Honda City [2011-2014] User Reviews

Just got my new Honda City 2008 SMT version a week back.

A] How do I "feel" about the car?

I'm not easily pleased - and while I had booked this car after much research and test drives - I had my apprehensions. But after driving this vehicle around for a week - I really "feel" good to have bought it. I know this is an irrational comment - but it is important nevertheless.

B] Exteriors

1) The arrow shape of the rear and the full width grill at the front give it a very futuristic look.

2) I went for the Albaster Silver - its stunning!

3) I wish Honda would give alloy wheels - the wheels look small in comparison to the vehicle.

4) No mud flaps even with the top model - disappointing.

5) Boot is decen sized, though not as large as the S x 4 or the Aveo.

C] Interiors

1) A bit disappointed with the space - only 4 adults and a kid can sit comfortably. I wish 5 adults could have sat comfortably.

2) Dashboard looks great - and the integrated music system also looks very good.

3) The music system does not have a CD drive - which is a let down.

4) Controls on the steering wheel is great.

5) The fuel economy indicator is very useful

6) Storage box on the dashboard is small - could have been a bit bigger

7) No leather upholstery for even the top end model! what are we paying the Honda premium for?

D]  Dealer support

Deccan Honda in Pune were responsive and supportive throughout from first contact to delivery. They gave a very realistic indication of the delivery timeline - which was accurate. So no false promises. They even called me up after the delivery to check if I was happy with it. In short my experience with this dealer was very good.

E) Driving Experience

Very easy to maneouvre in city conditions (Pune). Has given me an economy of about 11 km/l with A/C. A/C is very responsive and cools almost instantly. Pick up is superb. So is the braking.

I'm a tall person (6 feet) - and I found the height a bit less with my head almost touching the roof. Wish there had been a little more clearance. Maybe I should try adjusting the seat height a bit lower - but then my legs get uncomfortable. But this is not a big issue - just a minor one.

Thats it folks - more when I drive around a bit more. Thanks for reading.

I have been driving the new Honda City for 9 months now and have done 15,000 Kms approx. (70% driven by me and rest by dad). So I feel I am in a position to give a review on this car!

Exterior

The new honda has AMAZING exteriors. When we had not bought this car, this beauty used to make my jaws drop! 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

I was told that interiors were cheap looking and bad. But no way! They are pretty classy. Keep the dash-board waxed and you will keep falling in love with this car. Rear seat is a great comfort. I got to sit in rear seat only after 2 months of buying the car and I was amazed. I had my whisky glass in the arm-rest's cup holder and the music on the awesome music player gave me an amazing feel. Keeping the steering at lower level improves the front visibility to a great extent! I don't understand obsession of people to see the bonnet of the car while driving. The steering mounted audio controls make things sooo much easier and comfortable. 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

I love the way the car grips the road. Very stable and its easy maneuverability lets you go zip-zoom in the traffic. I, at times, drive quiet rashly. Its the car's response and maneuverability that keeps any kind of fear away. As far as fuel economy is concerned, it is doing from 15.5-16 KMPL in city, with AC on all the while its being driven. Might sound stupid but open the windows and see your fuel efficiency coming down. I guess this is because of breach of aero-dynamism. On highway, with my dad driving, in between 80-120 Kmph, the fuel efficiency has come around 18.5 Kmpl, which is quite unbelievable. I even clicked the pic to show it to my friends. 

Final Words

This car is simply amazing and value for money. This car surely does give you a Proud owner feel! 

