My New Honda City ZX Vtec - Report at 15000 Kms

[abhinav.gupta88]

Bought on 6th december 2006.

So Finally My Car reached the 15000 km a day or two before.
But the car is still like WOW!
The Engine is awesome. Simply Great.

But I am a bit disappointed with the quality of material used for the bumpers and the fendors.

Had a minor accident at 7k Kms by the Driver and during my absence , my dad sent the car to the company which replaced the bumper, fendor and when i saw and held the fendor in my hand , it nearly bent as if it were some kind of mouldable plastic.

The Airconditioner is Quite good .

The Absence of ABS is obvious when turning at high speeds .
The Tyre is Quite wrongly sized (175 65 R 14) but i plan to change it to 185 60 R 14 which i heard would improve the handling and breaking as well. and Speaking of Breaking , Its bad but not as bad as that of the GXi or EXi variant.

A fuel efficiency of around 13-14 in city with AC on is quite decent
I beleive considering the fact that the Old Honda City Vtec Gave me around 9 -10.

The Service is good and so is the Servicing Cost. Does not Cut My Pocket.

The Boot Is Awesome and so is the space underneath the rear seat and the 2 glovebox. I find the space under the rear seat a unique feature and quite a good utilisation of space.

Touches the ground when loaded but hey , evey other honda does ( except CRVs)


All in all a great car. Feel Good Factor attached and so is the VFM Factor.

Hail The Honda Guyz for such a Beauty!

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

The Absence of ABS is obvious when turning at high speeds .
The Tyre is Quite wrongly sized (175 65 R 14) but i plan to change it to 185 60 R 14 which i heard would improve the handling and breaking as well. and Speaking of Breaking , Its bad but not as bad as that of the GXi or EXi variant.

Nice review, but you seem to be confused about ABS.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up during high speed braking, so that you have steering control. In non ABS cars when you slam the brakes, the wheels lock up, and you get a skid. Turning the steering will have no effect in such a scenario. ABS system ensures that the brakes are "pulsating" rather than lockup, and you have steering control.
Wider tyres will improve braking.

For your VTEC, it makes sense to get 195/60 R14

[BUSA]

185/60/14 is not the right upsize for the City, 185/65/14 or 195/60/14 is better. However with all that power i suggest to go for the 195s.

[hellspawn]

glad to hear that you are happy with your purchase.my nhc vtec just crossed 35000 kms.the engine is still as responsive.the low down grunt is very good when you compare it the the ohc vtec.an effortless commuter and perfect for the city.i believe you are confusing the abs with traction control.
i changed the tires on my nhc vtec to 195/60R14 michelin xm1's and the ride quality and handling have improved a lot.even the braking feels more linear and the tires don't screech when you slam on the brakes.the car still feels well built,no rattles,no creaks as yet.
it might not hold up against the ohc vtec for driving pleasure but it does a darn good job of what it was made for-effortless commuting.

[rohan_fonseca]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Nice review, but you seem to be confused about ABS.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up during high speed braking, so that you have steering control. In non ABS cars when you slam the brakes, the wheels lock up, and you get a skid. Turning the steering will have no effect in such a scenario. ABS system ensures that the brakes are "pulsating" rather than lockup, and you have steering control.
Wider tyres will improve braking.

For your VTEC, it makes sense to get 195/60 R14

He might be confusing it with EBD.

[hellspawn]

Originally Posted by rohan_fonseca

He might be confusing it with EBD.

again EBD is required when braking.he is probably talking about traction control,where if you are turning at a high speed and your wheels start squealing,the computer detects the wheel losing traction and directs more power to that particular wheel.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by hellspawn

again EBD is required when braking.he is probably talking about traction control,where if you are turning at a high speed and your wheels start squealing,the computer detects the wheel losing traction and directs more power to that particular wheel.

Nope. Even while driving if you lose control, EBD brakes the required wheel to get you back in line.
I recently drove a jeep with ABD, and every time the tail spun out, it tried to correct. When it failed, the light would flicker warning me that the system was on its limit.

[Ali G]

excuse me on a technical opinion.. but i have an OHC and have driven my cousin's NHC often; i feel handling at higher speeds is better with the OHC as the NHC as it tends to lurk. With the force acting on the ride in the opposite direction the stock tires are no help to its taller shape compared to its older version.
Push it to the floor people..

[hellspawn]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Nope. Even while driving if you lose control, EBD brakes the required wheel to get you back in line.
I recently drove a jeep with ABD, and every time the tail spun out, it tried to correct. When it failed, the light would flicker warning me that the system was on its limit.

yes thats traction control or esp(electronic stability). Electronic brakeforce distribution or EBD is an automobile brake technology that automatically varies the amount of force applied to each of a vehicle's brakes, based on road conditions, speed, loading, etc. Often coupled with anti-lock braking systems, EBD can apply more or less braking pressure to each wheel in order to maximize stopping power whilst maintaining steering control.
Traction control is not just used for moving a vehicle from stationary without slippage. During hard maneuvers in a front wheel drive car there is a point where the wheels cannot both steer and drive the car at the same time without losing traction. With traction control, it's less likely for this loss of control to occur. There is a limit though, when the tires lose grip. The car will not corner as sharply as indicated by the front wheels, this is Understeer. In some front wheel drive cars, Traction Control can induce Lift-off oversteer due to its throttle retarding capabilities. This can keep some cars stable in long maneuvers. In rear wheel drive cars, traction control can prevent Oversteer

[GTO]

What is this space under the rear seat that you mention? Sounds pretty unique.

[anandpadhye]

Great report.

Good to see NHC going great after a long run with no rattle...

Mine (Gxi) has done almost 50,000 KM and same level of satisfaction. Time to write a long term ownership report I think.

BTW, what's this space under the rear seat? The rear seats are extremely comfortable though.

[abhinav.gupta88]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Nice review, but you seem to be confused about ABS.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up during high speed braking, so that you have steering control. In non ABS cars when you slam the brakes, the wheels lock up, and you get a skid. Turning the steering will have no effect in such a scenario. ABS system ensures that the brakes are "pulsating" rather than lockup, and you have steering control.
Wider tyres will improve braking.

For your VTEC, it makes sense to get 195/60 R14

Well It might be the thing you are saying because once when driving at the Greater Noida Expressway in Delhi , I was travelling at speed of 170 and suddenly a car stopped in the front . When I applied the breaks and turned the steering it locked almost but with God's Grace , It came into control just in time to prevent any accident ( Fortunately No one was at my back )

And what will be the breaking and handling like in the 195 60 R 14 , Also will there be any harshness in the ride

Originally Posted by GTO

What is this space under the rear seat that you mention? Sounds pretty unique.

Well When you see a bench in a park , there is a space under it , so similarly there is a space of about 1-1.5 ft High space beneath the rear seat where you can store lots of stuff. from small bags to cricket stuff to much more!

[vid6639]

Originally Posted by GTO

What is this space under the rear seat that you mention? Sounds pretty unique.

Yup NHC has space under the rear seat as the fuel tank is placed under the front seats. In the thai version you can fold up the rear bench to utilize that space. In the indian one it's fixed but you can still put some shopping bags there.

[theMAG]

Thats a very good city mileage with AC. Whats your take on its acceleration, compared to the OHC VTEC?

[saumil]

Only problem occurred in my NHC Vtec within its 10 months of purchase - had to replace the fuel pump (in warranty) otherwise no issues with the car at all...