Honda City [2011-2014] User Reviews

As per my understanding, not many people drive the car for 400 KMs (Bangalore to Chennai) on the same day of taking a new car delivery. Anyway, I did that. And the review is based on both my selection process, delivery experiance and driving. I do not want to write too many points as well. So restricting to as minimal as possible...and have tried to control myself fram rattling...about my car craziness...

The Dream
It all started with 2007 when I wanted to buy a car after selling my Indica Petrol (Pro- space, Con- No resale value, Okay kind of Service, Frequent issues in the fag end after 20K KMS)...I decided to go for Honda City, however, ended up in purchasing top end Swift petrol (2008) model, with all features which I was looking for ABS, AIRBAGS, Good Service & Performer. Time had come to move out from Hatchback to Sedan, and decided to go for Diesel version (Vento and SX4 on my mind), still CITY in the Petrol segment topping my list. Are you a person who dreams about the car every day (or alternate days...)...? My wife would point to me at any point in time. Did a good amount of reading on reviews, pros, cons, evaluation, eliminations, recommendations by friends, etc..all done. Booked SX4 Diesel , asked for black colour, however, only grey was available (with my constraint of Pre-budget price). Convinved myself, with 99% saying that I have made wise choice for my pocket with lot of money save calculation (thanks to BHP and other magazines recommending Diesel Vs Petrol and how much you can save over 5 years of ownership). From the day of my Swift till the day of confirming SX4, I had Honda City in mind running in parallel - the dream car, which I think of my own pinaccle of achievement. One fine day, I decided to ditch my booking for SX4, quotting the reason of not  getting my color and went ahead and booked CITY. Please note I have done all my transactions via phone and mail, since I am in Chennai, but wanted the vehicle in Bangalore as am moving out...sooner.
I should stop here to say, Pratham Motors did a fantastic job (sales person - Ravi Prakash) from day 1, in assuring the color options, delievery issues, collecting details and processing loan, (again all via phone and mail)...unfortunately..I could not convince my heart over brain (3 idiots effect)...so cancelled the booking ...ofcourse lost 2.5K.

Honda City V MT - Sparkling Metallic Brown was my choice (closer to Black, as black is not available as an option in City, at least during the time I booked).

The Delivery
I got the number for Manjunath from Magnum Honda and tried to call him when I decided to go for City, the number is now changed ( I believe he moved out) and I got Sriram as my point of contact. Again, I should say, a complete professional touch in each of the transaction. All dealings including complete money payment, loan processing, etc all by Mail and phone. Delivery date was yesterday and went to pick up the vehicle around 11:30 AM. Pooja went well...got the keys...!

2 issues I could find, one - the tyres - there was a small tear on the front and slight damage on the alloy. The sales manager immediately replaced them with new. (not sure how this did not figure out in the PDI), the second one there was a very minor (only visible if there is a reflection from ground level and visible at one angle only on the back door), both sriram and the Relationship manager were apologitic about it, however, I was a bit sad to take the vehicle in that condition. They promised me that they will get that done without any charges by next week as it will take close to half day...!

The Drive

I had to come back to Chennai for my next day to office, so started driving from Bangalore around 6. MAN...the vehicle response was very good...especially the new improved GC (not even a single place in my few KM travel, I hit the speed breakers, which I am sure the older models would have) and additional feature - Cruise control. I could not exceend 100 so was driving all the way with max of 90 KMPL. With close to 45 mts break in Vellore, the Drive I should say was very smooth with comfortable seats. Mileage - its showing as 16.8 or something, however, am yet to get the tank empty to check that.
I do not know or want to use any jargons...the car is really good...and for me...it is more than achieving my goals...in life...! Go for it...!
The entire streatch of 370 odd kms...is an absolute breeze...!

 

Cruise Control, Interior Chromes, Ground ClearanceNone at this time

Exterior Very impressive, arrow head design is appealing, Chrome exhaust finish is good, ORVM indicators are classy, front grill chrome is extra-ordinary looking.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Plush and comfortable seats, Leg room is decent, thigh support is nice.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox 0 - 100 in under 10 seconds! I-VTECH is a gem of an engine. Superb power delivery at all gears, FE is good for a C2 Sedan, Gear box golf shaped knob is cool and convenient, Gear slotting is precise and accurate.

Ride Quality & Handling Decent ride and handling.Ground clearance increased to 165mm improves the ride quality and avoids considerable speed breaker hitting than before.

Final Words Excellent buy for people looking for a petrol sedan in this segment. The best in class power and mileage.

Areas of improvement Tyre upgrade and interiors need to be revamped now.

Good looks, adequate power, quick pick-upSkinny tires, weak horn

The budget-friendly product that meets almost every aspect that an individual wishes in their car. Specially honda city best in class in respect of space, super handling, on-demand torque, fuel economy, comfortable ride with almost nominal maintenance cost. Honda should focus on tyre size it should be little big instead of 175/65 R15 with more ground clearance.

Exterior The car looks smart and has amazing street presence. The new sporty look is much better than older version. 10 spoke alloy adds to the look.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Spacious cabing. great driving comfort on the wheels and in the rear. Good a/c and music system.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox A peppy engine and very responsive. Silent and gear movements are easy and in control. 10.5 kms a ltr is best expected in Mumbai traffic. Highway it closes to 14. The cruise control feature is good and helps you relax on a long stretch.

Ride Quality & Handling Quite sturdy and firm. quite in control while at the corners. Power steering is good and works with precision.

Final Words Within this segment, Honda City is hands down winner. Good package / value for money / good re sale / great ownership value.

Areas of improvement At 10.5 lac bracket you expect basic gadgets like climate control / bluetooth connectivity / parking sensor etc.

