New Honda City Test Drive Report

[FuelRunGod 200]

Here is a brief review of the much awaited Honda City. Is it better than the car it replaces? Let's find out.

 

EDIT: Indian Car pictures added - The red coloured car is the Indian-spec City while the Silver coloured car is the Thailand-spec. Notice no alloys, rear view mirror indicators and fog lamps on Indian version. Interiors on the Indian version get beige treatment.

 

 

 

 

Exteriors

 

The new City looks stunning whichever angle you look at it from. The front especially looks very attractive. The grille and headlights wouldn't look out of place on cars from a higher segment. Gone is the disproportionate look of the old City. It is a welcome relief from the old City's quirky looks. Now it has clean and well proportioned profile and manages to look sporty somewhat like the original City that had captured the hearts of many drivers back in its day. The same aggressive looks of the front hasn't carried over very well to the rear which looks just about okay. The tail-lamps look somewhat bland in comparison. But just like the Civic, this design will still look fresh after some years.

 

Interiors

 

 

 

The interiors may not have the flair of the Civic, nevertheless they look good and are functional too. The Thailand spec car came with dull looking interiors, but the Indian car will have beige interiors which will definately look better. Interior quality is top notch, the cabin has good amount of storage space for the passengers and their knick-knacks. The front seats are more comfortable than the older car and the rear seats although very comfortable in their own right are not like the old seats which were set slightly higher. The audio system is not a conventional CD player. Honda has gone a step ahead and provided a system that accepts an i-Pod or memory stick. There is a slot provided for an aftermarket CD player if the customer wishes. Sound quality is good too.

 

Performance, Ride & Handling

 

 

Now the old IDSi engine wasn't exactly a rocket in a straightline and many people may have longed for the original City just for the driving pleasure it offered. The new City now comes VTEC power only. It produces 116bhp and 14.8kgm of torque. There's good pulling power in the low and mid-range. The engine is smooth and is particularly audible only near the redline. The City is available both in manual and automatic transmission variants. The auto model gets paddle shifts behind the steering wheel just like the Civic and it is no longer a CVT gearbox, but a more conventional auto tranny with a torque converter lockup for better performance. The old City's biggest problem was the electronic power steering which although great for city driving felt lifeless and vague at highway speeds. The new City sorts this out with a new system which weighs up nicely with speed. Corners are now handled more confidently, there is still some body roll but well under control. The narrow tyres however, run out of grip fairly quickly. Ride and handling have improved overall over the older car.

 

Verdict

 

 

 

The new City has set benchmarks once again for others to follow. Not only does it improve on the older car but takes care of most of the problems of the previous generation car. It has seen a price increase over the older car, but it is well worth it because the City has grown up and now a more desirable than ever. Let's just say it has the soul of the original city and the practicality of the previous City. I think it is the best City yet. Make sure you take this one for a drive.

 

FRG

 

FuelRunGod2008-10-07 13:28:18

[speed 0]

Wow, thanks FRG for the Numero Uno effort. This is the 1st. test drive report of the new City in India.

So, there seem to be no real shortcomings, no downsides, how does Honda manage this?

How is the pick up compared to Altis & Civic?

Most importantly your favourite part- fuel efficiency, what sort of figures does it manage?

Also, how's the ride quality?

[FuelRunGod 200]

Pictures added. This is a good car, well the only downside could be the higher price. Fuel efficiency and acceleration figures can be expected shortly. The ride quality is softer than the old car. But I would suggest we wait for a more detailed report.

 

FRG

[speed 0]

Thanks for the pics., but these are of Thai. version only, were seen in ACI too.

What about the legroom upfront for tall persons?

speed2008-10-07 06:44:13

[vibhor 0]

Nice short report FRG!!this car is simply great in looks n ofcourse better than previous one!..but its pricing..err..

yeah!this is thailand version of City!.

vibhor2008-10-07 06:48:14

[FuelRunGod 200]

Front legroom wasn't a bother, but I'm not exactly tall, but I don't expect it to be an issue. Yes the pics are of the Thai-spec car. The Indian version doesn't have alloys and gets the beige treatment.

 

FRG

[mndvishnu 0]

hey good test report , would be glad to see more details which will come sooon , between what is the registration?? where was this tested??

the main concern of this car is less features high pricing , nose wasnt good for me!

Cheers!!!

[bluesapphire 1]

vishnu its the Thai version..this report is same as it came in Oct issue in ACi...

i was expecting the Indian version report...

[FuelRunGod 200]

The pictures are of the Thai-spec car. The car has been driven in India.

 

FRG

[bluesapphire 1]

Ok so no pics of indian spec car..

bluesapphire2008-10-07 07:34:41

[FuelRunGod 200]

Not yet.

FRG

[bluesapphire 1]

Ok so can we expect those in November issue

[archit 2]

new city doesn't have alloys in india??

[bluesapphire 1]

ya  alloys for Indian city...

 

[Jupiter 0]

I'm eagerly awaiting the TD report of the Indian version - especially want to know how this car fares on the bad city roads - suspension and the whole setup.

I also hope ACI does a run to test the mileage too. The local dealers are floating numbers similar to the iDSI version.

[bluesapphire 1]

Jupiter, i think Frg said that TD was on indian vehicle but pics were of Thai version..

[sharash 0]

Indian version does not have Alloys, No Fog Lamps and is priced around 8 to 9 lakhs, According to the show in NDTV this sunday! Reviews are good.

[speed 0]

Front legroom wasn't a bother' date=' but I'm not exactly tall, but I don't expect it to be an issue. Yes the pics are of the Thai-spec car.[/quote']

Thanks man.

Does this car give the same joy in driving,  which earlier(1st.) 1.5L used to give, or even more?

Also suspension height must be raised for India, has Honda been able strike perfect ride & handling balance?

[FuelRunGod 200]

Indian-spec car pictures added to the first post.

@speed: No it isn't like the original city but comes quite close and a very good compromise in my opinion.

FRG

[speed 0]

Thanks FRG.

Just saw the pics. of Indian version, it looks better to me than the Thai.

Wheel cups resemble alloys!

Beige interiors looking good.

Finally auto box! How's the paddle shift compared to Civic?

What about tractability in City, are frequent gear shifts needed?

[karanraheja 0]

Thanks FRG.

Just saw the pics. of Indian version' date=' it looks better to me than the Thai.

Wheel cups resemble alloys![/quote']

Well the Wheel caps look decent. You cant say it ll resemble alloys! I think most of them will upgrade the tyres and put some nice pair of alloys to it!!

[speed 0]

Upgradation is a personal choice, I like to keep my car simple & loaded with OEM equipment only.

[mehul_bhp 0]

well lets wait for the performance figures as well....do you think that the new city is gonna be way quicker than the segment current leader the sx4 ????/ i think so its 0-100 kmph might be in close to 11 secs !!!!

[speed 0]

Yes I believe City would be quicker than SX4. The 0-100 dash should come in 9.90-10.50secs. according to me.

But the power delivery would be more seamless than SX4, afterall Honda are champions in Petrol tech.

speed2008-10-07 15:45:08

[vibhor 0]

just saw the new pics of indian city!!...yup!...i love the indian version!... indian looks better than thai!...atleast to me!....but there are no alloys here!(am i right?) thats not good!