New Honda City Diesel vs Petrol: Engine Comparison

The new 2014 Honda City is possibly one of the most awaited and hottest cars of recent times. Honda India’s prices for the new 2014 Honda City came as quite a shocker for most of us too, with the Petrol starting at Rs 7.42 Lakh and the Diesel at Rs 8.62 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). We recently brought you an in depth review of the Honda City where we drove both the variants to find out which one was better. While India has been patiently waiting for Honda to plonk in a diesel engine and it certainly does not disappoint, Honda’s famous i-VTEC petrol engine too is as good if not better than ever before making it difficult to choose between the two powerplants.

Power and Torque:

The new 2014 Honda City diesel makes a respectable 100PS of peak power at 3600RPM and 200NM of peak torque at 1750RPM. The petrol on the other hand makes about 20% more power at 119PS but 25% less torque at 145Nm. The 2014 Honda City diesel’s i-DTEC engine makes most of its torque and power lower down in the rev range making it quite peppy to drive in the city as well as on the open highways. However, if you like free revving engines, there are a few that would match the creamy smoothness and overall fun factor offered by the 2014 Honda City petrol’s i-VTEC

Fuel Economy:

According to claims, the new 2014 Honda City diesel gives 26kmpl according to official ARAI test figures. This makes the Honda City India’s most fuel-efficient car. Although the City will never really be able to match the test figures in real life situations, the City will still return a more than respectable realistic figure under average driving conditions and situations. The Honda City petrol on the other hand with its automatic gearbox returns 18.0kmpl with the manual trailing ever so slightly behind at 17.9kmpl according to official test results. Stay tuned for a comprehensive fuel economy test from ZigWheels in the coming weeks.

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Refinement and NVH levels:

In the minds of many people in India, a diesel engine car is still something of a taboo. We have all heard the urban legends of diesel-powered cars being more difficult to maintain, noisier and generally less refined than its petrol companions. However, the new breed of diesel engines, like the new 2014 Honda City diesel’s i-DTEC is far from any of those. Yes, the new Honda City diesel is certainly a tad bit noisier than the new Honda City petrol, but it is no truck. The levels that Honda India have gone to, to ensure that the noise and vibrations are kept out of the passenger compartment are truly noteworthy. With extra sound deadening added to the firewall and the under bonnet areas, the diesel feels almost as quiet as the petrol at low revs. In terms of refinement though, the petrol powered 2014 Honda City bakes the cake and eats it too. Under normal driving conditions and at idle conditions, one has to really wonder whether the engine is switched on. At higher revs though, the new Honda City petrol does feel rougher and less refined than its predecessors. When we asked Honda engineers about this difference they explained how most Honda City customers in India drive between the 1500-4500RPM range. This finding prompted Honda to slightly tune their ECU so that the engine would be quietest and most comfortable in the above-mentioned range.

As we reported in detail about the prices for the 2014 Honda City, both variants offer a ton of refinement, gadgetry and the bulletproof Honda Badge at an affordable price point. The Honda City truly is a phenomenal value-for-money product taking the fight straight to the likes of the Hyundai Verna, the Volkswagen Vento and even crossing over model barriers to the likes of the Ford Ecosport.

Click here to read our 2014 Honda City: First Drive Report

10 Reasons to buy the new 2014 Honda City Diesel