Is the NHC all show and no go ?

[narasimha raju]

Originally Posted by narayan

there simply has to be a discussion on the NHC !! and thanks to SB to bring it out in a new avatar...

i own a OHC but i hate HONDA for its A.S.S and that has clearly made my decision to stay away from the HONDA brand in India as far as my next car ( dont know when) happens...

ok here is what i feel about honda
pluses
engine - performance, efficiency, longevity
interiors - contemporary - this is applicable to both the OHC and the NHC
quality of interior materials - quite good - i will go GA GA over the quality because i still think there is scope for improvement

minuses

car body- both OHC and NHC are made of toilet paper thickness sheet metal - i have NEVER EVER EVER seen a single OHC without chinks in its body caused by anything from the kid who farted leaning on the car or a puny ant that got swept by wind, hit the HONDA and died of severe head injuries..

A.S.S.- dont need to go into detail on this - it simply su*%$

value - HONDAs in India are defently not value propositions. there is a substantial brand premium we are shelling out - even more than what we pay for a TOYOTA. so they are defently overpriced..

so it finally boils down to individual choices- the car is defently good. so if its ur driver who is going to take the car for service and u dont mind the rip off, and ur ok paying the brand premium, its a good car after all

but for the rest of us, it certainly is not a value buy

Simply one question. Why Honda is leading in sales of almost all segments where it released it models in India and rated top in customer satisfaction survey as per ACI Jan 2008 edition?.

[Elito11]

Originally Posted by AnniHilat0R

But re-sale value. 2 and a half year old NHC. Had bought it at 7.55 sold it at 5.70. Not bad I felt.

I think the line above sums up NHC's success versus its competition.

[avimal]

I found 3 major safety issues in NHC ( vtec) that I test drove recently after which I decided not to go for NHC:
1. Ground clearance is too low. I test drove on ring road, bangalore. Car chassis touched 2 out of 3 speed breakers that I faced. There were 3 more passengers in the car. I tried the same thing with Cedia without any problem.
2. Height available to driver is very less. I could fit only 3 fingers above my head. I am only 5'8".
3. In general, Bonnet is very small in honda cars and I feel it is not safe for head on collision as more impact will be passed to the passengers in case of collision. Though I am not sure of collision test results. Also its weight is also less compared to other cars which is good for FE but bad for accidents.

avimal

[ankit.jhamb]

i feel that when th NHC was launched in 2004, there was no car which could compete with the NHC..
people decided to go for the city as there was no car available,hence the sales were at the top.
but now i feel that with the new launches last year,the features which were available in the honda city became too common,and every manufacturer had added to its car.

so i think around 2004 it was a huge success, but now with competition on the rise,it is tough for the NHC to survive in the market

[amit V8]

guys i want to know some things about the NHC
I am gonna buy the 1.5 exi/gxi pretty soon but here in this thread its written, that the car is boring to drive, steering's too light, handling, braking, plastic quality & stability is not upto the mark. What about the i-dsi engine?? Is it good?? & what bout the resale values, & if i go for 2006/07(2nd hand) NHC, would that be a good job?? Please let me know everything about the car because all these comments leave a question mark in my mind.

[hellspawn]

Originally Posted by avimal

I found 3 major safety issues in NHC ( vtec) that I test drove recently after which I decided not to go for NHC:
1. Ground clearance is too low. I test drove on ring road, bangalore. Car chassis touched 2 out of 3 speed breakers that I faced. There were 3 more passengers in the car. I tried the same thing with Cedia without any problem.

how is that a safety issue...Even the Civic touches speedbreakers...so does the zen...

Originally Posted by avimal

2. Height available to driver is very less. I could fit only 3 fingers above my head. I am only 5'8".

That is very surprising because I'm 6'2" and I'm pretty comfortable.

Originally Posted by avimal

3. In general, Bonnet is very small in honda cars and I feel it is not safe for head on collision as more impact will be passed to the passengers in case of collision. Though I am not sure of collision test results. Also its weight is also less compared to other cars which is good for FE but bad for accidents.

avimal

Whats a small bonnet got to do with it....Even the SX4 has a small bonnet,what matters is that it has crumple zones which will deform during collision.

[hellspawn]

Originally Posted by BUSA

hellspawn - The NHC doesnot cost 7Lacs, maybe ex showroom, but then the OHC 1.3EXi also costed the same and had more power and was more FTD. The Vtec NHC costs similar to what the OHC Vtec costed. Civic costs around 12-13L.

Well it does in Delhi.The NHC vtec costs 8lacs exshowroom in Delhi while the OHC vtec was 9lacs.
The Civic cost 10.5lacs exshowroom here.
And I have driven the OHC 1.3 and wasn't fun at all...

The NHC is a car which you wouldnt like when you first drive it...but when you start living with it,the small things make a lot of difference.And its not everyday that you are going to dra at the lights,somedays you want to cruise in comfort,total silence and ease and thats why the NHC is selling like hot cakes even after 4yrs of being launched.

[razor4077]

Going by the topic itself, I don't really find much "show" in the NHC. Looks are subjective, but I haven't really found many people who like the cab forward design.
About the "go", the non-VTEC versions aren't too quick, but the VTEC ain't half bad. It may be a couple of BHP shy of the OHC VTEC, but with over 100 BHP on tap, it's no slouch. Handling and braking are sore points though, and at high speeds the car is pretty unstable.
Interiors are best in its class IMHO, and comparable to some more premium cars. Fit and finish is excellent, and NVH levels are amazingly low. Ride comfort is great, and it soaks up bumps without any fuss.
It is priced a tad higher than most of its competition, but like it or not, the NHC has really been a success for Honda.
None of the variants qualify as an enthusiasts car - the VTEC has the grunt, but not the handling to go with it. The lower variants are simply too underpowered.
Having said that, if the car is primarily chaffeur driven, then the NHC is a pretty decent buy. Quiet, comfortable, refined and reliable with decent fuel economy, good resale value and the confidence that comes with the Honda badge. For most, that's a winner.

