles of low end torque available and it’s a beast waiting to be unleashed on the highways.
Engine overall – Maruti Suzuki SX4 8/10
Engine overall – Honda City 8/10
Suspension – Ride, comfort and handling:
Maruti Suzuki SX4 sedan is a wonderful car to drive in that it handles beautiful despite its long wheelbase and high ground clearance it doesn’t show any weakness or body roll while negotiating bends and turns at speed. It has a mature handling and a very well tuned suspension which offers a well cushioned ride at all times and the high ground clearance ensures that you don’t scrape the underbody while going over a sharp speed breaker. It offers a comfortable cabin where the NVH levels are minimized and the car comes shod with grippy tyres and an excellent brake which is further enhanced by ABS + EBD and that lets you slow down the car from any speed, safely with full control over it.
Honda City is a hot favorite amongst enthusiast driver because of its excellent handling capabilities due to its sharp and agile performer everywhere. The car has finely tuned suspension setup which gives the utmost comfort to the passenger on bad roads despite having a slightly firm suspension. Honda City loves to go around corners and this is a car which inspires confidence even amongst novice drivers thanks to high quality steering unit which gives excellent feedback to the driver. It comes with ABS + EBD to slow down the car from high speeds as a safety measure.
Suspension overall – Maruti Suzuki SX4 – 7.5/10
Suspension overall – Honda City – 8/10
Value for money – sticker price, standard features:
Maruti SX4 is a solid car which brings all that is necessary in a good mid size sedan. It has good features, space and comfort required in a car of its segment. Maruti has priced the SX4 petrol variant at price (ex-showroom Delhi) starting from 7 lakhs for the entry level SX4 VXi and 8.09 lakhs for the top variant SX4 ZXI. The automatic transmission version is priced at 8.41 lakhs for the SX4 ZXi AT. The top variant of the car is loaded with goodies and is in fact good value for your money. If you are looking for a sporty new sedan with the unmatched service back up of Maruti then you should look no further.
Honda city is an excellent car and brings Honda’s legacy of unmatched reliability and quality along with it in its latest avatar. It offers a good combination of performance, handling, fuel efficiency and style and comes with the evergreen Honda badge that signifies excellence. Honda City is well priced and starts from (ex-showroom Delhi) 7.49 lakhs for the base variant Honda City 1.5 E MT and going the Hupto 9.89 lakhs for the top variant manual gearbox version Honda City 1.5 V MT Exclusive and the top petrol variant with automatic gearbox is priced at 9.74 lakhs for the Honda City 1.5 V AT Exclusive.
Value for money overall – Maruti Suzuki Sx4 – 8/10
Value for money overall – Honda City – 7.5/10
Verdict:
Maruti SX4 sedan has been chart topper for Maruti and Honda City has also been a top selling car for Honda in India and comparing these two great cars and deciding on which to buy can sometimes be a very difficult task indeed. Both these cars offer unmatched reliability and build quality is excellent in both the cars. The pricing being the key makes the SX4 a winner but recent price cuts have brought the Honda City back in the game. Choosing a car from this overcrowded segment is sometimes very difficult and we hope that you are able to make the right decision and buy the car of your dreams.
Maruti SX4 | Honda City | |||||||
Car version | Vxi (BSIV) | Zxi AT (BSIV) | Zxi AT Leather (BSIV) | Zxi MT Leather (BSIV) | 1.5S MT | 1.5V MT | 1.5E MT | 1.5 V MT Exclusive |
Ex-showroom price | 700007 | 841271 | 841271 | 809263 | 819600 | 864800 | 749000 | 901900 |
DIMENSIONS | ||||||||
Length | 4490 | 4490 | 4490 | 4490 | 4420 | 4420 | 4420 | 4420 |
Width | 1735 | 1735 | 1735 | 1735 | 1695 | 1695 | 1695 | 1695 |
Height | 1560 | 1570 | 1570 | 1570 | 1480 | 1480 | 1480 | 1480 |
Wheelbase | 2500 | 2500 | 2500 | 2500 | 2550 | 2550 | 2550 | 2550 |
Boot space | NA | NA | NA | NA | 506 | 506 | NA | NA |
Kerb Weight | 1170 | 1210 | 1210 | 1200 | 1100 | 1100 | 1100 | 1100 |
Turning radius | 5.3 m | 5.3 m | 5.3 m | 5.3 m | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
Tank capacity | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
Clearance | 180 | 190 | 190 | 190 | 160 | 160 | 160 | 160 |
ENGINE | ||||||||
Displacement | 1586 cc | 1586 cc | 1586 cc | 1586 cc | 1497 | 1497 | 1497 | 1497 |
Max. Power | 105PS @5600rpm | 104.68 @ 5600 (PS@rpm) | 104.68 @ 5600 (PS@rpm) | 105PS @5600rpm | 118PS @6600rpm | 118PS @6600rpm | 118PS @6600rpm | 118PS @6600rpm |
Max. Torque | 145Nm @4100rpm | 14.65 @ 4100 (kgm@rpm) | 14.65 @ 4100 (kgm@rpm) | 145Nm @4100rpm | 146Nm @4600rpm | 146Nm @4600rpm | 146Nm @4600rpm | 146Nm @4600rpm |
Fuel economy | 15.5 | 12.6 | 12.6 | 15.5 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
Cylinders | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
GEARBOX | ||||||||
Type | Manual | Automatic | Automatic | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual |
Speeds | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
TYRES | ||||||||
Tyre | Tubeless Radial | Tubeless Radial | 205/60 R16 | 205/60 R16 | 175 / 65 R15(tubeless) | 175 / 65 R15 | 175 / 65 R15 | 175 / 65 R15 |
SUSPENSION | ||||||||
Front | Independent suspension with McPherson strut & anti roll bar | Independent suspension with McPherson strut & anti roll bar | Independent suspension with McPherson strut & anti roll bar | Independent suspension with McPherson strut & anti roll bar | McPherson Strut with Stabilizer Bar | McPherson Strut with Stabilizer Coil spring | McPherson Strut with Stabilizer, Coil Spring | McPherson Strut with Stabilizer, Coil Spring |
Rear | Semi independent torsion beam | Semi independent torsion beam | Semi independent torsion beam | Semi independent torsion beam | Torsion axle, coil springs | Torsion axle, coil springs | Torsion Beam Axle with Stabilizer, Coil Spring | Torsion Beam Axle with Stabilizer, Coil Spring |