Honda City vs. Ford Fiesta vs. Hyundai Elantra Review

Overall, the Honda City is better than the Ford Fiesta and the Hyundai Elantra

Euphoria. This is the perfect word to describe the feeling when may father told me he will buy me a car. So I quickly browsed the internet to read car reviews. I visited various websites including Topgear, and C Magazine, among others. Based on pricing, looks, and quality, I narrowed down my choices to City, Elantra and Fiesta.

If you are the observant type, you would have noticed by now that there is something wrong with my shortlist. Obviously it's not because the manufacturers are different. It's also not because one is from Japan, the other is from Korea, and the last, United States. Still no clue?

Well, it's because the City and Fiesta are from the subcompact category while Elantra is in the compact category. Their sizes are also different. Small, medium and large.

This is precisely why I wrote this piece. When I conducted my "research", I didn't come across any article that compared these cars (or maybe I didn't look hard enough).

I will keep this short and simple. I won't distinguish the displacement of their engines, the type of transmission, the car's suspension, and all other technical matters, which are beyond my comprehension. Just put the brochures side by side and compare them. Or, if you were like me who spent so much time reading the car's literature over and over again, you've already memorized them by now. What I will share to you, instead, is the subjective aspect - the emotions it stirred in me when I actually saw it in person.

Ford Fiesta

The first time I saw a Ford Fiesta I instantly liked it. It's hard not to stare at this car because of it's sporty design and fun colors. That's why it's not surprising that there's so many of them in the roads and that it's Ford Philippines' top selling vehicles, if I am not mistaken.

This was actually our first choice because of Ford's P99K All-in promo and the relatively affordable price tag. However, I changed my mind for several reasons. 

First, it's the smallest of the three. This means that you'll have lesser room to put stuff in it. It will also be uncomfortable for your passengers, if and when, you decide to go on a road trip. Aside from storage and comfort issues, it also doesn't look good for a guy to have such a small car. In other words, the Ford Fiesta doesn't add pogi points to you unless you modify the car to look like a race or rally car. 

Second, the materials in the interior look second-rate. This surprised me because the interior looked nice in the pictures but, when you actually see it in the metal and in full daylight, you'll realize that you've been fooled. The plastic looks and feels inexpensive. The tachometer is not nice to look at. The leather in the steering wheel also feels shoddy.

In sum, the Ford Fiesta lacks the oomph factor and attention to detail. The exterior looks good but the interior is disappointing. In the end, the latter is more important since you'll be spending more time inside the car than outside. A beautifully made interior enhances the driving pleasure. 

Hyundai Elantra

When I first saw this on the road, I couldn't take my eyes off it, especially the rear end. It also came in nice colors and it looked good in every one of them, except the Clean Blue.

But just like the Fiesta, I was disappointed with its interior. Its only saving grace is the topnotch tachometer. But overall the materials look cheap. The steering wheel lacks that premium feel. The dashboard fails to evoke any emotion. In other words, it's too plain. I don't hate it. But I also don't like it. It's like the title of Dishwalla's song, Somewhere in the Middle.

As I said, Elantra's exterior is very appealing. But, at the end of the day, its interior lacks passion and attention to detail. Plus, this car is the priciest of the three.

Honda City

When Honda redesigned the City several years ago, they already made it good looking. But with the 2012 model, they made it even better looking, inside and out.

Exterior-wise, the Hyundai Elantra is the overall winner. But the City is not too far away. I particularly like the tail lights and the chrome grille.

 Interior-wise, the Honda City leads by miles. The moment you step in, you'll instantly notice the attention to detail in this car. The material of the steering wheel feels premium. The plastics look like they were meant for high-end European cars. The tachometer is looks great with its white LED backlight. The dashboard is stunning. To put it simply, the Honda City feels and looks sophisticated. It feels like you're driving a high-end car but without the expensive price tag. If that isn't value for money, I don't know what is.

The Honda City is also competitively priced. Its top of the line variant, the 1.5E, is only P2000 more expensive than the Ford Fiesta's.

****

To be honest, every time I see a Hyundai Elantra, it makes me think if I made the right decision. The Elantra just looks too good in the outside. But overall, I'm happy that I chose the Honda City.

*** N.B. Honda Cars Rizal's service is excellent. They called me to check up on the unit given to me, whether I had complaints, and whether their personnel assisted me well, among others. They also reminded me about the periodic maintenance service of my City. Mitsubishi has a lot to learn from Honda. They're poles apart when it comes to after-sales service. I know this because we previously owned a Montero and was the one who always brought it to Mitsubishi for PMS.