Out with the Jazz, in with the Honda City Hatchback – Honda Malaysia has just introduced the GN-series Honda City Hatchback in Malaysia and it is aimed squarely at the Toyota Yaris.

Now, both the City Hatchback and Yaris are natural rivals – both share a similar 1.5-litre engine mated to a CVT transmission and a priced very close to each other.

• The City Hatchback offers a sophisticated hybrid powertrain and adaptive cruise control
• Yaris offers 7 airbags for all variants

Also Read: Launched in Malaysia, 2022 Honda City Hatchback fights Yaris, priced from RM 76k

Powertrain – City Hatchback has a clear lead

Under the hood of the City Hatchback lies a new 1.5-litre DOHC petrol engine (codenamed L15ZE), identical to the one found in the City. It does 121 PS at 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm at 4,300 rpm.

Like its sedan sibling, the City Hatchback also offers the sophisticated 1.5-litre petrol-electric i-MMD hybrid system that does a class-leading 253 Nm (engine: 98 PS, 127 Nm, motor: 108 PS, 253 Nm).

As for the Yaris, it also gets a 1.5-litre engine, but with only 107 PS and 140 Nm on tap.

Common across both cars is a CVT transmission that sends power to the front wheels. Additionally, the City Hatchback also offers paddle shifters, something the Yaris lacks.

Without a shadow of doubt, between these two non-national B-segment hatchbacks, the City Hatchback has the clear power and technological advantage.

Dimensions – No more funky Jazz, but the City Hatchback is massive

Overall, the City Hatchback is bigger than the Yaris in terms of length but only a smidge taller and wider than Toyota's hatchback.

It is also effectively the largest B-segment hatchback, eclipsing the Proton Iriz, Perodua Myvi, and Mazda 2.

Equipment – Practically unbeatable at this price point

Honda Malaysia is aware that the infotainment system found in the GK5 Jazz wasn’t anything to shout home about, and it’s good to see that it has been remedied.

The entry-level City Hatchback 1.5 S gets a regular, non-touch head unit, replete with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, whereas every other variant above that gets a slick 8-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support.

Audio is piped through a 4-speaker sound system on the 1.5 S and 1.5 E variants, while the 1.5 V and RS variants bump the speaker count to 8.

On the other hand, upper variants of the Toyota Yaris also offer support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, albeit on a smaller 7-inch screen. Speaker count tops out at 6 for the Yaris 1.5 G, while the 1.5 J and 1.5 E offer 4 speakers.

Also Read: Honda City Hatchback's ULTRA seats, as clever as the Jazz's, and still the segment's best

Safety – Yaris edges ahead, barely

Now, the Toyota Yaris may not be the byword when it comes to outright performance or infotainment system, it claws back against the City Hatchback thanks to its standard-across-the-range 7-airbag offering.

Variant-to-variant, the Yaris 1.5 E and 1.5 G offer considerably more safety equipment than the City Hatchback, encompassing stuff like Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert (LDA), 360-degree camera, Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), and front DVR.

In the case of the City Hatchback, the entry-level City Hatchback 1.5 S offers 4 airbags and stability control. However, the party piece, which is the Honda Sensing ADAS suite, is currently exclusive to the City Hatchback RS. That said, the Honda LaneWatch camera can be found on the 1.5 V and RS variants.

Price – Where to put your money?

The biggest question of them all: who is the cheaper one to buy? 

Refer to the table below.

Wapcar's Comment: The Yaris puts up a good fight

On the surface, it may look like the City Hatchback sweeps the floor clean – it offers the most powerful engine, propelling the largest body, wrapping the most practical cabin. The City Hatchback also offers adaptive cruise control and the slick LaneWatch camera, two feature that put it ahead of the competition, literally.

But, it’s not that straightforward.

The Toyota Yaris offers a decent equipment list and is a very dependable partner, while the icing on the cake is Toyota’s proven track record for manufacturing cars that just last. 

To keep things simple, if you are shopping on a budget, the entry Yaris 1.5 J offers better value, but if you are shopping at the upper-end, the City Hatchback 1.5 V and RS are a better buy. Or put it another way, if interior space is more important to you than after-sales support, go for the City Hatchback, or vice versa. Unfortunately when it comes to cars, you can't have it all.