I purchased my first car, A Honda City Ivtec, V Manual transmission from Deccan Honda Pune, on 29 May 2010. I have already done 1300 Kms. I reside in Mumbai, along with daily commuting, there r visits toPune via 150 kms Expressway.
As I said this is my first car, and I really wanted my ride to be a ‘special’ however, within 10 Lacs. My priorities were 1) Driving comfort & space (I am 6 ft tall) 2) Driving pleasure 3) Looks 4) FE . I haven’t test driven lot of cars, but I tried SX4, Verna, Fiesta, Accent. Even tried Safari & Scorpio. However instead of answering “Why NOT these” (this would actually take up volumes and volumes)…I will try to answer “Why HONDA CITY” in brief!
Why Honda city –
Before anything else, I have to thank all those gents who have penned their experience about Honda City and helped newbie like me to get a direction.
Driving comfort – Being 6 ft tall, I was always sceptical of Honda’s low seating. However, for my test drive …when I got inside, pushed the seat max behind, adjusted the recline and height properly, stretched my right hand to grip the steering, took couple of minutes to ‘feel’ the cabin…started the engine and pushed the car ahead.
Ladies and gentlemen, you have to believe me, no other car in this segment is going to give the feel you get in an Honda city cabin, for its beautiful blend of sophistication and comfort. It felt as it was custom made for me!! The seating position, ease of steering grip, elbow rest, positioning of gear knob and audio controls on steering puts this car distinguishingly ahead of the rest of cars I mentioned above, in perspective of driving comfort. In spite of me pushing the seat behind to max, and recline was well angled at 150 – 160 degrees, it didn’t bother the person sitting behind. Enough leg space behind as well.
Alert - However, be gentle while getting in. The low seating makes me twist and turn my left leg while getting in, to avoid hitting my knee on steering.
Driving Pleasure – Honda City is a sedan, with smoothness and ease of a small car around corners and turns. Responsive steering, superb response on pushing the accelerator, buttered gear shift, and brilliant torque makes driving a definite pleasure. You can Slow down, taking a close Uturn and be back darting ahead…all while on 3rd gear without a hitch!! Honda city makes overtaking, close corners etc seem so simple..and exciting in some situations. On highways, car smoothly revs ahead and is brilliantly stable till 120 kmph.
Alert – However, Above 130, the car makes you slightly nervous. Passing by a heavy trailer or huge Volvo buses, or they overtaking you when you are above 130, makes you feel the ‘wave’ … giving you jitters that you might be simply blown off the road. Solution – slow down.
Looks – Oh come on! We don’t want to keep reading praises over and over again for the looks of Honda city. Its definite winner amongst all in its segment when it comes to looks. Drive this beauty wearing a suit and tie for formal meeting, OR drive it wearing jeans and t-shirt for a movie, OR drive it wearing shorts and your football jersey to the game…..the car superbly compliments your style and attitude!!
FE - Honda cars are known to be “satisfying” when it comes to FE. My car is giving me 19 kmph on my Mumbai-Pune trips, while 15kmph in my day to day drive in Mumbai. This is topup-to-topup calc.
I admit that “Average” displayed on dash is not accurate, however it is a very useful piece. It really assists in mending the ill driving habits like flooring and revving on lower gears. It also displays importance of feather touching the accelerator on long drives. The Indicator keeps running to and fro depending on how you treating your car.
Those were pointers according to my priorities. Let us try to look at other side as well. There are some know issues in Honda city. These are:
1) Low ground clearance – Yes this is an issue. However, I haven’t experienced the dreadful sound of my car rubbing the speed bumps, as I am extremely cautious on speed bumps.
2) Cheap plastics – To an extent. However, the layout of music system, soft lighting, etc features makes you ignore that. Moreover, dual tone beige interiors, orange dash illumination and steering positioning with the “H” chrome logo on steering is a pleasure.
3) Low seating – This is an individual perspective. Low seating is blessing in disguise for me, cause it makes my ‘seating + reclining’ angle far more comforting than that of other cars I mentioned above.
4) Low FE – this is a myth. Honda City has a great FE.
5) Overpriced- Yes this is an issue. The dealer himself told me that Honda can easily shave off a lac from the cost, but they don’t want to and continue to position a premium for being a Honda owner. A sunroof, climate control, etc are features that could have been included, but alas.!
To sum it up, new Honda City is a slightly overpriced, but a brilliant car. The 1.5 engine is efficient. While you enjoy the comfortable ride, with less gear shifting required, and even if it is required, gears can be shifted with an ease that can be paralleled with painting on a canvas. And all this while giving a satisfying mileage.
The cabin is spacious - even for taller folks, interiors are detailed and neat, dash looks beautiful with the illumination. Elbow rests and hand rests on rear seats add to the luxury of comfort. From outside, the car looks a sweet blend of a sports car and a sophisticated car. It looks as stunning in office parking as it does in the disco parking.
The Alpine music system in the car is a pleasant surprise. I am passionate about music, and listen to everything on earth. I have played Pantera, Metallica - such extremes, to bollywood dance numbers as well (though I prefer pantera). The music system is definitely worth an applause.
ABS, EBD, SRS airbags are safety features that Honda City offers, making a car reliable and safe. Last but not least, brand “Honda” carries admiration and trust. Dealer was very helpful and accommodating of my last minute requests of michelin tyres, waxoyl coating etc, ‘buying’ a car was a smooth process. My first experience of after-sales was at Linkway Honda, Powai where I took the car for first servicing and it was WOW.
After all I believe that a good car becomes a popular car. Forgive me for not providing stats, however if you are at any busy signal in Mumbai, kindly look around for new Honda citys (1.5 ivtecs) . The amount of new Honda citys you will notice speaks a lot about this cars popularity. If you are thinking of buying a lovely new petrol sedan within 10 lacs, I would recommend you new Honda City 1.5 ivtec J