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by hellspawn

The NHC is a car which you wouldnt like when you first drive it...but when you start living with it,the small things make a lot of difference.And its not everyday that you are going to dra at the lights,somedays you want to cruise in comfort,total silence and ease and thats why the NHC is selling like hot cakes even after 4yrs of being launched.

Don’t you think its common to any other vehicle you own? If you have it, you will get used to it, and with time, "you will start living with it". And come-on, there are other cars too in the same category or less, with which you can cruise in:

* Better comfort (with the added psychological assurance of ABS, airbags, pretensioner belts). So, to you basically, NHC (non-plus) provides better comfort to its occupants with none of the above mention features? . Comfort is not merely about plush interiors, but also the assuring feeling that the car is well equipped to be safe, for both kids, occupants.

* Better handling (larger and wider wheels, ABS, ground clearance, Gross weight etc.).

* Better ease (climate control, steering audio controls, SUV like sitting, SUV like ingress/egress). Just curious, what context you are referring ease to NHC?

--- All of these, with a good flair of adrenaline rush in driving 100+ horses. To mention a few, Cedia, Fiesta, SX4 etc. Only the NHC VTEC plus (~10 lacs OTR) comes close to achieving it. Well, it’s no brainer in making a wise judgment.

[carCrazy25]

A quick question.
Does it make sense to buy a Honda City now,as lots of you guys are saying a new City is on it's way, and if it is, when can we expect it to hit the showrooms.

[tanmay_ambre]

I drive a 2004 NHC (i-DSI) from last 3 years. No major issues at all with the car.

Lot of comments I have seen on performance. Even iDSI can reach unbelievable speeds. I have been pushed back into the seat by this humble iDSI.

Overtaking, I have never had to work hard. But I admit on steep inclines, you have to down shift and throttle it hard to overtake.

Handling. Yes at very high speeds, response is not much. But the car always seem to be well planted on the road. The steering becomes heavier at high speeds. So its normal. I wont call it a driver's car as far as handling at high speeds is concerned.

Reliability Nothing major had to be done on the car in last 3 years. (except my bearings on the wheels started making noise one day. Had to replace them for 6K and had to open the dash once as a big mouse had got into the a/c blower)

FE :13 kmpl in city (75% A/C). 18 on highway (w/o AC. My driver managed this. I get around 15 to 16 with A/C).

[avimal]

Originally Posted by diabloo

T-BHP Law: There must always be thread running against NHC.
Corollary Law: If any existing thread against NHC is closed, automatically another thread starts.

FYI, NHC was launched worldwide in 2002-2003. In India, it completed 4 years last November. Can't believe people still talk about as if its a new car . Search this forum and you will find the car with least problems is NHC.


Some thing funny about such threads: Owners are happy and its the non-owners who crib (maybe its the case of grapes being sour).

Originally Posted by hellspawn

how is that a safety issue...Even the Civic touches speedbreakers...so does the zen...

That is very surprising because I'm 6'2" and I'm pretty comfortable.

Whats a small bonnet got to do with it....Even the SX4 has a small bonnet,what matters is that it has crumple zones which will deform during collision.

you are right about Civic and Zen. They also have this issue. This issue is significant in cities like Bangalore where we have too many speed breakers and that too uneven.

You have good height. How many fingers can you squeeze in after you sit on driver's seat. I am talking about latest honda city vtec that I tried last week. I guess you should not be able to fit more than 1 finger between your head and the roof of the car. Actually it was very strange to me as city's overall height on paper is very good.

Small bonnet - to go to extreme...Omni has almost no bonnet and hence fatal rate is very high for omni. Bigger the steel/ iron stuff before the driver better will be the chance as heavy machinery absorbs lot of collision. This is novoice thinking - Some expert can comment on it.

I found many good things about NHC like good boot space, great looks, comfortability at back seats, enlighted instrument panel etc etc which I have not mentioned earlier as I wanted to keep focus on safety issues in my post.

[diabloo]

Why don't you turn the driver seat adjustment knob & sit comfortably?

Originally Posted by avimal

You have good height. How many fingers can you squeeze in after you sit on driver's seat. I am talking about latest honda city vtec that I tried last week. I guess you should not be able to fit more than 1 finger between your head and the roof of the car. Actually it was very strange to me as city's overall height on paper is very good.

[DCEite]

Frankly i haven't driven NHC much. And even if i was to consider buying a sedan today, i would give NHC a passe. The competition (read SX4), is simply so much more value for money.

However if Honda comes up with the hatchback version of NHC (Jazz?), i would love to own it provided its priced under 4.5 lac OTR. IMO, it could well spell doomsday for Getz, U-VA, Fabia and other "premium hatchbacks".

[hrman]

Originally Posted by hellspawn

why the NHC is selling like hot cakes even after 4yrs of being launched.

Touche` I couldnt have put it better myself. Thats bound to be a testimonial in itself right?

Originally Posted by carCrazy25

A quick question.
Does it make sense to buy a Honda City now,as lots of you guys are saying a new City is on it's way, and if it is, when can we expect it to hit the showrooms.

This talk has been doing the round for some time. No proof though.

Originally Posted by DCEite

The competition (read SX4), is simply so much more value for money.

I agree. But if you have a look at some other threads on SX4, i can see many BHP-ians who have decided against going for the SX4 due to some inherent issues, which Maruti's Aft Sales Service does not acknowledge/ cannot correct.