Hello Everyone. Your comrade from India here.
I have been a silent lurker on PakWheels for a few years, visiting this site once a month or so to keep myself updated on Pakistan's car scene. However, that changed in the past couple of months or so with this thread. I started to visit this specific thread almost every day. In fact if not for this thread, I don't think I would have become a member.
It was a joy to see the enthusiasm of the fellow members for the new City. The posts in this thread have been full of anticipation, coupled with sarcasm and heartbreak of not getting the 7th gen city. Some of the posts have been absolutely hilarious.
So, it is the 6th gen which is coming to Pakistan. It is a good car. I would like to share my views regarding City(6th gen) vs Yaris.
Disclaimer- I have driven neither the City Petrol nor the Yaris.
So you may ask the basis on which I am stating my opinion. Here are the multiple factors on the basis of which I am gonna be stating my opinion-
Armchair expertise(don't we all
)
Team Bhp
Having driven the Jazz(Fit) 1.2 Manual.
Having driven the Amaze(previous generation) 1.2 Manual
Having driven the WR-V 1.5 diesel. For those of you who don't know, the WR-V is the SUV version of the Jazz/Fit.
Having driven the City 1.5 diesel.
Having being inside a Yaris.
So, here it goes, the City vs Yaris-
Advantage City-
The City has the better engine. In India, the Yaris petrol is actually seen as the least preferred engine in its segment by the enthusiasts.
While looks are more about personal preference, the City looks better inside out. It looks sharper and bigger on the outside and its interior aesthetics are more appealing.
The City's cabin definitely feels more premium. When you sit inside the cabin, you will instantly notice it.
The City offers much more space than Yaris, it is Corolla rivalling actually.
I don't know about Pakistan but in India, the 6th gen used to offer more features than the Yaris.
Advantage Yaris-
Better build quality.
Toyota reliability and the Toyota badge/brand if it matters to you.
Better service centre experience on an average(in India at least).
Overall, I would say that it's the City which is the better buy, unless you really value that better build and want the Toyota badge. Yes, the Toyota reliability is there, but it's a 'Honda' we are comparing it against. The reliability factor would have played a higher role if let's say it was a Volkswagen which was being compared to a Toyota.
Thoughts on the Honda 1.2 engine-
I have driven almost all the 1.2 engines which are available in India. After the Maruti's K12 engine(not sure if K12 is available in Pakistan), it was the Honda 1.2 which impressed me the most, followed by Ford, Hyundai, VW etc.
I have also driven the Suzuki G13 in my friend's old Esteem and I gotta say that the G13 is better than the K12 if one is not concerned about mileage.
I have driven the Honda 1.2 in the Jazz(on which the 6th gen is based) and the previous gen Amaze. The engine felt 'good' in the Amaze and 'decent' in the Jazz. For reference, the previous gen Amaze weighs around 1050 kgs whereas the Jazz weighs almost 1100kgs.
Since the City weighs a 100kgs more than the Jazz, I would say that its performance in the City will range from 'acceptable' to 'not too bad'.
As far as not getting the latest generation is concerned and other factors such as getting expensive cars when compared to the world, not getting value for our money etc. is concerned, well, we are all in the same 3rd world shit. Our leaders may want us to worry more about factors such as who has won more wars, who controls more land and who has more nukes, but it is actually these daily struggles that we should be thinking about.
Just for example, the other day when I was looking for laptops and finally decided to get one after spending 90k INR when the same laptop was available in the US for 55-60k INR.
So cheer on guys, either emigrate or make the most out of what is available. These 3rd world problems affecting our countries are here to stay at least until this entire century. Ultimately, it is only about who is in more shit and who is in less.
So, to sum it up, congrats to you all for getting the 6th gen City which is a huge upgrade over the 5th gen(except for the build quality which has gotten slightly flimsy).
If you are confused between the 6th gen City and the Yaris, I would suggest you to wait. It will be worth it.
If let's say, it comes down to choosing between the 1.2 City vs 1.5 Yaris, I would prefer the 1.5 Yaris.