New Honda City Gxi - Team-BHP

Montoya · 13th June 2005, 13:06

Well have been driving a NHC for 7 and a half months and now its time for a report..

The car was bought from Ichibaan honda and the buying experience is nothing to write home about.. thanx to ICHIBAAN who delayed the car for no reasons..

Looks- Car looks ugly to some and beautiful to others.. but to me it looked quite good.. the car looks odd from rear angle and the front looks a bit too small.. but when seen from the side the car looks longer then the OHC.. but from the front OHC is longer..

Interiors- The best in class. The interior is very roomy and gives you a thought that the car is more expensive then it actually is.. but err the driving seat is a pain to adjust once you slide it down..

Boot - Amzing boot space of 490Liters.. but the boot lid is small so putting big bags is difficult.. supprisingly it took so much in the boot that even an Amby could not and the Ambys boot did not close with the 3/4ths of the items in the NHC..

Brakes - Extremely poor due to poor tyres and the car skids even on slight hint of braking.. i would highly recommend NHC owners to upgrade to 195s ASAP..

Build quality is fantastic and you come to know the fit and finish is superb..

Features - are ok for the car but as of today ABS is expected as even hyundai is offering it in the Santro.. even CDE player would not have hurt considering there is mere 600Rs difference in the market price of the Alpine cassette and Single in dash CD player..
Tyres should have been wider and alloys would not have hurt any one..

Handling is ok for the car and nothing to talk about and the tall height kills the handling.. the OHC was way better at it..

Ride is decent but tends to get a bit bumpy at low speeds..

FE - Honda said that NHC is 40% more Fuel efficient then OHC but its only mere 15% and at that a compromise of so much power is sad.. Also you tend to pull the car more then you would have to in the OHC..

Performance. - The car performances ok and never felt that it will fly and having just 77 horses on board with a weight of 1040 kgs has a poor power to weight of 74.0x and even a zen has more PTW..
Low end torque pretty good and 4th gear and 5th gear are also very good.. thought gearing is short i was reminded by the ECU to change when oce i hit above 120 in 3rd..

Car is very silent and no hint of NVH visible but thats maybe due to lack of horses groaning in the hood

Car is very easy to drive and with that short hood is easy to cut across..

However comparing the car with the Optra 1.6 base which is around 50K costlier i feel that the Optra wins handsdown. Optra is better in brakes better in handling more co,fy same features as the NHC and everything better then the NHC.. maybe the optras boot is a bit smaller then the NHC but still big enough with 4xx L.. and is way more powerful with 103horses on board..

Only place where you find a fault is in the FE.. but its almost same 1KM/L here and there max and thats my assurance to you..

One reason to let go off my NHC was that doesnot have the power and still consumes alot of petrol giving 10km/L..

I feel the NHC is a bit overpriced and thats due to Honda name.. common we deserve ABS and 100bhp atleast..

City

Likes - Interiors, Honda name, Easy to drive.. resale value so called FE

Dislikes - Mirror angle causes mirage on front screen, large glass area heats car excessively, low ground clearance assures you that you are going to lose you front spoiler and also scrub breakers, feels breathless sometimes and you need to downshift alot to 1st to move on climbing.. and taking pickup in traffic and floor her to 6000RPM..

Also Ichibaan is cheap i have not got my claim back yet wheras Ichibaan had promised me that i would with a week its a month and a half now..

Verdict..

NHC - 3.5 star out of 5

Optra 1.6 - 4.5 star out of 5

Pick the Optra 1.6 at 50k more is my verdict..

Now you will ask why i didnot that time cause i felt the Optra was not that Fuel efficent and the NHC gave 16-17kpl to a liter according to many people but thats carp..

If you want to ask any questions about the car be free to do so..

Montoya · 13th June 2005, 13:20

Here are the pics of the car

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showth...6&page=8&pp=15

Also i would like to mention that spares are costly and service is every 3 months(money making technique) wheras optras is 6 months

revtech · 13th June 2005, 13:26

hey montoya
great ownership report and nice pics.have seen them earlier too.