Areas of improvement  

Ground Clearance (But I guess its required for the aero-dynamic design) and AC needs to be improved. My Indica's cooling is better than City's cooling. :(

Exterior The photos says it all. Its sporty and exotic. The aerodynamic styling avoid all wind noises even when crusing above 100kmph. Its stable at high speeds and when taking corners. I had taken TD of ANHC and SX4 through same corner at the same speed the difference was significant.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interior feel was luxurious in terms of looks. Thanks to the black and beige duo tone. But it lacked techie or excitement features which are present in SX4 and Linea. The height of the front co-driver seat is too low. The rear seats are best in class, really spacious and comfortable. Its not foldable although. AC is good.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox i-vtec is truly refined. You can drive the way you want. Either you can fetch a mileage of 20kmpl plus or take the machine from 0 to 100 kmph in less than 10 seconds. Gearbox is also smooth. But in cities and busy narrow highways you need to downshift to overtake quickly, as the power is low at lower rpms. Where as SX4 has significantly more power at lower rpms. I had wished several times that I would have bought an ANHC AT or SX4 AT because of this. Then the service interval is 5K, which is much lower than Linea's 15K. Thats a severe disappointment. Oil change is required only at 10K although.

I am getting a mileage of 14 to 16kmpl in city depending on traffic and driving style. On highways I am getting 19 to 23kmpl depending on traffic and driving style. You will start getting this only after doing 5000Kms or so.

Ride Quality & Handling Big ORVMs are really handy when parking and driving on narrow roads and in city. Its very easy to drive in city due to the compact shape despite being a sedan. The reverse parking sensors offerred free of cost by the Honda dealer comes real handy when parking, although it doesn't work well in rains. The car handles corners well. The shock absorption is poor i would say when compared to SX4 or old honda city. Shock absoption is not good as SX4 or old honda city.

Final Words If you are ready to put some extra money for the brand equity, exotic styling go for it. You wil get a better resale value also. Anyways I strongly recommend you to test drive Linea, SX4 (both manual and automatic transmissions) and ANHC AT before you decide.

Areas of improvement Tech features, Climate control AC, Suspension improvement, Tyre upsize, service interval, pricing.

I own this car. I preferred this beauty on Linea, SX4, ford and Verna. I test drove these cars and my last choices were Linea and City. But, the test drive of Linea disappointed me. Moreover, City looks more sporty and modern. But I still feel only Linea can give competition with to Honda City no other among the cars I mentioned earlier. SX4 looks bulky no aestheticism, Ford looks cool but does not give lavish feeling while Verna gives a look of Hatchback.

Linea comes very close to City in beauty but does not match the interior of City. Honda City's interior is stunning and more spacious. Ultimately, I stretched my budget as City is almost 1 and a half lakh costier than these cars in all variants.

Till date ( 2500 km), I have not faced any problem, and enjoying its ride qualities. I am getting mileage of 12 in city drive, which I am satisfied with as my Maruti 800 was also giving the same mileage till I replaced it with my City. Honda City is amazing and looks gorgeous from inside as well as outside. The accelerator and gearshift is very smooth and brakes requires a little push.

The car music system is soothing to ears as well as gives good beats and bass. there are various features in the music system which I am still exploring. Yes, ground clearance is an issue but this is not a faulty design, as most of the foreign car manufacturer keep the ground clearance low to provide better stability to the car. But, since we do not have proper roads we need more ground clearance on Indian roads. But, this is a minor issue, I feel if Honda increases the GC, it may loose the beauty hence, no need of touching this area.

I am loving my new car and strongly reccommend for people to stretch the budget and take with them the brand image.

Hi, to begin with, city was not our first choice. My wife had booked jazz. due to flood in thiland didn't get delivery, after waiting for 4 months honda dealer called in to return money.(this is the time we started loving honda deal. without fiz or any pressure for buying their vehicle). We tried verna, vento and linea. finally she settled for city. Few basic reaons. Common sense, is what this car has in abundance. the moment you stepped in, everything is well alligned. every button is where you expect it to be. Very well kept audio control and clean clutter free instrument cluster. I love the way they have setup climate control and information display. We tried verna and vento. frankly speaking, you need a masters in computer science to operate their systems. Coming to drivability. its a thing that a car should do well and the city does it exceptionally well. The way they have positioned the steering and windshield, its pretty obvious japanes obsession for detailing is present. clear un-hindered view, front side roll bar obstruct minimum view. this thing I realised only after i drove other cars. coming down to noise level in cabin. very quite. minimum beeps and tinkers. doors. closing only of the doors will give you a proxy about a well built quality of the car. i dont understand much about what lies under the hood but how big is the trunk is of my interest. rest assured its comparable to any car of the segment. 

