Honda City [2011-2014] User Reviews

Well, a new City version had come and I had my sights on it for a long time. Pronto, I went to Sundaram Honda(being in the heart of the City,its always the 1st choice).

Trip 1:
10 days after launch they said that the car is not even on display,apparently Honda had launched it prematurely.

Trip 2:
30 days after launch, car is on display;however only one for cannot do a test drive

Trip3:
40 days after launch, car on display and many outside the showroom - cannot do the test drive since registration has not been done

Trip4:
47 days after launch, one sales RM calls (after my multiple visits and visiting card handouts) saying that car is ready for test drive. I go for test drive,only to find out that

I can only drive around the dealership (about a one km run!) - no reason given (may be saving fuel)

Trip5:
55 days after launch  wanted to test drive an automatic as well before I zero in, hence asked for an automatic test drive vehicle, sales man said no vehicle - hence I asked him for

may be a civic (never driven a auto before); he said fine come next day morning at 10.30 AM

Trip6:
56th day after launch, I call him at 10 AM ,sales man doesnt pick up mobile - I change route and head to office. Fellow has the gall to call me at noon and check as to why I didnt land up - I told him that he didnt pick up the phone - he states, sorry sir - It was on 'silent'  mode !  I say fine, let me come same day evening

Trip7:
56th day, as agreed I land up at 7.30 PM to try the civic, after making me wait for 30 mins he says that there is no civic available, hence I need to come the next day.

Trip8:
I give up, I ask him for proforma invoice with the pricing, he makes me wait for 30 mins and hands me one,with some errors, I ask him to change and send it to my office. He states thatsnot possible - I need to come and collect it.

Now,move over to Capital Honda

Day 1 - I call capital honda, by calling to a number available on Google, some sales head picks up the phone and states that he will depute me a sales RM.
Day 2: Sales RM calls me,takes my details - I ask for a test drive, he agrees and we decide to meet at 11.30 next day.
Day 3: Sales RM calls me at 11 AM and confirms the test drive.
Day 3: lands up sharp at 11.30,  I have a test drive (10 kms long) sales RM doesnt utter a word of dissent. He hands a neat cover with details of pricing,a brochure and a copy of the latest autocar - which carries a special segment on Honda City (probably paid for for Honda folks !)
Day4: Sales RM calls me again, I ask him for a automatic test drive, he says he has none - but he can arrange for a test drive if I come to the showroom (near the airport hence a long drive)
Day4: I land up at the showroom, I get coffee (In my 10 Sundaram visits, I was offered nothing!) small thing,but makes a difference. I take the test drive and I ask for the sales RM's honest opinion whether I should take the auto or manual, he states manual. I ask him for a car in Dec, he recommends Jan stating that I will get a better resale value (honesty!); Sundaram guy wanted me to take delivery in the last week of Dec itself.
Day 5: I ask for all colours available,he states that black is not not available in showrooms and he will call me if he has one.
Day 7: He calls me that black is available and I can take a look.
Day 8 : I book the car and I am writing the review.

The service levels between the 2 dealerships are not comparable. For a decision I had to visit Sundaram Honda almost 10 times, it took me one visit to Capital Honda to book the car through them (another visit was to see a new colour!)

In the CityBad Service

Hi There,

Just trying to help out asprirant buyers, as I saw a lot of Crap posted on this site about the superb Machine :

Owned : New City  S MT Alabaster Silver , Date :Jan 2009 ,KM - 2000 Done

Also Considered / Drove : Aveo 1.6 LT, Verna, Fiesta, SX4.

Now the impressives:

1. Drive Quality is Ultra Smooth, Just wanna propose You guys to test drive this first before making any decisions. Cabin, Engine remains silen even at RPM"S of 5-6. The Steering is Ultra smooth and Far better than I have ever seen, am not comparing with CIVIC and Accord.

2. Pick up : Is amazing, many times I have breezed ahead of SX4 or Fiestas in my city, quite comfortably at 120KMPH.

3. Milage : Though as Honda owners you should not even look into this. But still the performance is decent , City conditions  = 14 with AC on.

4. Spacious,

5. Audio quality is ultra fine without even a single Db of Noice at Max bass / Treble.

Now to clarify on Cons:

1. I am 6 feet tall and hence find that a liitle more head room could make driving in city conditions more comfortable, but this is the reason which makes the car looks sleek and as per aerodynamics to cut through the air drag. A seat height adjuster complements this.

