Honda City

Honda City costlier by Rs 10,000 more

3 April, 2012 : Honda City sedan will see an up of Rs 10,000 besides the usual rise in the prices of other Honda vehicles, courtesy Union Budget. According to the company, this swell in the sedan cost is due to the increasing material cost, which the company is now unable to bear and decides to pass the same to its customers. The price climb may pose a negative impact on the commendable sales of City alongside its rivals like Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento.

Honda City Diesel

After the huge success of Honda City petrol version in India, the recent update claims that Honda is mulling to launch the diesel version of the popular sedan of India. If reports are to be believed, the Honda City Diesel will be equipped with a powerful 1.4 litre, 110 bhp diesel engine clubbed with a 5 speed gearbox. Other features is reported to be the same as the petrol version but yes, the fuel efficiency will be increased and the cost of per kilometer running reduces as compared to the petrol fuel. As far as the pricing of the Honda City Diesel is concerned, it might be carrying a price tag of around Rs 11 lakh or so.

Honda City Review by Expert

The Honda City sedan was initially launched in the year 1998 at that point it actually redefined the word ‘sedan’ with its sophisticated looks and optimum features in the interiors along with premium-ness oozing out. Soon after its launch it became a hot favorite of elite class and dream for a hatchback owner.

It got many face lifts since then, the latest one it got was at the start of the year 2012. As far as the new additions are concerned, the car has got new chrome grille, updated bumpers, all new 10 spoke alloy wheels, improved ground clearance that is 165 mm now, new fabric seats, center control panel, chrome fittings, blue light meter, ORVM mounted blinkers and cruise control. The stunning new Honda City has been added with two new hues including sparkling brown metallic and carnelian pearl.

The aerodynamic styling or precisely the arrow shot form lends it a distinct look and tears the wind to give you effortless cruising. The swept off nose and its elements such as the front grille and head lights make for an unforgettable piece of art in motion. The head lights in particular incorporate a blackened sub reflector unit that renders a sharp image and sophistication to the entire front look. The side view of the Honda City is no less as its unique appearance is both unforgettable and easy recognisable. The slightly upped rear gives City its unique look. The edges here have been styled to leap forward making it appear a bit smaller and the rest of the car massive.

The inside of the Honda City is a class apart. It’s relaxing and serene interior takes you to your ‘happy place’, calming your nerves. Aptly named as the Honda City, it wraps you in its peaceful blanket amidst the noise of the city. The City takes you to your destination while you lounge in its swanky and comfortable cabin.

The comfort and convenience features of the Honda City include Steering Wheel that has mounted audio controls through which you can set your preference with a simple touch of a button within reach of your finger tips; the advanced audio system lets you lug in any external device of your choice such as Mp3 player, pen drive, i-pod etc. the height adjustable steering wheel of Honda City makes it very convenient for driver of any height to drive. The centre console including the leather wrapped gear shift knob blends seamlessly with the interiors; the instrument panel with an opulent metallic tone incorporates an illuminated speedometer and fuel tank that become easily visible. The overall interior is in dual tone including the dashboard that adds hints of style to the overall look of the car.

Honda, known for its ‘safety comes first’ motto has designed the Honda City with some of the best safety features. Packed with active and passive features, City offers ABS (Anti Lock Braking System) that halts the car without locking the wheel to maneuver the car in emergency situations, EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), Dual SRS airbags that inflate within nanoseconds in case of high impact collision and gradually deflate to prevent chest and head injuries; G Force Control Technology controls or regulates the impact during a crash and minimizes it in such a brilliant way that both the passengers and the other vehicle. The body of the Honda City also ensures maximum safety to pedestrians as well, making the car an A-lister with car buyers.

Direct Competitor of Honda City

Honda City Mileage and Fuel Efficiency

The all new Honda City gives a decent mileage of about 12 Kmpl in the city whereas delivers around 16.7 Kmpl on the highways. However, the variant with automatic transmission being a bit more expensive is capable of delivering a mileage of about 11 Kmpl within the city and around 15 Kmpl on the highways. The statistics reveal an overall good mileage performance of the sedan even with the choice of only a petrol engine that is capable enough to withstand the competition from other cars of the segment available is diesel options as well.

Honda City Models and Features

Compare Honda City Models

Honda City Colors

The New Honda City comes in six shades that consist of Carnelian, Sparkling Brown Metallic, Urban Titanium Metallic, Bold Beige Metallic, Alabaster Silver Metallic and Taffeta White.

Honda City Engine, Power and Performance

1.5L i- VTEC Petrol Engine

The 1.5 l i- VTEC Engine is the power behind Honda City unmatched strength and fuel efficiency. The Engine is based on intelligent- Variable Valve Timing and Electronic Lift Control which is well supportive of 4 cylinders and 16 valves offering a displacement of 1497cc with electronic fuel injection system. The Engine is compatible with both 5- speed forward and 1- reverse (5+1) manual transmission as well as 5- speed paddle shift and 1- reverse automatic transmission.

Honda City Pick Up and Acceleration

The bold and powerful 1.5 l i- VTEC petrol Engine of the Honda City churns out a massively sheer power of 118 ps at 6600 rpm and a torque of about 146 Nm at 4800 rpm. The Engine has a superb pickup reaching 0-100 within a span of 11.5 seconds and delivers a top speed of about 182 Km/h at an effortless ease. Thanks to the i- VTEC Technology, Honda City turns out to be a perfect blend of power and performance.