Probably I live the car because me and my wife are obsessed with honda badge. or probably its the value for our money that we cheerish so much. 

I agree this car doesnt have what many other cars of this segment offers, such as elaborate multimedia center, bluetooth connectivity, automatic climate control, retractable side mirrors, 17 inch alloy. these are few things missing in my car. it up to the user to decide how much value he/she should attach to these things.

To me, I dont care if i am missing out thses things. Because Honda City does well what a car should do well and that is to make your journey pleasent, hassle free and absolute confident. 

P.s.: she has bought autogear car. its so much fun driving through thick traffic of Bangalore. and yes, auto gear means, while you are dricing through BETL road, you can sip through your coffee and show side indicators without leaving steering wheel.

I love the car. If you are considering Verna or Vento petrol versions, try the city with age old straight lines , always looking fresh. 

The only car I liked in the segment other than city is Linea. 

Hope this review helps.

Hi, I bought the all new honda city. And its a faboulous car i must say. I enjoy it a lot. It drives so light. but is very good. And even guys with skoda get envious. It has lot of space so no need to waste money on skoda, corolla, civic, or even accord. And the styling is top of the line. I mean so much satisfaction is derived. Maybe not the first day coz its expensive than its peers. But it makes heads turn around. And HONDA's provide faithful service to their masters for 15-20 years. without a KURR- PURR- ZURR that MARUTI is known for. Maruti cars develop various kinds of musical noises after 2 years or so. and even the Suspension becomes KHAD KHADIYA. So this car is CLASS APART. I have ford and maruti cars also. But HONDA Is best. I would certainly go for it again and again. Yes this car lacks VALUE FOR MONEY. But PEOPLE don't compare it with the cars in this price range. Think its a CIVIC with high ground clearance, think its a modern skoda with high ground clearance, think its a new elantra from a more reliable brand, even SONATA buyers might wannna shift to this as HYUNDAI is not even close to what Japanese make. Think its a cheaper and a bit smaller Corolla. So you'll see the difference in point of view.

After having driven the car for over 25000KMS, I have one thing to say...it cant get better. I have had NO ISSUES at all with the car. The engine is as good as it was when I bought it!!! The gear shift is great, has the biggest boot space in its segment. It feels amazing every time I drive it. Have driven at 150kms/hr...stable, sticks to the ground.

The sheer quality of build is so good, you get to know when you have owned the vehicle for some time. After 2.5 years, I hear no grunts or clanks, the pick is great, the engine response is as good as when it was new. I could not have made a better choice.

It pinches the pocket when you buy it, esp when it doesnt have airbags and alloy wheels as standard at that price. But when you use is over a period, you realize that it is VFM. Only maintainance cost has been regular service!!!

Exterior 

I have selected urban titanium metallic color don't know what is there but once it gets dusy then it will not go by dry cloth. we need to clean it by wet cloth. we are 2 friends who bought the same car with same color . He too observed the above 2 bugs.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 Good but old models like Zxi gives more richness. Looks like Honda tried to make interior more fibre then febric. 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 Engine is excellent :: issue is with Gear box.. ist and 2nd gears are very hard. i did show this to service center but they said its same in all cars. if thats the case then Honda need to remove this Bug from Gear box.

Ride Quality & Handling

 Handling is excellent .. the only thing is this car is not made for City driving  we need to press full clutch every time we need to change the gear.

Final Words

 Honda Needs to improve in Interior Quality.

Areas of improvement  

 Interior , Exterior, Gear box..

While searching for a car to upgrade from zen, we were looking for a good B segment premium car. Swift, Getz, Palio were under consideration. But by our requirements we thought of going with a bigger