New Honda City 2011 Vs New Model Ford Fiesta 2011 Petrol– Which Is Better Sedan and Why?

New Honda City 2011 is catching a lot of attention with new corporate edition launched at just Rs. 6.99 Lakhs ex-showroom. In continuation to out car comparison series on Car Blog India , we compare the new Honda City 2011 with the new Ford Fiesta 2011 Petrol which is a very sharp handling sedan with good features and fuel economy.

New Honda City 2011 Exteriors Vs Ford Fiesta 2011 Exteriors

image – Honda City (left) and Ford Fiesta 2011 (right)

2011 Honda City Dimensions

Overall Length 4440 mm
Overall Width 1695 mm
Overall Height 1485 mm
Wheelbase 2550 mm

2011 Ford Fiesta Dimensions:

Length= 4291 mm
Width= 1722 mm
Height= 1496 mm
Wheelbase= 2489 mm

In terms of exteriors, both cars look distinguished with a character of their own. While the Honda has sharp looks the Fiesta has slightly rounded curves with European touch to its design. Both cars have a very different touch in terms of styling and look nice. Both the cars are very close in terms of exterior looks, I would call it a tie.

New Honda City 2011 Interiors Vs Ford Fiesta 2011 Interiors

image – Honda City 2011 Interiors

image- 2011 Ford Fiesta Interiors

In terms of Interiors, Honda City has more premium looking light colour tone and good quality of interiors. Fiesta on the other hand is slightly darker and more sporty on the inside. Both cars have very nice feel and comfortable seating positions. Fiesta offers some unique features like voice controlled Audio system, Air conditioning and phone control, which is a unique feature in this segment. Overall, in terms of premium appeal, City is ahead of Fiesta, but in terms of sportiness, Fiesta feels better.

New Honda City 2011 Petrol Engine Vs Ford Fiesta 2011 Petrol Engine

2011 Honda City Petrol Engine

SOHC 4 Cylinder 16 Valve i-VTEC VVTI Engine
PGM-FI 1.5 Litre MPFI Petrol Engine
Displacement 1497 CC
Max Power of 118 BHP @ 6600 RPM
Max Torque of 145 Nm @ 4800 RPM
5 Speed Manual Transmission or 5 Speed Automatic with Grade Logic Control with torque converter
ARAI tested mileage of 16.8 KMPL
Kerb Weight: 1085 to 1160 Kg
Power to weight ratio of 105.5 BHP per 1000 Kg

2011 Ford Fiesta Petrol Engine Specifications

4 Cylinder Inline 16 Valve DOHC MPFI Petrol Engine
Ti-VCT (Dual VVTI system)
1499 CC Displacement
Max power output of 107.5 BHP@ 6045 RPM
Transmission options – 5 Speed manual and 6 speed dual clutch automatic (launch in January 2012)
Max Torque of 140 Nm @ 4500 RPM
All Aluminium Engine construction
Kerb weight: 1117 kg to 1124 kg
ARAI certified mileage of 17 KMPL
Power to weight ratio of 95.98 BHP per 1000 Kg

With better power, torque, power to weight ratio and almost same mileage, the Honda City’s petrol engine is a clear winner here.

New Honda City 2011 Petrol Handling and Performance Vs Ford Fiesta 2011 Petrol Handling and Performance

Handling is one area where both these cars are excellent. Ford Fiesta is known for its sharp handling, well weighted steering wheel and well tuned suspensions. Honda City on the other hand is also very precise in handling and is very well planted on high speeds. Ford feels slightly more sharp in handling while the ride quality is slightly more comfortable on a City, so I would call it a tie.

New Honda City 2011 Petrol Price Vs Ford Fiesta 2011 Petrol Price

New Honda City price in India Ex-Showroom Delhi:

Honda City 2011 Corporate MT is prices at Rs. 6.99 Lakhs
Honda City 2011 E MT is prices at Rs. 7.70 Lakhs
Honda City 2011 S MT is prices at Rs. 8.20 Lakhs
Honda City 2011 V MT is prices at Rs. 8.70 Lakhs
Honda City 2011 V AT is prices at Rs. 9.42 Lakhs
Honda City 2011 V MT with Sunroof is prices at Rs. 9.50 Lakhs
Honda City 2011 V AT with Sunroof is prices at Rs. 10.22 Lakhs

