Not too long ago, Honda introduced us to the City Hatchback to replace the Honda Jazz and along with that, we made a comparison article between the two that you can check out here.
Before the Honda City Hatchback, the only viable competitor for the Honda Jazz was the Toyota Yaris.
Performance
The Honda City Hatchback and Toyota Yaris both offer 1.5-litre four-cylinder engines with DOHC and variable valve timing technology.
The City Hatchback pumps out 127hp and 145Nm while the hybrid variant pumps out 98hp and 127Nm via the internal combustion engine with a separate 108hp and 253Nm from the electric motors of Honda’s complex i-MMD system, both of which significantly outperform the Yaris which only puts out 107hp and 140Nm across the range.
Exterior
It cannot be said enough that looks are highly subjective but in this case, many of us agree that the City Hatchback is a more handsome and mature-looking hatchback compared to the Yaris.
At the front, the City Hatchback starts with Halogen projectors and only features LEDs as you progress to the V-spec and onwards while the Yaris is equipped with LED headlamps with the ‘Follow Me Home’ function available in all variants.
At the rear, the tables are turned with the City Hatchback coming with full LED rear lights across the range while the Yaris is equipped with bulbed rear lights for the lowest spec and LEDs for the higher specs.
Interior
Similar to the exterior, the design and layout of the interior boils down to your personal preference. However, with the Yaris being two years older than the City Hatchback, things are starting to look a little outdated when put side to side with the City Hatchback.
Starting with the infotainment system, the City Hatchback is fitted with an eight-inch display while the Yaris loses out with a seven-inch display but take note that the entry-level specs for both cars will not be fitted with said screens.
Another thing that the City Hatchback wins over the Yaris is the instrument cluster. The Yaris includes a 4.2-inch Multi-Information Display with the lowest spec getting a fully analogue cluster, a sad offering compared to the City Hatchback’s seven-inch infotainment cluster in the V-Sensing and RS specs when lower specs get a partially digital cluster.
Climate controls are also made simpler and straightforward for the City Hatchback with rotating dials fitted to the centre console to adjust temperatures swiftly. On the other hand, the Yaris is fitted with buttons pointing up and down to adjust the temperature which seems like an inferior system to us.
Safety
The City Hatchback takes the cake once again when it comes to safety. With all of its Honda Sensing features on the V-Sensing and RS specs like Lane Departure Warning and Mitigation (stops the car from weaving out roads), Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Warning as well as Collision Mitigation Braking (autonomously stops the car from crashing onto the car in front) it proves that safety is no weak point of the car.
The City also comes with nice features like the Honda Lane Watch feature that shows the left blindspot of the car, ISOFIX I-Size type for your child, and one of the most important features as a Malaysian; Auto Brake Hold which allows you to let your foot off the brake during a traffic jam without putting it in park.
The Yaris scores some points back with its abundance of safety bags numbering at seven safety bags across all specs compared to the City Hatchback’s six on higher specs and four on lower specs (yikes), the Yaris also comes with a 3D Panoramic View Monitor and a front Digital Video Recorder across the range so you don’t have to install one in the aftermarket yourself anymore.
Price
Prices for the City Hatchback start from RM 75,669 to a whopping RM 107,783 while the Yaris starts from RM 73,800 to RM 87,600. It wouldn’t be comparing apples-to-apples if we were to compare the range-topping variants from both cars as the City Hatchback is much more expensive than the range-topping Yaris and of course, it would be the better car by a long shot.
So out of the two Japanese hatchbacks, which would you choose? In this scenario, it all boils down to how much you are willing to spend on the City Hatchback as it is no doubt the superior car when fully specced out.
Suppose you think RM 107,783 is too much for a City Hatchback. In that case, both cars are similarly matched when comparing variants with a similar price tag with the City Hatchback packing more modern features and the Yaris with better safety.
For more details, check out the Honda City Hatchback and Toyota Yaris here!