Honda City Interiors and Features

The all new Honda City has spacious interiors with a placid beige appearance that makes you go more materialistic each time you have a glance on it. When there is a question of space, Honda City should be the appropriate answer. With luxuriously spread interiors, ample headroom and legroom together with the comfortable plush seats with well positioned and adjustable head rests and arm rests make the Car completely suitable to your enchantment.

This magnificent Nirvana on Wheels is as dazzling from inside as it appears to be through the tinted windows. The Dashboard of the new Honda City is broad and fluidic appealing an imposing and bold look with the glove box right beneath it. The Centre panel and console featuring the integrated Audio system with CD/ Mp3/ AUX/ USB support look cool with the sliver finish across its borders. The Centre panel with the circular silver fan knob looks elegant together with other onboard accessibility features. The silver door handle and lining looks sleek and sophisticated. The best part at the juncture is the silver door switch panel that is broad, stylish and very easily accessible. The seats are huge and comfortable offering enough room for five people inside the cabin. The head rests offer good comfort both at the front and the rear portion of the car and the arm rests are a delight.

The new Honda City has little and numerous storage pockets throughout the compartment, including the door side pockets, glove box, back seat pockets, cup holders etc.

The Steering looks beautiful and very handy, well positioned and accustomed to the driver’s comfort. The Instrument cluster and computer display is good looking, informative and well illuminated in order to provide better visibility and clear statistics. Moreover the design of the front panel itself is something very unique and something which is very big as compared to other cars of the segment. It seems Honda likes making it bigger with each of their cars. The roof linings are an excellent piece of craftsmanship and overall the interiors are super relaxing, beautiful and marvelously designed.

Honda City Exteriors and Features

Honda is known for giving its cars a bold and giant look and so can be seen in the new Honda City. The sparkling, dazzling and imposing structure and shape of the sedan is so appealing that you can’t keep your eyes off it even for a single moment. Such an eye catching appearance speaks for itself with the giant sharp angled headlamps, front grille with a blackish chrome appearance curving and stretching across the company emblem that makes it look even more stylish and wonderful. The front fog lights beneath the grille embedded on to the body colored bumpers gives a classic admirable look to the sedan.

Moreover several other appreciable features of the new Honda City like the chrome door handles, side protectors, bumper protectors, rear under spoiler, ducktail under spoiler, side under spoiler, front under spoiler, illuminated side step garnish, back up sensors and what not are meticulously designed and look marvelously elegant and beautiful. The Honda City has been curved and carved into a giant but sensuous sculpture which itself counts for the admiration. Moreover, the alloy wheels, exhaust pipe are some good utility features.

The rear of the Honda City is equally appreciable with meticulously ending and shaped tail lamps that continue to attract your attention. The boot ending is perfectly finished and the metallic look steals your eye every now and then.

Safety Features in Honda City

Like any other sedan in the segment, the all new Honda City comes with many advanced safety features including the Ant lock Braking system (ABS) with brake assist AND the Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD). Apart from these two common features, the City is enveloped by the G- CON Technology or the G- Force Control Technology in order to provide a safer and strong structure in the form of a protective shell to the car thereby securing its passengers in case of any collision. Moreover, the City comes well equipped with dual SRS Airbags for the front compartment of the cabin. Other integral and crucial features include side protectors, bumper protectors, back up sensors etc.

Honda City Driving and Handling

The sharp aerodynamics or the arrow shot form of the shape of Honda City makes it cut through the wind with smooth handling and control. The Steering is super responsive and very well positioned indeed. The gear shift is flawlessly accurate and the clutch is sensitive. The Car is suitable on almost any terrain due to the front and the rear suspension that provide smoother drive all the time.

The front has been taken care of by the McPherson Strut type Suspension with coil springs and stabilizer and the rear is supportive of Torsion beam axle with stabilizer and coil spring. The alloy wheels have a significant grip on the roads even when its slippery in the rainy season. Other features include the very visible and brightly illuminated instrument cluster and the center panel with all the controls within your reach.

Honda City Accessories

Every bit of the new Honda City has something refreshing and so is its great audio system with CD/ Mp3/ AUX/ USB support making it deliver soothing and clear acoustics to every single portion of the car. Other accessories like the fabrics, linens, floor carpets, steering wheel cover etc can be well configured fro the company stock and putting in a little investment.

Conclusion

There is nothing much to say about the sedan that is been ruling mid size and premium entry level segment for more than a decade, one falls short of words to express the charisma or the statuesque that it carries in the history of premium sedans in India. And with New Honda City launch, it is now ‘revived and revitalized’ to take on its latest competitors. The addition of premium aspect in the form of ‘Sunroof’ has added icing on the cake, as it now appears more alluring.

Moreover, with New City, the company has played smart by launching base variant at just above INR 7 Lakh along with Automatic Transmission (AT) variant at high end to crush the new age kids. The power, performance and luxury that it offers are matchless till date. The times have changed since its launch; today more and more consumers are rushing to buy diesel cars, but Honda City with only option of petrol still prevails. Just imagine the hustle at the Honda showrooms when the company will launch City in diesel avatar.