When Honda decided that it would try and sell the previous-gen City alongside the new one, it landed itself into a tricky situation. Honestly, it was a gamble that had uncertainties written all over it. Looks like Honda has finally decided to accept that it is on shaky grounds. That’s why the fourth-gen City’s portfolio has been shredded to its bare-bones.

So, how savage was this shredding? Get this – there’s no CVT on offer anymore. That means the only engine-transmission combination left is the petrol-MT. On top of that, Honda has even taken away the VX and ZX trim levels. Result? As of now, the old City is available in just two forms – SV and V. In SV-spec, the sedan costs Rs 9.3 lakh, whereas the V-spec variant carries a price tag of Rs 10 lakh. Both those prices have dropped by Rs 61,000 and Rs 66,000, respectively. Now that is a constructive bit of development for consumers who were eyeing to purchase either one of them.

What do all those changes actually mean? In a nutshell, prospective City customers now have a couple of additional reasons to stretch and purchase the new version over the old one. As mentioned above, they cannot avail the convenience of a two-pedal setup anymore. Also, if they want features such as an electric sunroof, front-side and side-curtain airbags, 16-inch alloys, auto-dimming IRVM and automatic headlamps and wipers, they can’t stick with the old-gen City. The new City also offers the option of a diesel engine, a six-speed manual gearbox and slightly more powerful petrol mill.

Even more problematic for the old Honda City is that rivals like the Skoda Rapid and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz start way before on the price scale. Both those sedans have their pluses, with the Rapid flaunting robust built quality and a fun-to-drive package, and the Ciaz offering mild-hybrid tech. Other sedans, such as the Hyundai Verna, Toyota Yaris and the Volkswagen Vento, only make the situation more challenging for the old City. Do you agree?