[Swarup5]

A car that needs no introduction, the Honda City was always a dream to own from my younger days. It has time tested reliability of at least 2 decades, which is quite a remarkable feat in itself. A lot has been said on this forum, my short review is just an addition. Thanks to GTO 'official review, Track day- Athena and Rudra28 for helping me decide on the car.

My initial ownership impressions.

Likes:
1. The Engine, CVT combination is a marriage made in heaven( This is provided we don't drive pedal to the metal). It certainly needs more appreciation for what it does when compared to what AMT, TC, DSG has to offer. CVT works seamlessly, more like my Honda Activa but with a lot more power and speed. The rubber band effect is very less.
2. The safety features are plenty viz ESP, TC, Hill hold, Agile handling assist, ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, 4 Airbags as standard on base variant and 5-star GNCAP rating.
3. Space and more space everywhere in the car. No one can complain about this aspect. The rear legroom is more than sufficient, boot space is huge 500L and front seats are supremely comfortable.
4. Comfortable highway cruiser and rev-happy engine. A combination of Paddle shifts, cruise control and Sport mode is sheer fun to use. While the car puts everyone in the back to sleep, these features are what keep me entertained on a long highway.
5. It is a head-turner for sure in the huge sea of all segments of SUV cars. I keep getting queries in signal stops and other places very often.
6. The Car performs well over bad patches without any issues, never bottomed out in deep potholes or big speed breakers. Having said that, it does need to be driven with caution, unlike higher seated SUVs of these days.

Dislikes :
1. The night light throw needs betterment. I might consider a better pair of Osram in the near future.
2. The Tyre profile of 185/60/R15 in V CVT is although better than VX or ZX ( which get 185/60/R16). It certainly needs 195/205 to justify the handling area.
3. The reverse parking camera is a VGA at best, Honda needs to have better quality at this price point. Looking for upgrading this in the future.
4. Honda Connect App is very slow and buggy. Alexa and Google Assistant irritate me at best, not to use it ever again.
5. No Wireless charging and Wireless car play features. Infotainment is pretty basic.
6. Certain owners from across the web have been posting issues about rattling, hard gears - none of which I have experienced in mine. Some say it is the early production issues which have been ironed out by Honda.

Prologue

Back in the day, when I was younger by 5 years, I just wanted to buy a premium hatchback. Nothing made me smile like the Ford Diesel 1.5 motor, and hence the decision. Fast-forward to 2021, when the itch to upgrade after seeing 80k KMS on the Ford, this car made me smile with a feeling which no other car did in the segment.

My requirements :

1.An Automatic Highway cruiser
This was a clear priority to have an automatic in the garage. Though I bought this for highways , an automatic certainly makes the life lot more pleasing after having driven manual transmission on all the previous cars . A cruising capability and ability to give the car to my better half on highways made it more compelling .
2.No German cars
I know I might get brickbats for saying this, however, I just can't live with a car that is not reliable ( Especially the DSG transmission). Ample examples in my close circles made me not consider them for the initial shortlist.
However, it needs to be called out that safety being the talk of the town, Germans were very good contenders for my shortlist. Point in question, Škoda Kushaq.
3. No Sub 4 meter cars
This was one clear requirement as I have lived the sub 4 meter life. Not only does it make the whole dimensions out of place, but also gives me a lot less boot space and less rear legroom. Hence, the benchmark was anything more spacious than my outgoing Ford Aspire. So Nexon, XUV 300 all didn’t make the cut.
4. Safety, Space and Comfort
As it goes without saying, safety features were my priorities right from the start, as the car I was looking for was mostly for Highways. Local drives were covered with our secondary. Hence Safety, Space and Comfort. Clear contenders added to the list were Creta/Seltos/City.
5. Feature-rich but not a Huge pile of e-waste
Personally, I wanted a decent set of features on offer, all of which are essential for a 2021 car in the segment. Didn’t want a huge screen, which would increase my already high screen time. Also, some fancy features never impressed me (like voice controls to operate sunroof etc). Lesser the better for long term peace of mind. Gizmos don’t age well ( period ). In this day and age, we upgrade our smartphones every 3 years.
6. Fuel efficiency and resale
This is one pressing issue that tore me into splits. With the new generation of EVs around the corner and fuel prices crossing all-time highs and diesel engines getting demonized. I was clearly in a spot after driving these machines. Contenders from EV: Nexon EV and MG ZS EV.

Not worth mentioning: Yes, I could live without a sunroof, as the mercury in the south of India always travel North. Friends too vouched for the fact that it becomes useless after 6 months of usage.