Rev

v_s_natarajan · 14th June 2005, 14:04

That was one Good and honest report that i have read in a long time. I usually see peoiple praising their cars no matter what its drawbacks are.

I test drove the NHC and found it a little too Sluggish with no ABS.
At 10/11 Lakhs, I thought It was way too over priced.
I hope Honda comes up with a better Engine capacity.

ajmat · 14th June 2005, 15:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montoya

Here are the pics of the car

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showth...6&page=8&pp=15

Also i would like to mention that spares are costly and service is every 3 months(money making technique) wheras optras is 6 months

If you read the manual (at least for the OHC), it tells a different story

Montoya · 15th June 2005, 21:57

Quote:

At 10/11 Lakhs, I thought It was way too over priced

Its priced a bit lower then that around 8Lacs.. but the Vtec CVT will be at that price and surely it will be overpriced..

Quote:

If you read the manual (at least for the OHC), it tells a different story

Yeah the bumpers are cheaper also and easy to replace unlike the NHC which has one peace bumper ***

srasania · 15th June 2005, 23:57

Hey montoya..excellent report...if your Honda Manual gives you 10kmpl in City,i don't know what i'm in for with just aroud a week remaining to get my New City CVT !!..
Well,you mentioned that you haven't received some claim since past 1 1/2 months..may I ask which insurance provider you've taken?..?..Ichibaan were giving me New India Assurance when I booked,but I told them I don't want that co. insurance,and so,am going to take TATA-AIG insurance for the new vehicle.

Suraj

Montoya · 16th June 2005, 14:24

Well Srasnia expect around 9 - 10 kpl

I have new india assurance.. Some Thacker.. guy.. which they say you dont have to bother every thing is done by them and its bull ****..

Minardi · 16th June 2005, 14:39

My brother-in-law's NHC CVT gave him 15 km/l when he recently travelled to Goa. The car had logged in just a few hundred kms when he undertook the journey.

