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Floyd de Souza · 23rd December 2005, 10:33

Took a short TD (about 1/2 hr) of the NHC Vtec yesterday. Called the car to my office at Ballard Pier and the route though short took me through Regal, Nariman Point, Marine Drive, Churchgate and back. Decent enough to get an idea of the cars abilities in different traffic conditions. My impressions as follows :

1. Very good driveability in city conditions. The gearbox mates the engine perfectly. Certainly better than my S10.
2. What oomph! : On marine drive, which did not have too much traffic, I floored the throttle in second...and wow...it just took off. The characteristics were very similar to my S10 though more refined. The engine has got a peculiar "growl"..exciting but not harsh.
3. Ride & handling : Excellent in traffic due to the light steering which though vague is Ok once you get used to it. Ride is harsh...you can feel the bumps. I feel this is one area where the City really needs to up its game. Tried an 80kph lane change to test the handling and thought it was decent enough though not great...most of the cars in the C & D segment have it beat...my opinion. I feel that once you get used to the steering (which will take some time as compared to HPS)...the car can be pushed.
4. Braking : Very good. A tad over servoed but excellent bite. They should have given an ABS/EBD option at least.
5. Gearbox : The best I have come across. Better than my S10..which I consider slick.
6 A/C : OK. I would rate my S10 higher. I feel they could have used a more powerful compressor to accomodate for the cabin design.
7 Fit & finish : What you would expect from Honda and for the price you pay.
8 Overall : It is worth the 79K over the Gxi thouh in my opinion the entire range is slightly over priced. If you do 60-70% of your driving in the city and want that extra thrill on the highway and are able to get used to the steering and slightly harsh ride then go for it.

The salesman told me that Honda was having trouble selling to corporates as they had withdrawn all discounts and it would be just a matter of time before they did start offering them(atleast to corporates).

23rd December 2005, 10:33	#75 (permalink)
Floyd de Souza BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 161	A short TD of the NHC Vtec Took a short TD (about 1/2 hr) of the NHC Vtec yesterday. Called the car to my office at Ballard Pier and the route though short took me through Regal, Nariman Point, Marine Drive, Churchgate and back. Decent enough to get an idea of the cars abilities in different traffic conditions. My impressions as follows : 1. Very good driveability in city conditions. The gearbox mates the engine perfectly. Certainly better than my S10. 2. What oomph! : On marine drive, which did not have too much traffic, I floored the throttle in second...and wow...it just took off. The characteristics were very similar to my S10 though more refined. The engine has got a peculiar "growl"..exciting but not harsh. 3. Ride & handling : Excellent in traffic due to the light steering which though vague is Ok once you get used to it. Ride is harsh...you can feel the bumps. I feel this is one area where the City really needs to up its game. Tried an 80kph lane change to test the handling and thought it was decent enough though not great...most of the cars in the C & D segment have it beat...my opinion. I feel that once you get used to the steering (which will take some time as compared to HPS)...the car can be pushed. 4. Braking : Very good. A tad over servoed but excellent bite. They should have given an ABS/EBD option at least. 5. Gearbox : The best I have come across. Better than my S10..which I consider slick. 6 A/C : OK. I would rate my S10 higher. I feel they could have used a more powerful compressor to accomodate for the cabin design. 7 Fit & finish : What you would expect from Honda and for the price you pay. 8 Overall : It is worth the 79K over the Gxi thouh in my opinion the entire range is slightly over priced. If you do 60-70% of your driving in the city and want that extra thrill on the highway and are able to get used to the steering and slightly harsh ride then go for it. The salesman told me that Honda was having trouble selling to corporates as they had withdrawn all discounts and it would be just a matter of time before they did start offering them(atleast to corporates).