Final shortlist and short summary

1. Hyundai Creta: This was the first car we took for a test drive. Clearly feature-loaded and Hyundai brand had all factors in favor. My Wife somehow clearly disapproved by the looks of it. Also, it felt overpriced for what it offered. Maximum safety only on Top variants made me think twice as the cost of the top end almost is in the Proper SUV territory.
2. Kia Seltos: This car was my favorite until I had a rather rude interaction at Kia Showrooms. Somehow felt that they were in a monopoly and don’t care attitude were very discouraging. The car felt good, however, the safety and showroom/sales experience made me think twice.
3.Škoda Kushaq: This is one car that impressed me thoroughly. It's taking on the Korean twins head-on with all that they offer and more. Had this not been from Germans, it would have been in my garage. My close friends and experts suggested waiting for the first few batches.
4.EV brigade: Both of the cars which I drove, I.e. MG ZS EV and Nexon EV very much impressed me in every aspect possible. My heart was closing in on MG ZS, however, my wife bought in some sense in my head and asked few practical questions which I still don’t have answers to using an MG. So the head won here.
5. Final Car standing: The Honda City
This came out of nowhere, thanks Rudra28 for suggesting this one. This indeed is the final car standing strong in the segment against all the Sub 4*m and pseudo SUV dimensions. One good drive on the ZX CVT made all my apprehensions about ground clearance, CVT rubber band effect go away in a matter of 20 Km of bad roads. However, I took 3 more test drives both in MT and CVT before I went ahead with the booking.
One can not go wrong with a car which is around for 2 decades and has seen its glory in the past. This, however, didn’t make my premise before I finalized it, what impressed me however was the ability of the car and sheer value proposition it offered me.
My heart already redlining with the rev-happy 1.5 L naturally aspirated engine of Honda iVTEC, my head ( read as my wife) insisted we go ahead with the base CVT I.e V CVT and save extra money for the future of EV and Fuel cost in the meantime. It certainly saved me a hatchback worth of money when I compared it with Creta/Seltos for all the safety features and other creature comforts offered.

Hence, the journey with my Pearl white Honda City 1.5L P V CVT Begins.


Buying experience
Inspire Honda, Mysore sales team were very kind and hospitable. Direct interaction with the MD made things much more smooth. There was a WhatsApp group created to coordinate all activities from booking to delivery. Hard to find such dedicated folks in the sea of showrooms who don’t even bother asking honest feedback.


Final Damage to Wallet:

Honda City Pearl White: 15.5L On-road ( Mysore)
Including Honda assure and NCB from previous car @45% discount for own damage premium.
Extended warranty for 4,5th year 1L Km
Accessories - Seat cover, Steering Cover, Door edge protectors.
3D Kagu Mats: 8 K (Approx)
DDPAI Mini 3: 7.5K
Misc: 4K
Reducing outgoing Ford Aspire @ - 4.3L

Net Outgo: 11L Approximately.




Now for the photos

PDI : Went for the PDI right after the car was offloaded in the yard. All green as per the Team BHP checklist.





Delivery day : as usual , signing formalities and sweet box. Nothing fancy with Honda. All went well.









Accessories : Few minor accessories installed . Seat covers, Steering covers, Edge garnish, Dash Cam,Kagu 3d mats,Tissue box, Trunk storage, puncture repair kit.






















I will try to keep the forum updated as and when possible, thanks for taking your time out to read a rather long thread.

[nikipedia87]

Originally Posted by Swarup5

A car that needs no introduction, the Honda City was always a dream to own from my younger days. It has time tested reliability of at least 2 decades, which is quite a remarkable feat in itself. A lot has been said on this forum, my short review is just an addition. Thanks to GTO 'official review, Track day- Athena and Rudra28 for helping me decide on the car.

Hearty Congratulations, Swarup!

Wishing you many happy miles with the legend. Looking forward to another detailed ownership review of the 5th Gen City for our reading pleasure.

[Dead_Pedal]

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...sed-suv-421776

Finally some clarity on the Hybrid. The last point of the article mentions it's launch in the next financial year. Looking forward to it.

[sam264_2000]

Originally Posted by Dead_Pedal

..Finally some clarity on the Hybrid...

IMO, Honda doesn't need a City Hybrid in India as much as they need a cross over to compete against Korean/VW/Skoda twins and Tata-M&M. The 5th Gen City 1.5 NA is good enough - they can definitely make it a more compelling package though by improving on the ICE unit and may be adding ventilated seats (as it's an "in" thing right now). This would cost them much lesser and gain sales traction than introducing a Hybrid version.

[pranavb88]

Hi Guys,

I am in the market for a new car with a budget of 15 lakhs.
Can stretch it by another 10% if required.

Primary requirement is a proper automatic and full safety features.

Checked out the Honda City VX CVT last week and it fits the bill perfectly.

Now my question is, i have a long harbored dream of self driving to LEH.
Will it be possible in a Honda City ?

I also considered Kushaq but it just doesn't seem value for money.
Only 2 airbags on top variant costing 18.5 lacs on road Mumbai! That's preposterous!

[bravo82in]

Dear Folks,

I test drove the Honda City CVT and was carried away by the sheer pickup and smoothness of CVT. And that sweet sound of the engine feels like a car straight for Fast and furious.
The car is essentially for Wifey who will be using it for short commutes within city limits. Coming from Honda Jazz VX CVT 2019 she found the seating position more commanding (thanks to driver seat height adjustment) with better visibility of bonnet. My requirement is a safe car with trouble free ownership. City, hopefully will live up to the expectations. I have few queries and I request my dear BHPian to guide me.