13th June 2005, 13:06	#1 (permalink)
Montoya BANNED Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Best City In India Mumbai Posts: 656	New Honda City Gxi Well have been driving a NHC for 7 and a half months and now its time for a report.. The car was bought from Ichibaan honda and the buying experience is nothing to write home about.. thanx to ICHIBAAN who delayed the car for no reasons.. Looks- Car looks ugly to some and beautiful to others.. but to me it looked quite good.. the car looks odd from rear angle and the front looks a bit too small.. but when seen from the side the car looks longer then the OHC.. but from the front OHC is longer.. Interiors- The best in class. The interior is very roomy and gives you a thought that the car is more expensive then it actually is.. but err the driving seat is a pain to adjust once you slide it down.. Boot - Amzing boot space of 490Liters.. but the boot lid is small so putting big bags is difficult.. supprisingly it took so much in the boot that even an Amby could not and the Ambys boot did not close with the 3/4ths of the items in the NHC.. Brakes - Extremely poor due to poor tyres and the car skids even on slight hint of braking.. i would highly recommend NHC owners to upgrade to 195s ASAP.. Build quality is fantastic and you come to know the fit and finish is superb.. Features - are ok for the car but as of today ABS is expected as even hyundai is offering it in the Santro.. even CDE player would not have hurt considering there is mere 600Rs difference in the market price of the Alpine cassette and Single in dash CD player.. Tyres should have been wider and alloys would not have hurt any one.. Handling is ok for the car and nothing to talk about and the tall height kills the handling.. the OHC was way better at it.. Ride is decent but tends to get a bit bumpy at low speeds.. FE - Honda said that NHC is 40% more Fuel efficient then OHC but its only mere 15% and at that a compromise of so much power is sad.. Also you tend to pull the car more then you would have to in the OHC.. Performance. - The car performances ok and never felt that it will fly and having just 77 horses on board with a weight of 1040 kgs has a poor power to weight of 74.0x and even a zen has more PTW.. Low end torque pretty good and 4th gear and 5th gear are also very good.. thought gearing is short i was reminded by the ECU to change when oce i hit above 120 in 3rd.. Car is very silent and no hint of NVH visible but thats maybe due to lack of horses groaning in the hood Car is very easy to drive and with that short hood is easy to cut across.. However comparing the car with the Optra 1.6 base which is around 50K costlier i feel that the Optra wins handsdown. Optra is better in brakes better in handling more co,fy same features as the NHC and everything better then the NHC.. maybe the optras boot is a bit smaller then the NHC but still big enough with 4xx L.. and is way more powerful with 103horses on board.. Only place where you find a fault is in the FE.. but its almost same 1KM/L here and there max and thats my assurance to you.. One reason to let go off my NHC was that doesnot have the power and still consumes alot of petrol giving 10km/L.. I feel the NHC is a bit overpriced and thats due to Honda name.. common we deserve ABS and 100bhp atleast.. City Likes - Interiors, Honda name, Easy to drive.. resale value so called FE Dislikes - Mirror angle causes mirage on front screen, large glass area heats car excessively, low ground clearance assures you that you are going to lose you front spoiler and also scrub breakers, feels breathless sometimes and you need to downshift alot to 1st to move on climbing.. and taking pickup in traffic and floor her to 6000RPM.. Also Ichibaan is cheap i have not got my claim back yet wheras Ichibaan had promised me that i would with a week its a month and a half now.. Verdict.. NHC - 3.5 star out of 5 Optra 1.6 - 4.5 star out of 5 Pick the Optra 1.6 at 50k more is my verdict.. Now you will ask why i didnot that time cause i felt the Optra was not that Fuel efficent and the NHC gave 16-17kpl to a liter according to many people but thats carp.. If you want to ask any questions about the car be free to do so..

13th June 2005, 13:26	#3 (permalink)
revtech Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,786 View My Garage	hey montoya great ownership report and nice pics.have seen them earlier too. Rev __________________ Revin Beyond Limits !!

14th June 2005, 14:04	#4 (permalink)
v_s_natarajan BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: chennai Posts: 258	hi That was one Good and honest report that i have read in a long time. I usually see peoiple praising their cars no matter what its drawbacks are. I test drove the NHC and found it a little too Sluggish with no ABS. At 10/11 Lakhs, I thought It was way too over priced. I hope Honda comes up with a better Engine capacity.

15th June 2005, 23:57	#7 (permalink)
srasania BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Orlando, FL, USA Posts: 316 View My Garage	Hey montoya..excellent report...if your Honda Manual gives you 10kmpl in City,i don't know what i'm in for with just aroud a week remaining to get my New City CVT !!.. Well,you mentioned that you haven't received some claim since past 1 1/2 months..may I ask which insurance provider you've taken?..?..Ichibaan were giving me New India Assurance when I booked,but I told them I don't want that co. insurance,and so,am going to take TATA-AIG insurance for the new vehicle. Suraj __________________ Driven by Dreams !

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13th June 2005, 13:20	#2 (permalink)
Montoya BANNED Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Best City In India Mumbai Posts: 656	Here are the pics of the car http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showth...6&page=8&pp=15 Also i would like to mention that spares are costly and service is every 3 months(money making technique) wheras optras is 6 months

16th June 2005, 14:24	#8 (permalink)
Montoya BANNED Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Best City In India Mumbai Posts: 656	Well Srasnia expect around 9 - 10 kpl I have new india assurance.. Some Thacker.. guy.. which they say you dont have to bother every thing is done by them and its bull ****..

16th June 2005, 14:39	#9 (permalink)
Minardi BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 316	My brother-in-law's NHC CVT gave him 15 km/l when he recently travelled to Goa. The car had logged in just a few hundred kms when he undertook the journey.