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Skoda’s newly launched mid-size sedan, the Slavia, is here to take on the likes of the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the Hyundai Verna. It replaces the Rapid in the brand's lineup and is the second product under their ambitious India 2.0 project. The soaring sales of compact SUVs might have shifted the focus off the mid-size sedan segment but that’s exactly what the Slavia aims to change by injecting a lot of zest and excitement in the segment. With this brief introduction, let’s move on to the comparison so that you can consider the one which suits you.
Customers would be looking for a sedan that’s big on dimensions, something that they could flaunt with pride. In this aspect, the Slavia has a few numbers that are segment-leading. Its wheelbase is the longest, it is the widest, and it also boasts of the largest boot. In that sense, everyday practicality and utility have been given utmost importance while designing the Slavia, and it shows.
The City trumps it in terms of length and height, but only by a small margin. Where the City lacks is in terms of wheelbase, which at 2600mm is similar to that of the Verna, which could hint at lesser space for the rear occupants. The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, on the other hand, is just 1mm shy in terms of its wheelbase as compared to the Slavia. The wheelbase of the Slavia is 2651mm, identical to the Kushaq, courtesy of the MQB-A0-IN platform. One noteworthy mention is that while the Slavia shares the same platform as the Kushaq, it is 8mm less in terms of width and 316mm longer.
The other decisive factor for a customer buying a car is the boot space. The Slavia boasts the biggest boot space in this lot of 521 litres, followed by the Ciaz with 510 litres. The City is marginally less with 506 litres of space. Meanwhile, the more compact design of the Verna has robbed some interior and cargo space.
Next up are the wheels. Every car in the comparison has 16-inch wheels in their top variants and 15-inch for the lower trims. We think that the Salvia and the City would look great with 17-inch wheels, though that would impact ride quality.
The Slavia comes with two petrol engine options. First is the 1-litre TSI engine, which is the more affordable of the two drivetrains. It might look small on paper but it certainly has good performance as we’ve found out in the Skoda Kushaq – even on the highway. It is available with two transmission options – a six-speed manual and a six-speed torque converter automatic. However, enthusiasts wanting more performance have the option of the 1.5 TSI as well. It has more power and a wider spread of torque making it more effortless in its performance. It also has active cylinder deactivation tech which makes it even more fuel-efficient than the aforementioned 1-litre TSI. And if you opt for the seven-speed DSG, you can also enjoy the steering-mounted paddle shifters. If there is a chink in its armour, it is the lack of a diesel powertrain.
The Verna here takes advantage of its diesel power unit along with two petrol engines. Its 1.5-litre diesel engine makes 113.4bhp and 250Nm of torque, and comes with a six-speed manual and a six-speed torque-converter automatic. The 1.5-litre nat-asp petrol engine makes the same power, but with lesser torque that’s rated at 143Nm and can be had with a six-speed manual or a CVT automatic transmission. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine promises the driving thrills with exciting performance on offer – 118bhp and 172Nm, and comes with a seven-speed DCT gearbox with paddle shifters as well
Honda City also gets a pair of 1.5-litre engines, one petrol and one diesel. Its petrol engine produces 6bhp more than the 1-litre engine on the Slavia, and is rated at 119bhp with a significantly lower torque of 145Nm (30Nm less) since it is naturally aspirated. It can be paired either to a six-speed manual or a CVT. The diesel engine on offer is exclusively available with a six-speed manual and generates the lowest power that’s rated at 98bhp, but it makes a strong 200Nm of torque.
Lastly, as Maruti Suzuki has ditched the diesel engines after the BS6 era, the Ciaz has only the 1.5-litre petrol engine with the option of a five-speed manual and a four-speed AT gearbox. The engine offers 103bhp and 138Nm, lower figures than the Slavia’s but it promised higher efficiency that is aided by the Smart Hybrid Technology.
Let’s start with the Slavia as it is the newest entrant in the segment. It gets a modern-day interface with a 10-inch infotainment system that also supports wireless smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, enabling you to enjoy your music from the six-speaker sound system. There is another 8-inch screen for the digital instrument cluster. Adding to the comfort features are a host of additions like an electric sunroof, ventilated front seats, automatic headlights, automatic wipers and automatic climate control. But the Slavia misses out on new-age smart control features like Honda with Alexa integration or Hyundai’s BluLink integration. That said, it does get some basic connected car features for safety and convenience.
Moving on, the Honda City has set the benchmark for what can be expected from a car of this segment. It has a 7-inch screen for the instrument cluster and an 8-inch screen for the infotainment duties with Alexa integration which offers features like find my car, tyre deflation status, battery malfunction status, time fence alert, fuel status and other service features. It has automatic headlights, a blind-spot monitoring system, keyless entry, geo-fencing and a remote start/stop feature. Furthermore, the Honda City makes use of 9-LED array headlamps with follow-me-home and lead-me-to-car features.
The Hyundai Verna doesn’t fall short of kit either. It has a 4.2-inch TFT MID sitting in the middle of its digital instrument cluster and an 8-inch touchscreen for the infotainment display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. The Verna gets a number of premium features like the front ventilated seats, wireless phone charger, electric sunroof, glove box cooling and voice recognition and headlamp escort function.
The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has a rather humble feature list here, and it shows its age in the market. It has the basic features you’d expect from a new-age car – a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, keyless entry, cruise control, voice control and smart navigation. However, it doesn’t have a sunroof and many other features like ventilated seats, auto headlights, middle rear 3-point seatbelt, curtain airbags and wireless charger.
In terms of the features, the Skoda Slavia is kitted as well as the Honda City and the Hyundai Verna.
Prices of the Slavia aren’t out but going by the Kushaq’s pricing, we expect Skoda to price the Slavia with a slightly higher asking price as compared to its rivals, which means it could sit between the Rs 12-18 lakh price bracket.
With a starting price of Rs 8.72 lakh, the Ciaz is the most affordable car in this shootout which explains the lack of a few premium features. However, it still offers customers with a big-car experience making it popular in the segment. It is also backed by Maruti Suzuki’s extensive dealer and after-market sales and service network. One rung up is the Verna which offers more powertrain options that are widely suited to a lot of customers. The starting price of the Verna is Rs 9.28 lakh and goes up to Rs 15.32 for the top shelf diesel automatic. Then there is the Honda City, which is the current class benchmark. Prices start at Rs 11.16 lakh and tops out at Rs 15.11 lakh.
How does the Slavia stack up? Well, it certainly looks handsome and should inject some life into this segment. It has got world-class powertrains (though lacks a diesel), has plenty of equipment and is a reasonably large car as well, which should go down well with buyers in this segment. A new class benchmark? We’re going to have to wait for a full-blown comparison test for that!
