The Honda City is true to it's name! Its a real city car and not to mention a perfect family sedan!(Driving Enthusiasts keep away)
Many compare the new city with the old one though the two are poles apart.Here I present a compaison based on what perceptions are and reality
## Looks: Older one was conventional but looked quite prestigous.Typically Low slung and long looking, it was to everyone 's liking but nothing too unique or flashy.In comes the new one-resembles in some way a fish .Superb aerodynamics, curves.Short front and elongated rear-made to maximise interior space-doesnt look proportional but. Looks too tall as compared to other sedans and thats one of the reason it looks shorter in length.Overall very modern and looks a future car that wouldnt look dated ever!
## Interiors: Older version was very dull.In comes the new city biege luxurious interiors-superb space utilisation. Leg room is much better than the older version and much better than say an octavia or a c-class.Chauffer Driven is superb in the CityUtility in stowage space are also better.
All those who shunned the City VTEC and its lesser siblings for its functional yet aesthetically disappointing interior fare will do a double take when they step into the classy interiors of the new City.
The twin-tone dashboard treatment, the richness of the plastics, the well laid out clocks and central console , the superb steering wheel and the ergonomically placed controls combine with the expansive glazed sides to present a most cheery air to the cabin. Add to that a myriad of cubby holes for odds and ends and the interior of the new City can only begin to be termed clever.
## Engine:The City has what Honda terms the i-DSI four-cylinder engine. The term i-DSI once again indicates, like VTEC or i-VTEC a particular type of top end architecture the engine sports but then for a four-stroke engine, practically every thing is in the head and the better your engine?s top end, the more efficient it is. It all depends on what is the intended application for the particular segment and if it is motoring for the masses without skimping too much on the performance front then one of the approaches can be the i-DSI route Honda has embarked on.
A great deal of work has been done to eliminate wasteful friction - the adoption of roller followers on rocker arms, an offset cylinder layout and molybdenum-impregnated piston skirts, again an industry first for India. Another core aspect of the i-DSI engine in the new City is its compact layout which has as much to do with brilliant packaging of the ancillaries as it has to do with attention to detail. The ancillaries are mounted directly onto the engine and not attached to other brackets. An ingeniously coiled serpentine toothed belt drives them all.
## Performance:One question is that is the new City with just 78 horses on call really match up to the competition? I think there is a flaw in the question. We should have been asked whether the new City could live up to the standards set by its predecessor. The direct and truthful answer straightaway is a big NO but then the new City isn?t disgraced in any manner whatsoever barring outright performance but it bounces right back in other areas where it socks the pants off every other car in its class
Fuel Efficiency The manual sets the tone with an overall mileage of 19.31kmpl with a worst of 14.5kmpl and a whopping best of 27kmpl in our 80kmph steady speed run on the highway.