The curious divergence between Toyota and Honda (with a focus on the Vios and City)

I still remember the epic battles between Honda and Toyota back in the 90s and early 2000s—when there were just half a dozen car brands in the market.  

For over a decade the Civic and Corolla traded bestselling car status with each new model launch. The mid- to late-90s saw the Accord wallop the Camry, although the second-gen Camry returned the favor (and has since retained its dominance in the executive sedan market to this day). And while the City beat the Vios to a Philippine market debut by half a decade, it became a bruising battle for both cars at the turn of the millennium.

Today Toyota is the undisputed leader while Honda is struggling to be in the Top 5. Which is not to say that Honda doesn’t have any strong models—the Civic, after all, is still a bestseller in the compact sedan class. And I have no hesitation in saying that the Brio and Jazz have been the best in their respective classes while the City, Accord, HR-V and CR-V are easily in the Top 3 in their categories. 

What is most intriguing, however, is that while the two brands’ competing models have always been nearly identical spec for spec, their latest iterations have diverged to a degree that they have become polar opposites—if not in size and price, definitely in character.    

Case in point: the Civic and Corolla Altis, especially in top-of-the-line form, have become diametrically opposed, with the Civic going all sleek and flashy and being powered by a robust turbo VTEC engine and the Altis going the opposite direction with an elegantly minimalist styling and an available fuel-sipping hybrid drivetrain. 

Ditto the Camry and Accord under the hood. The Camry goes for a 2.5-liter NA motor whereas the Accord goes the turbo route in an engine a full one liter in displacement smaller than the Toyota’s. 

Which brings us to their most popular models: the Vios and City. I got to drive the flagship variants of each model recently, the newly introduced Vios 1.5 GR-S and the City 1.5 RS—both in red. Even with the same color, it’s easy to see how each carmaker is positioning its top model. The Vios GR-S’ Super Red is virtually the quintessential red you see in a Ferrari—retina-searing and head-turning. The City RS’ Ignite Red Metallic, on the other hand, is a very subdued (for a red) metallic shade that’s actually cool to the eyes. 

Both cars sport the two brands’ latest design language, especially from the front. The City RS’ is very upscale, with a blunt nose topped by very expensive-looking LED headlamp/DRL clusters. The RS differentiates itself from lower City variants with its black honeycomb grille, LED foglamps recessed in what I would describe as a Spider-Man-themed housing, unique 16-inch wheels, a gloss black rear spoiler, black side mirrors, and a rear diffuser in cool carbon-fiber finish.  

The Vios GR-S, meanwhile, makes the most of its Gazoo Racing inspiration by sporting pretty much all accessories on the GR catalog: a hyper-aggressive blacked-out mesh grille with large black foglamp surrounds, a chin spoiler, and side skirts. Like the City RS, the Vios GR-S boasts a gloss-black rear spoiler, an even more pronounced blacked-out rear diffuser, black side mirrors, and 16-inch wheels. To that, it adds black door handles and black paint on the alloy wheels—definitely way more visually aggressive than the City RS.

Ironically, their very divergent exteriors belie almost identical drivetrains—both cars are propelled by 1.5-liter 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve engines (VVTi for the Vios and VTEC for the City), both mated to a CVT (with an admirable 10 preset speeds for the Vios GR-S). 

Outputs? The City has the slight edge: 121ps and 145Nm versus the Vios’ 106ps and 140Nm. You’ll just have to rev the City’s motor a bit higher to get more oomph: 4,300 rpm for max torque and 6,600 rpm for max horsepower; the Vios reaches its peak power/torque numbers at a lower 6000rpm/4,200rpm. On the road, this gives the Vios, despite its 15hp deficit, a slightly more responsive feel. On a top speed run, however, the City would likely tap out a tad later than the Vios.

It’s just too bad that neither variant offers sporting drivers (who aren’t daunted by repeated shifting in traffic) with a manual transmission. The City, after all, comes with a slick 6-speed stick in the S variant. And I’ve driven a 1.5-liter Vios with a 5-speed manual in the inaugural Vios Cup and can attest to the exhilarating experience a rev-happy engine and a stickshift can deliver. At least both cars have paddle shifters that let drivers play Max Verstappen. Both cars deliver reasonably responsive paddle-actuated shifts as well—at least as far as CVTs go. In other words, don’t expect Porsche PDK-levels of instantaneous gearshifts.  

Don’t expect much sportier handling or braking from these two as well. Aside from the upsized wheels and tires, the brakes and suspension of the RS and GR-S are the same as those found on its lower-end siblings. The payoff is that both cars still deliver an impressive balance between comfort and responsiveness. Demerits, though, for the City RS for its rear drum brakes (the Vios GR-S has four-wheel discs). There’s also a subtle difference also in the two cars’ 16-inch tires: the City is slightly biased for comfort with its 185/55 Dunlops while the Vios goes for more traction and stance with its 195/50 Bridgestone Turanzas. 

They do have a more generous suite of smart driver assist technologies like    Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist, and Hill-Start Assist (HSA) compared to their lower-end brethren, with the City further adding Agile Handling Assist (AHA) and Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) to the mix. 

Inside, both cars again have a sporty theme, with leather-and-suede with red stitching on the seats, door panels, gearshift lever, and steering wheel. The Vios GR-S’ perforated suede seats look like they were borrowed from the GR Supra—simply fabulous.   

The controls and switchgear for both cars are equally intuitive, although I still prefer the big round knobs of the City’s AC controls compared to the up-and-down buttons of the Vios’ fan speed/thermostat controls. The City also has a slight upper hand in rear seat legroom, thanks to its 50mm longer wheelbase. The only downer for rear seat occupants of both cars are the center consoles that protrude way too far into the rear seat legroom, forcing the middle passenger to sit with legs splayed.   

So which car is better? You may accuse me of flaking out but it truly depends on which side of the bed you woke up on—or how old you’re feeling at the moment. If you’re in the mood for spirited driving (and some visual stimulation), go for the Vios GR-S. If you want a more relaxed and subdued drive, choose the City RS. The former is an espresso that will stir your senses while the latter is a cappuccino that will soothe your soul. Ultimately, they are different brews of the same bean—robust, full-bodied, and utterly satisfying.