2011 Ford Fiesta Petrol Price Ex-Showroom Delhi

Ford Fiesta 2011 1.5 TiVCT Petrol Style : Rs. 8.23 Lakhs
Ford Fiesta 2011 1.5 TiVCT Petrol Trend : Rs. 8.77 Lakhs
Ford Fiesta 2011 1.5 TiVCT Petrol Titanium : Rs. 9.17 Lakhs
Ford Fiesta 2011 1.5 TiVCT Petrol Titanium+ : Rs. 9.42 Lakhs
Ford Fiesta 2011 1.5 TiCVT Petrol Automatic: Rs. 10.2 Lakhs (estimated price- launch in Jan 2012)

Honda City Corporate MT, E MT and S MT Vs Ford Fiesta 1.5 Petrol Style

The Ford Fiesta comes in 4 variants and the starting price is way above the starting price of New Honda City 2011. The fiesta base variant comes loaded with full safety features like ABS and EBD , dual airbags, energy absorbing crumple zones, child locks, engine immobilizer etc. Also it comes with in-built audio system with 6 speakers, steering mounted audio controls, audio system with CD/MP3/Radio and Aux-input, body coloured outside door handles, mirrors, and bumpers, driver seat height adjust, tilt steering, follow me home headlamps, battery saver technology, rear center armrest with cup holders, electric boot lid opener, electrically adjustable outside rear view mirrors etc.

The features which Fiesta offers on the base Style variant are close to the feature list of Honda City S MT variant which is priced at Rs. 8.2 Lakhs which is almost the same price as the new Fiesta 2011. So if you are planning to buy a car below Rs. 8 Lakhs ex-showroom tag, Fiesta 2011 has no variants in this bracket and Honda City is a sensible choice in this budget. In case you are looking for above Rs. 8 lakh car, then comparing the Honda City S MT with Fiesta 2011 Style 1.5 Petrol, the feature set is very similar and the price is also very close. If you want a more sporty car with sharp control and good features, go for Fiesta 2011, and if you are looking for a more sophisticated and better interior comfort, City will please you slightly better.

Honda City V MT Vs Ford Fiesta 1.5 Petrol Trend

In the V MT variant, which is the top trim level without sunroof, the City offers Chrome outside door handles, alloy wheels, fog lamps, turn indicators on the OVRMs, Exhaust pipe chrome finish, silver finishing on inside door handles, tweeters in the audio system(Fiesta offers in all variants), Cruise Control which fiesta does not offer in this variant.

The Trend variant of Fiesta 1.5 Petrol adds Fog lamps, alloy wheels, more chrome on front and rear, footwell lamps and automatic climate control system. Looking at the feature additions and the feature set, the Fiesta is ahead with the automatic climate control, but lags at the cruise control system in trend variant. City seems to be a better value for money in this price.

Honda City V MT Vs Ford Fiesta 1.5 Petrol Titanium and Titanium Plus

In Titanium and Titanium Plus variants, Fiesta adds on to Chrome Belt Liners, leather wrapped steering wheel, instrument panel with metallic finish, metallic finish on inside door handles and around AC vents and on gear knobs. It offers automatic climate control with with voice commands, electrically foldable outside rear view mirrors, digital clock, distance to empty, fuel computer, Bluetooth Pairing with Phone and voice control for audio system and phone etc. The Titanium Plus only gets two additional features over Titanium – Cruise Control system and reverse parking sensors. The price premium of Ford Fiesta 2011 Titanium and Titanium Plus over the City V MT is about Rs. 47,000 and Rs. 77,000 which is a big difference in price. But the features like Bluetooth pairing with voice control and Precise handling of the Fiesta is something which is quite unique. In terms of value for Money, City V MT is a better choice.

Honda City V AT Vs Ford Fiesta 1.5 Petrol Titanium AT

The Ford Fiesta 1.5 Petrol Titanium AT is yet to be launched in India, but it has been exclusively previewed to media and the launch will take place in first week of January 2012. The estimated price of this car will be Rs. 10.2 Lakhs Ex-showroom Delhi. Comparing it with the V AT of Honda City at Rs. 9.42 Lakhs, it does seem overpriced, but there is a huge difference in the technology of these automatic transmission. The Fiesta uses a 6 speed dual clutch automatic while the City uses a conventional torque-converter type transmission with 5 speed options. However, the City does offer sporty pedal shift which Fiesta does not. So both cars have their pros and cons, I would say test drive both and decide which Automatic you like better. I personally prefer a dual clutch transmission of Fiesta over City’s conventional one, but leave the choice up to you. I would call it a tie.

Car Blog India verdict – New Honda City 2011 Petrol Vs Ford Fiesta 2011 Petrol

For low cost variants of Honda City, the Fiesta does not have any competition, so City is the obvious choice, but for higher variants Fiesta does count good on features. Overall City is a better option for manual transmission options, but for Automatic, the Fiesta dual clutch is a better performer. Test drive before you make up your mind.

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