Hmm. My first City was a red iDSi engined one, which I still love, But after I tried the VTec flavor, I found it a totally different animal! Ah yes, that’s the Vtec in the picture on the left. that lovely understated steel blue color
Looks:
The new Honda city is either you love it or you hate it. a lot of people love the older city, with its sedate 20th century grand old dame saloon look. I prefer this, it looks more aerodynamic and with the Zx series, looks a lot less "Indigo-ish" than the original new City. Ifind the new City superior, for reasons that I will detail below. The Alloy wheels look great and they give them for all 5 wheels
Space& Comfort:
Fantastic! Lots of leg room in the front and in the rear. Octavia fans will be baying for my blood, but the rear seat comfort, thigh support and leg room are far better for 5 lacs less too! There is more than enough space for 5 and maybe a child squeezed in too. The car is easy to get into and out, unlike the Octavia and is very comfortable, even on long rides. I do not agree with a previous reviewer who said the rear ride comfort is terrible and should be avoided by persons with vertigo, all of my rear seat passengers to date say it is extremely comfortable and there is plenty of legroom. The Old city?. she was like the esteem, you sit far too low and it felt cramped, this flavor is roomy and vey comfortable, in my opinion
Power:
Ah, here is where the Vtec scores over the poor iDSi.You are on the highway, there is a Mitsubishi Pajero trying to hunt you down.does he not know that a beast lies caged under the bonnet in front? No.he wishes to duel. so be it.en garde, mon ami! ., you press down the accelerator and the valves start to open, the engine starts to growl like a tiger that has just smelt its prey. the RPM meter starts to inch up to the 5x mark and .vroom!, something presses the small of your back and you see the triple trapezoid emblem fade away in the dust!
Interiors:
The Vtec has the following extra interior features:
Lovely "Optitron" Dash lighting, it has a variable lighting power
Fog lamp controls on the light switch
Premium beige fabric
Chrome finish as opposed to the "woody" finish of the GXi
Leather wrapped steering wheel
Great Alpine 2DIN stereo with MP3 player and it sounds just great!
Bootspace:*
Really luxurious! Lots of space at 490 litres, there is loads of space there, and more to spare. There is fabric on the boot lid too in the Vtec
Mileage:
Varies. I get 12-13 on an average, but I once I got 20 KPl from my iDSi version car on a highway trip, alone, nothing in the boot and with the Ac off half the time. I guess 15kpl would be the average
Nitpicking:
What don’t I like about the Honda?
Well, a climate control would be nice
There is no real central locking. like, even with a cheap autocop locking system, when you turn on the ignition even in the "loaded" VTec, you have to elbow down the lock knob so as to keep the doors closed, so that your one year old doesn’t open them. I wonder why those cheapskates at Honda couldn’t include a proper central locking system at 8.4Lacs.
No thoughtful touches. like the sunglass holder in the Aveo, the large digital odometer in the Fiesta, even the coin holder in the Optra or even in the new Zen. nothing, no frills.
No digital clock. seen in the Indica, not in the city, though the Alpine stereo does have one
No ABS option no airbags. terrible!
Spare tyre: Upside down, you can’t fill it with air easily, you have to unscrew it and turn it around(someone else here mentioned this too) it’s downright irritating!
Snooty service. they know that their car will sell, so they don;t even appear to try to sell it.( I did feel that way about the Penisular Honda people, in general, though there are some good staff members too). they refuse to give you a lift home when you drop the car off for service and also they have no free pick up facility for the car. I found Maruti service far superior and might opt for an SX4 for the service alone.
Why the Vtec is worth it( over the Gxi)
It costs 60, 000 more than the Gxi version, and you get
Honda original alloys on 5 wheels: MRP 35, 000( yes, they DO cost that much, I asked!)
2 DIN Alpine stereo: MRP:20, 000
Fog Lamps: 15, 000
Rear disc brakes: 15, 000(and they really work well!)
plus premium beige fabric, leather wrapped steering wheel, Optitron lighting etc etc
thats 85 K worth, and that’s without even considering the extra 25 horses under the hood in the Vtec engine. so it’s as if the engine is thrown in for free!