The design - It is sleek. The engine is peppy and silent.Basic gadget like parking sensor / climate control missing

Exterior The car looks very good and it's arrow shot design is a head turner in highways. The new alloy wheels of 2012 are much better than previous one and add elegance to the whole car. The front  elevated chrome grill is the center of attraction for the whole car and rear of the car looks good too especially chrome finish on exhaust and sports cara like haunched bottom. From the side car looks the best and feels like a well-built luxury sedan. From the top it just looks like any other sedan. The turn indicators on ORVM look elegant as well.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interiors are spacious and seats are quite comfortable. They feel bigger and better than any other car. The cavity like line seperating the two colors of dashboard look good. The new model has a nice aluminium finished center console panel with neatly made chrome knobs. On the doors, the silver line is changed with aluminium finished line and handles are made chrome; and they look elegant. The AC vents also get chrome finish which looks great either. The new blue colored displays look cool at nights and are easy to read. The fabric used in seats is of high quality and can easily be washed with a brush. At the rear the seats are comfortable however sitting on the middle bench for too long can be quite uncomfortable. There are many storage spacer and two cup holders at rear which make it convenient to have some drinks. The are rest for the front is though oddly placed and it becomes painful to keep your elbow on it for long time. The Cruise Control feature is a worthwile addition to this car and relaxes the long and boring highway drives. However, the quipment levels are less like no reverase camera, parking sensors, bluetooth connectivity, automatic climate control AC, central locking etc. though most of them can be added at dealer level. There is a unique storage space under the rear seats where bags and suitcases can be stored. The glovebox is large and ergonomically well designed. Though the VMT model which I own doesn't have vanity lights in front, they are only available at the center of roof (a cost cutting sign). The ICE system is good to and you can attach a pendrive or get some AUX device to play the music; and as far as audio quality is concerned, it is the best in it's class, much better than any other car I have been in. The plastic quality used in making interiors not bad either. The center rear view mirror is though locally made in India piece.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The 1.5 ltr. i-vtec motor is phenomenally refined and smooth. You can't hear it ruuning when the car is on. If you switch on the AC, then only some noise compressor running noise comes from bonet. The low end performance is quite good but once the engine crosses 1500 mark, it gets alive and on crossing around 3500-4000 mark, the vtec kicks in and the shatteringly cruises to red line. You will feel an immediate surge from the engine and inertia makes you stuck to the seat. You get a sports car like feeling from it. In highways, overtaking is easy and definitelt inspires confidence, even then you have sufficient power in hand and City will continue to cruise till red line. Where it loses out, is in low revs.; the torque delivery is weak and often have to downshift to get the car moving in traffic or speed breakers, the engine needs to be revved hard in high gears like 2nnd and 3rd to get the car moving even if it is not at rest. However, in first gear if you rev the car past 2000 rpm and start releasing the clutch, then it will feel like a giant pushing you forward (meaning it feels like you are driving a very torquey vehicle). Also, if you drive at high gears in low speed, you will get very bad fuel efficieny (less thean 8 kmpl). But, if you drive at required gear at required speed, then you will get very nice fuel efficiency (more than 18 kmpl). If you even accelerate hard, then only gor few seconds FE goes down and then picks up again to above 15 mark. The ECO lamp indicator in the new City makes you drive accordingly. The gear box is silky smooth and so as gear shifts. The clutch is also nicely weighed and gas paddle is safely made with a very good drive by wire system.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is good for highways but in bad roads, it worsens and you catch every pothole you encounter. The ground clearence is improved and hence you don't often hit the road (almost never). The body roll is minimal and it is not yet felt by me. The car handles well and like most Hondas, it isn't an out to out drivers car, the driving position is though commanding and spot on. The car feels balanced and stable at all speeds, even 150 kmhr and handles quite good. The steering is adequately sensitive and never blasts to turn hard.  

Final Words Honda City is a very reliable car and almost never breaks down. Even in winters it starts at once. It offers an executive feel to you and has a good resale value and after sales service. The car is best in it's segment and no petrol car comes close to it. It has the most advanced variable valve timing system and those claiming of having two of them are no where close to City's single one. It truly justifies the statement, 'It is a world class product.'

Areas of improvement The following areas need to be improved,

1) The headlight is not powerful and nigh visibility is poor, Honda needs to upgrade the lamp and make it stock.

2) Tyres are very thin and can lose grip if driven hard. Honda sould increase the size of tyres and make it stock.

3) It would be good, if Honda offers direct injection technology to the engine. It will improve the low end torque.

4) Diesel variant should be introduced.

5) The steering wheel turns improportionally, Honda needs to fix this.

6) What about dead pedal?

Spacious interiors, looks, highway performance, fuel efficiency, a silent and fast carlow end torque, low levels of equipment, poor ride quality in bad roads, no climate control option!

Exterior

 good looks, streamlined, good paint quality

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 good finish, roomy, comfortable

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 smooth start, powerful engine, giving good torque, getting mileage of 17.5 - 18.5 on highways with 70% use of AC and 11-12 in city with 90% use of AC , smooth gearshift, very comfortable riding, good service from dealer (Shubh Honda, Raipur, Chhattisgarh)

Ride Quality & Handling

 Excellant !

Final Words

 It is the driving quality of the person using any car to get the best of motoring & comforts , who abide by the driving rules & driving instructions & to follow maintanance schedules as instructed by the manufacturer will always be happy with his vehicle !!!  

Areas of improvement  

 ONLY GROUND CLEARANCE !!  I shall again intend to purchase the same car in future if this sector  is improved !! This should be atleast 170 mm. 

 

good fuel economy, comfortable interiors, good AC, good music systemLow ground clearance, unavailability of CD changer, high priced, rear parking camera absent