2. Seat covers are absent, But I got the ones of my choice from Noida Central Auto market at just 3000/- only, quality = Poly Urathane.

3. Get the Garwale window films on windows and front shields to doulble the impact of AC. Costed me 2400 from same shop.

4. Dont go by fake comments on Plastic interiors, I must say that They could have been better, but in no way its untolerable, I know its a car and not 5 * Lounge .  Would like to add that you cant give away drive qualitty  and Powerful engine just for Interiors.

Overall its an amazing car both for sports and Family due to its extreme engineering.

If you have any doubts, lets race anytime.

Post your specific queries to lalit_sr2002@yahoo.co.in

Good Drive quality,Ultra Smooth Steering control, Silent Cabin, spacious, Fuel EconomyPlastic interiors, head room

Exterior Good overall styling, infact inspired some of the other car makers.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) While car makers in India are moving to beige interiors calling it the 'rich' feel, you need to look at the practical side as well. Given the dust & pollution in India, more than a driver, you need a cleaner for your car!!! Features are not at par with rivals or even the cars in lower categories & I guess that's purely because Honda never cared about being customer centric since it was selling volumes without being so until the like of VW Vento & Hyundai Verna started giving it a run for it's money. Take for example the blue tooth connectivity & indicators or rear view mirrors have been avaiable on i10 for over a year now, why not the City??? And last but not the least, not even climate control??? Space & Comfort are fair enough.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine performance is good even with an automatic gearbox, can't complain about the pick-up & the option of shifting to manual gives it an edge over competition.

Fuel Economy for an automatic version is disappointing at 10.5 kmpl when the manual version gives over 14 kmpl.

Ride Quality & Handling Superb!!!

Final Words With the exception of fuel economy, it is a great buy. I love the car.

Areas of improvement Features - blue tooth connectivity, steering mounted controls, reverse parking sensors, electronically retracting rear view mirrors, climate control etc. etc.

Drive, Styling, Comfort, LooksFuel Average, Features, No alloy wheel for step-in tyre

I was planning for this car for quite some time and finally managed to get it on Jan 7th.This is my 1st review post delivery of the vehicle and will update it later as I drive more.

Pros:

1. Car looks good from the front,rear looks odd,though.

2. Engine at low RPM(metro-driving) is very smooth

3.Its quite easy to drive (you cant beat an i-10 on this, i-10 is a toy and recommended for everyone incl ladies and senior folks)

4.Being a Honda,I expect a maintenance free and long engine life apart from a good re-sale value.

Cons:

1.Interiors suck, its a 9 lakh rupee car!!!

2. Given our roads,its quite a bumpy ride

3.No accessories whatsoever! Not even mud-flaps!!!No music system,no wood finish,no alloys,not even a trunk mat!

4.The dealer prices for accessories are very high - Rs 34 K for a leather seats, Rs 7K for side-beading!!!, Rs 1.5 K for 4 mudflaps made of leather....

While the vehicle is good, its just too expensive and you will end up spending another 50-60K on music system/interiors etc....if you can do upgrade to Civic or look at Fiat Linea...but yes,if you want peace of mind - go for it.....

Good looks, Honda badgeBad interiors,basic accessories missing,expensive accessories at dealers end

Before purchasing the all new Honday City (automatic), I had a chance to test drive many others - like, Honda Civic, Toyota Altis, Maruti SX4 etc. I looked at many reviews where people mentioned that SX4 is a better choice because it comes 'fully loaded'. To me SX4 looked too FAT and bulky - didn't have the sporty look. It also didn't have the auto-transmission option. Civic was a bit old - I was told that Civic will have a newer version shortly. Altis was good but the dearler's workshop was far from my house. I finally chose Honda City. It has an extremely good look and had an exceptional low noise engine with a performance of 118 PS. I had a Ford Fusion which had 101 PS with 16 litre engine. But then, I separately purchased alloy wheels and many other accessories to make my Honda City a 'fully loaded' version - barring the air-conditioner which is not a ACC. But who cares? The air conditioner is very powerful. I also noticed that the road grip at higher speed is much more improved than the earlier version of Honda City which felt a bit light while turning. Overall, a must buy and should not be compared to SX4.Fuel Economy, Looks, Road Grip, PowerBasic accessories

The car is overall good, but it hurts that they reduced the price after I bought my Honda City in Diwali last year. even more disturbing is its performance on the Mumbai roads.

