We got our white Honda City i-Vtec 1.5 V from Hallmark Honda, Thane in February 2010.
It is a beautifully syled car and after mulling over everything from the then newly lauched Manza and as well as the deals on Lineas, SX4s and Fiestas - we went for the City - the most expensive in that bracket because frankly we fell for its looks and the Honda brand tag.
Since I normally drive a Innova - the ground hugging profile, the super quiet engine and the gentle controls made me scared initially of taking the car around. After setting the seat to full height position and getting a good feel of the brakes and the engine’s pick-up under various gears, things settled down better. Now I just love the roar of the engine whenever I get a chance to torque it down an open highway.
Overall great responsive engine, smooth gear shifts, great acceleration, very good road handling and good brakes (V-model has ABS). Fuel efficiency is good at 13-14 kmpl with AC on at all times and mix of city/highway driving.
For anyone who is used to a more spacious interior such as an Innova or even an Indica, initially the space may seemed a little cramped. For the driver the rear-view mirror is bit close, in-your-face given the slant of the windscreen - esp. if you drive with a fully up height adjusted position. The door side moulding should have been a little higher to allow the driver to rest his right elbow on long drives as he grips the steering. For a high end model like the V-class, some woodwork finish on the inside would have added some class.
The music system, HVAC etc are functional. No CDs - It is a USB connect enabled system. You need to keep you Ipod or memory stick current with your latest favourites. The steering wheel controls are good to keep skipping the boring ads and unwanted chatter on the FM channels. No Blu-Me or other fancy stuff however.
Great boot space for your weekend trips - BUT - please be careful how much you load in there. Watch the ground clearance go down with every bag that goes in.
Front seat comfort - no issues. The rear seat comfort needs to be really looked into. The seats, the armrest, the leg support, the recline - all is fine - but you feel every little bump on the road! For those in Mumbai - as you drive over the concrete roads - every time you roll over the joints between the concrete slabs - you can feel the little thud.
The front mud-flaps (black plastic ones) scrap and make a loud noise, everytime you pass over a rumbler strip as the front of the vehicle drops when you roll over it. A fully loaded car with 4-5 passengers, be ready to really go slow over speed bumps regardless of how smooth they are. Something will always scrap on the bottom. At nights I’m scare now to go a slightly higher speeds, lest I miss out on even a small stone or a pothole in the middle of the road in case I’m not able to navigate around it. Honda - please raise the ground clearance and give us some more cushioning - this is India and we don’t have super smooth Autobahns!!
The original accessories are expensive - side strips (without crome!), bumper corner wrap-arounds, etc. I’m a fan of side-strips with chrome and I’m scouting to see if any other make’s side-strips will go well on my City :-)
Hallmark Honda at Thane has a well-fitted facility and more importantly is a responsive dealer. There were a few points during and after the sale that needed attention. While issues were handled properly, when there was a situation that merited an intervention at an escalated level, the CEO himself stepped up for resolving.
This car with its stiff price tag will not pass a VFM checklist test if pitted against the Lineas or SX4s or now even the Manza with similar features and loads of goodies they now package at a lower price.But if it is something about the Honda’s arrow-head front design that clicks somewhere inside you - go for it!
Ah ... but a little slow over those bumps please :-)