Honda City

Few days back, I was travelling in Punjab. I asked for directions from someone. He replied by pointing at a car that the place is near by that “RED MARUTI”. In fact that wasn’t any red car from Maruti, but was Hyundai i10. It was really amazing to note that people still call small cars “MARUTI” and all big cars are known as “HONDA” in INCREDIBLE INDIA. Honda scaled this feat in faster way. City being their bread and butter model deserves all the applause for this feat.

The City has three generations of upgrades now. Honda City went through lot of ups and downs as far as enthusiast following was concerned. Lot of people never liked the second generation, as the new car was a disaster of a design when compared to its predecessor. But new generation was cheap (around Rs. 1 lakh cheaper), compact and was fuel-efficient. These parameters helped second generation city in writing new rules of the game. The third gen Honda City decided to have a futuristic design while incorporating a powerful yet fuel-efficient engine. Yet again City is ruling the segment. I feel that aggressive marketing, awesome quality, latest technologies and comfortable products are DNA of Honda.

The new Honda city hasn’t deviated a lot from its older sibling. The basic design content is still the same but the hood has borrowed few traits from Civic. The looks can now be easily defined as “Executive”. It is a mixture of aggressiveness and simplicity in righteous proportions. Evident arrow mark on its side body is carved out by the character lines and it gives dynamic stance to the vehicle. Smoky large head lamps and large front grille (with grin smile) add aggression to its looks. The only negative that I was able to point was skinny tires that look out of proportion.

There is a lot of negative feedback about the interiors of Honda City in the market. People feel it to be bit plasticky.
I feel that interiors are simple and are full of engineering innovations. For Example: black top of dash panel will ensure that there is minimal glare on the windscreen while overall beige theme will give luxurious feel to inmates. I literally sank in the rear seat. My full back and thighs were supported on the soft cushion and pillow type neck rest forced me to go for a power nap. Same was the case with front seats, where I felt the support of side bolsters and comfort of cushions. Even adjusting the head restraint is delight. All the controls are located where they are supposed to be located. The operability is also pretty fine.

There is no denial in the fact that features like CD player, Auto AC are missing from the spec list but Honda has guaranteed that whatever is provided is best in class. The audio is futuristic with superb sound quality. No CD player definitely dictates the trend of future. All the essential safety features are also in place. The only worry is the price tag at what I am getting least number of features.

The new city is heavier as compared to its older generation models. So I was a bit skeptical abut its performance. But after testing the new 1.5-litre VTEC engine that produces 116PS, I can safely conclude that this car will bring smile on a lot of faces. It is the most agile engine one can get in A3 segment. The engine is capable of catapulting the car from naught to 100 faster than any other car in its segment. But the experience isn’t all that pleasurable after 150 km/h (one can treat this as a big compliment to Honda city).
The new engine produces its max power at 6600 rpm as compared to the predecessors 5800 rpm, which means the car needs to rev more to give you some juice. The engine has been tuned for a good low end torque, which gives the car phenomenal response in city driving. And to top it all, these extra horses and tuning hasn’t taken a toll on fuel efficiency.

The suspension system of the car includes McPherson strut for the front while the rear has Torsion Beam Axle. The suspension system is rigid as compared to older model and it ensures best ride comfort. The Honda’s ride is quite supple and you won’t find any reason of complaint in most of the surfaces. One can handle the sedan just like hatches. All thanks to it’s perfectly tuned suspensions.

I had a preconceived notion that the Honda City is just over hyped product. It is quite expensive and it sells only because of BRAND HONDA. But after the test ride, my notions blasted away.

Why Buy: Performance, quality, brand image and comfort.

Why Deny: Looks a bit expensive (especially after seeing its equipment list)