I commute in my City from Thane to BKC everyday and everyday its a fatigue event for me, Especially since the road conditions are not getting any better, it feels almost as if I have got off an air conditioned autorickshaw. 

Have checked with my service dealer Hallmark Honda, they say nothing can be done as it is a 'semi-sports' car design and has issues in the suspension. there is definitely something wrong as I have travelled in this car in its earlier version (the dolphin one), it did not have this issue. Its come up in the new Arrow design, where everything seems to have improved but the suspension has actually deteriorated.  Really not expected from a car that sells in the 10 lakh segment. Am looking for a way out as I cannot sell the car, nor can I get used to the bumpy ride. If anyone has a solution, pl let me know at amol_md@yahoo.com, really appreciate it.

SpaciousSuspension & shock absorbers

value for money when you compare with other cars available in the same class . has i vtec engine like the civic . i dont know why they dont have alloy wheels but anyways the design , comfort and driving is smooth. would definitely recommend a buy on this car . i would prefer automatic if one has to drive more in the city like mumbai.

Its been 800 km today with my new 1.5 SMT and its been a good (not excellent)  experience so far. Few points new buyer must keep in mind:

- Car is not so stable at high speeds (120+)

- Taking reverse will be very tough for new drivers due to visibility as the car curves inwards to the tail.

- Fuel economy not as good as promised as i got a 12.5 km mileage after a 150 km straight drive. The fuel economy indicator (which can be a major distraction!) doesnt give fair results. Hope this gets better with first service.

- Ground clearance needs improvement as medium humps hit bottom side.

- Passenger comfort in rear seat could be better as potholes become obvious at times especially in a car of this price.

On a positive note:

- Drive is ultra smooth (best i have had till date). Wouldnt realize the engine is running if not for the RPM (tacho) meter.

- Music system is very good, especially the pen drive option. Though initially i felt CD drive is a must have, the fact that you can rip and load music on pen drive makes life very easy. If you run Windows Vista with windows media player, the rip feature makes copying easier.

- Very spacious car with lots of space for rear passengers too.

- Makes every (ok most) cars look obsolete when next to it. This is not just my view but my friends agree with it too.

Overall i am happy with my decision as it is based on experience with my previous car a diesel Palio. Few key resons as to why i still chose the new City:-

- Honda brand: Based on feedback from previous owners understand that this brand means reliability, economy (running cost and maintenance) and good re sale value.

- Diesel doesnt mean cheap at all as lot of maintenance work creeps from 3rd or 4th year onwards thereby wiping all savings made in terms of fuel cost.

- Fill it forget it..

Will update this after 1500 km.

 

Attracts attention with exterior / smooth city drive / spaciousPlastic / small size tyres / rear visibility

 

Honda has atlast woken up from its siesta. The honda city is the costliest c segment car on indian roads. Apart from good looks and a respectable mileage (on highways only) there are many disadvantages to it. namely 1) Not a comfortable and wide sitting like to vento and dzire. ingress egress is difficult for senior citizens. 2) hump below the front seats (god knows for what) force you to keep your legs in one position , very uncomfortable in long drives. 3) The suspension is hard and a low ground clearance hits the car on lowest speed breakers 4) lack of turbo engine on car costing more than 10 lacs. 5) Vital CD/ MP3 player missing. 6) Average in city traffic is not more than 9 kmpl (mumbai) highway best is 14 -16 Kmpl. 6) Loads of gizmos missing like reverse sensors / cameras, electric folding ORVM, Bluetooth 7) The car gives good mileage because of lightwieght body. It does not give good grip at very high speeds of 140 plus. Though stable at 110 kmph.
They should build a tough car like the etios / vento / dzire and provide top of line features like the fluidic verna. From past records it is seen that honda had to change city model 3 times in ten years. All 3 model were deadly and futuristic in looks and appeal. Cars like hyundai accent still sell with same looks and model just because of reliabilty and fair pricing. The looks appeal people only initially, then the competition seeps in. I would prefer honda to be a tougher car with more equipment, then paying 20 % more than the competiton will be justified. THOUGH, I MUST SAY HONDA SERVICE WAS GOOD.  
I just sold off my new honda city I-VTec in less than 6 months and used it only 4000 Kms. I thought I would get a good resale for the honda name, but I was mistaken , it does not matter in today's secondhand market, as vento / dzire are more in demand. I lost a a valuable 2,10,000/- in six months. Wake up Call for you Honda.😦.

 

GOOD LOOKS, FINISHMANY - READ THE REVIEW