We bought two cars in 2014 with two months gap. One was Aspire, the other one was Corolla 1.6 Auto. I have been driving noth since quite some time now and my previous car for last 8 years was a Civic. After civic, I found City to be in (close to) total control. I agree Corolla has softer suspension but that's it !
It does not have that pickup, nor does a good handling and goodies. Even the seats are not that comfortable. In the front seat, there are no body contours defined. In city, u actually sit in the seat, not ON the seat. I also kind of like the interior and exterior of Honda. It is not comparable with Civic, but is good enough.
As far as driving with 4 people is concerned, yes Corolla is better but I have driven City with 5 people and it seems okay due to added weight.
Certain negative aspects of City include a very bumpy ride on rough roads, lower gear ratios resulting in high rpms, unjustified price difference for Auto transmission, etc. Corolla is definitely better in these aspects.
I am not a huge city or Honda fan, but I just found City to be a 'bit' better than corolla for the driving style..
P.S. it's not a war between the cars but just a personal preference.