New Honda City vs. Suzuki SX4

Simon,

Request for a TD in SX4, they would oblige. Maruti dealer in hyderabad also brings the car to you office so that you can take a TD.

Alloys are always better outside, unless you want an alloy with the car label. In that case you can check for old version's wheels.

Climate control - I dont rate it as mandatory, but I would say that it is sad that it is missing from a car like City.

I wish to clarify ,I was talking about seats of City and not sets.The City seats must be observed closely over a longer period to see if thet suit you or not.I am not very tall and I feel City seats are for shorties only,esp back seat.One more thing,about the fuel economy.Some people have suggested that additional cost of City could be paid back by its better fuel economy???????This is a fallacy.

Assume life of car to be 1 lac km.My SX4 is consuming  @14.8kmpl and at a fuel cost of rs 40 per litre,total cost of fuel consumed by SX4 over 1 lac km will be rs 2.7 lacs...City will give additional milage of 1 to 1.5 km to a litre .This is 10 percent saving over 2.7 lacs.which works out to rs 27000 only saved by City in its entire life time on fuel.This saving is nowhere near the additional cost charged by Honda for City.If you consider the interest on additional cost also,the City becomes all the more exhorbitant.

I feel Honda has intentionally kept price of City very high .This helps them to push their customer towards Civic.

I've heard that the sales of Civic is getting affected.

The city sells at a higher price because its a Honda-but that statement came about because of the standards they keep. The City is surely overprized but that does not make it poor value in many peoples mind.

The psychology works like this.The more a car is made unattainable(expensive)the more people try to achieve it (even at a cost that is no more logically explainable).Take the case of VW cars which are very expensive because they are completely imported and have to pay higher tax.But just because VW is more expensive (than brother Skoda etc),people buy it as a statement of having arrived in life(to show that they are the  ones who can spend all that huge money even if it is not making any logic or VFM. Ultimately car buying becomes more a statement of superior capability to spend rather than VFM purchases.

I am getting biased to SX4, sure a better VFM. But end of the day, I do not want to peep out of my Suzuki window at a City on a traffic light and say, I miss that Honda. The one lac + price difference should probably set that complex right.

Cars like City are good to watch from afar while the SX4 is good to sit inside and use,so be happy to see City with neighbour and buy SX4 for yourself,

Well said. I second this opinion. City is a car from heart and Sx4 is a car from Mind. All the best.

@Osram: You've got a point there in post #15.

Depends on perspective. I would cite the old Onida ad - 'Owner's Pride, neighbour's Envy'. You get satisfied when you are driving a City and when heads turn to look at your car. If this happens 'Paisa Vasool'. SX4 is a good car, but wont get this drool factor.

If you are attaching the pride factor better go for Civic.The City  looks too small to evoke envy.