Ford Fiesta 1.6 vs Honda City ZX VTEC

Two for the road

On to ride and handling, then. Like the i-DSI, the City VTEC uses McPherson struts at front and H-type torsion beam suspension at the back. However, spring and damper rates have been tweaked and things have been firmed up at both ends. I'd say ‘neutral' is the word that best describes the car's handling. It doesn't exactly beg to be chucked around corners, but won't complain if that's what you insist on doing. With 14-inch wheels shod with 175/65 rubber, roadholding is adequate, but 15-inch wheels and wider, lower profile rubber really would have given the City a more sure-footed feel. The VTEC gets disc brakes all around which is a blessing, but Honda have still left ABS out of the picture. Why?!

The electric power steering is a boon in tight traffic situations, but doesn't provide much in the way of tactile feedback at higher speeds. That's not necessarily a criticism. I really don't think too many people in our country are bothered with things like steering feedback and handling prowess - what they really want is ride comfort, and the City VTEC does ride very well. In fact, perhaps due to the re-jigged suspension and damping rates, it insulates its occupants from road irregularities very well indeed and that's probably what matters most.

The Fiesta has McPherson struts at the front and a semi-independent twist beam setup at the rear. Spring and damper settings have, it seems, been optimised for ride comfort rather than outright handling prowess, and the car rides fairly well. However (and not all of us here at CAR India agree on this one...), I still think the City offers better ride comfort and better insulation from rough roads. The Fiesta isn't too far behind, but the City has the edge.

When it comes to handling, the Ford Ikon 1.6 has been one of my absolute all time favourites. The Fiesta is not able to match the Ikon's steering feedback and isn't as confidence inspiring in high speed corners. That said, it won't put a foot wrong as long as you remember you're driving a four-door family saloon and not a Focus RS. Pitted against the VTEC, the Honda's handling feels sharper and somehow, sportier. The Fiesta doesn't misbehave or handle poorly - it just feels a bit numb, and seems disinterested in being hustled along quickly. It'll do the boy-racer bit if you really insist, but again, an Ikon 1.6 is just so much better at that kind of stuff that you wouldn't really want to bother. The Fiesta at least has disc brakes on all four wheels and our test car came fitted with the optional ABS. The Ford takes 3.89 seconds to come to a standstill from 100km/h, while the Honda takes 3.79 seconds for the same, so both are pretty much evenly matched on braking. We'd certainly suggest you opt for ABS if you're buying the Fiesta. The added peace of mind is worth the additional expense.

The bottomline

So we've spoken about styling, interiors, engine and handling. Which brings us to the Rs 7.85 lakh rupee question. Or should that be the Rs 8.75 lakh rupee question? Ford Fiesta 1.6 SXi Duratec (with ABS) or Honda City ZX VTEC? It's a tough call, but one that we'll have to take. The base model Fiesta 1.6 Duratec comes in at around Rs 7.0 lakh and is fairly good value for money. The torquey Duratec engine offers excellent driveability, and at around 14kmpl overall, it isn't too far behind the Honda in terms of fuel economy. The styling is bland, but the Fiesta is a good overall package. However, the Honda City VTEC is the better car. It's quicker, faster, more refined, has one of the best gearboxes among all Indian cars, has a more spacious and more comfortable cabin compared with the Fiesta, is significantly more fuel efficient, and looks more contemporary. When the City i-DSI was launched in 2003, it set the benchmark for all other cars in its segment. Today, in 2006, the City VTEC continues to be the car to beat.

Why VTEC?

In a regular four-stroke automobile engine, the intake and exhaust valves are actuated by lobes on a camshaft. The shape of the lobes determines the timing, lift and duration of each valve. Timing refers to when a valve is opened or closed with respect to the combustion cycle. Lift refers to how much the valve is opened. Duration refers to how long the valve is kept open.

In the real world, the vast majority of modern automobile engines operate with a fixed camshaft profile that represents a compromise between low rpm smoothness and high rpm power output. However, the VTEC system is one way of doing away with that ‘compromise' and building an engine with multiple camshaft profiles, optimised for low as well as high rpm operation. Instead of only one cam lobe actuating each valve, there are two - one optimised for low rpm smoothness and fuel efficiency, and the other to maximise high rpm power output. Switching between the two cam lobes is controlled by the car's engine management system. As engine rpm increases, a locking pin is pushed by oil pressure to bind the high rpm cam follower for operation. From this point on, the valve opens and closes according to the high-speed profile, which opens the valve further and for a longer time.

There are various iterations of the VTEC engine today. The DOHC VTEC is optimised for peak power outputs at high rpm, the SOHC VTEC is meant to be a good all-around performer, with emphasis on driveability and efficiency rather than all-out performance. The SOHC VTEC-E is specifically meant to increase efficiency at low rpm and boost fuel efficiency. And then, there is the latest generation i-VTEC, which introduced continuously variable camshaft phasing on the intake cam of DOHC VTEC engines. The effect is further optimisation of torque output, especially at low and midrange rpm, and further improvements in fuel economy.

Source: Car India March 2006.