1. Is there any other car/SUV we should consider/TD, keeping safety and fuss free long term ownership in mind? We usually retain cars for 8-10 yrs

2. Is ground clearance an issue with the 5th Gen city? I intend to use the car within city limits with occasional highway trips.

3. How is the throw and illumination of the LED headlamps of ZX model? I generally upgrade the stock headlamps in most cars I own/have owned. With the LEDs this won't be an option.

4. How good are the leather seats of ZX? Are they built to last? Do they cause sweating of contact areas in bad weather?

I am confused between VX and ZX. Only hitch being the quality of seats and illumination of LED HL. Should I go ahead with ZX or go with VX and upgrade the headlamps and upholstery.

Cheers

[manim]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Is ground clearance an issue with the 5th Gen city? I intend to use the car within city limits with occasional highway trips

Having driven the 2007-Honda-Civic which is notorious for very low ground clearance, over extremely bad roads and survived, I can say you will never have any problems in the new City.

I have booked a new City just yesterday, and I am going to enjoy its high ground clearance! (relative to the Civic)

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Dear Folks,

2. Is ground clearance an issue with the 5th Gen city? I intend to use the car within city limits with occasional highway trips.

4. How good are the leather seats of ZX? Are they built to last? Do they cause sweating of contact areas in bad weather?

Cheers

GC is not a problem at all. I drove around couple of hundread km in Kerala monsoon and did not face any issue.
Leather seats in the ZX is superb. May be owners who have ZX variant can give correct feedback. Design, quality, fit, and finish is awesome. If I had the budget I would have gone for the ZX for leather seats alone.

[manim]

Booked the City-CVT(Petrol) yesterday.

Now I had to choose between the three variants: V, VX, ZX. Here is what went through my mind:

ZX - I wanted the LED Headlights but NOT the leather-seats, I prefer fabric. The lane-watch-camera could be useful.

VX: I wanted the Curtain-airbags and 4-tweeters. I would have loved the 16 inch low-profile tyres if I was younger, but would prefer comfort over handling now, so the 15 inch will do. I don't like the half-hearted digital meters, it looks like a gimmick, the analogue ones on the V looked beatiful to me.

(Sarcasm)I will miss the G-Meter!

I do NOT want a damn hole on my roof! (the so called sun-roof) which compromises structural-integrity, extra weight over my head increasing the centre-of-gravity and the trouble of maintaining and servicing it over the 10 to 14 years I plan to hold this car.

So it is the V for me. And I save significant money. I would miss only the Curtain-airbags though.

[Goldenboy]

Originally Posted by manim

Booked the City-CVT(Petrol) yesterday.

So it is the V for me. And I save significant money. I would miss only the Curtain-airbags though.

Congratulations on the booking

Few questions: What is the OTR price of the V CVT? Did you get anything knocked off the sticker price? And are they allowing you to get the insurance from outside? And what is the expected delivery date?

Thanks!

[manim]

Originally Posted by Goldenboy

What is the OTR price of the V CVT? Did you get anything knocked off the sticker price? And are they allowing you to get the insurance from outside? And what is the expected delivery date?

I have make the booking through Honda's website by paying Rs.5,000 after confirming with the (friendly)Dealer (at Madurai).

OTR is approx. Rs.15 lakhs. Actual quote will be known only after vehicle is allotted.

Honda loyalty bonus of Rs.5,000 alone is promised till now (I had a Honda-Civic earlier).

And I am getting Insurance from outside (This was my condition before I booked).

Delivery as per them could take from 10 days to two months. I'm not in a hurry though. I will be making the full payment only after the vehicle is allotted to me.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by manim

Honda loyalty bonus of Rs.5,000 alone is promised till now (I had a Honda-Civic earlier).

Wish you the best for your City in advance Manim. Look forward to your thoughts on the City and an in-depth comparison between the latest City and the Civic. Particularly interested since I own the 2010 Civic V-AT.

Cheers

[Learner]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

If I had the budget I would have gone for the ZX for leather seats alone.

My thinking was also the same. Leatherette seats on ZX were so amazing that I thought of paying approx 2.5 lakhs just for those seats.
By the way I enquired at the ASS and they said that they can order 2 front headrests at 6500 per piece. I will be going for those once I find a reliable supplier (means excellent fitting and side airbags combatibility) for matching colour.

[AamodB]

Originally Posted by Swarup5

Accessories : Few minor accessories installed - Kagu 3d mats

Hi Swarup, how well do the mats fit? Would really appreciate if you could share a couple of pictures of them in the car.

P.S. If you bought them online, could you please also share a link. Thanks!

[src]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Dear Folks,

1. Is there any other car/SUV we should consider/TD, keeping safety and fuss free long term ownership in mind? We usually retain cars for 8-10 yrs

2. Is ground clearance an issue with the 5th Gen city? I intend to use the car within city limits with occasional highway trips.

3. How is the throw and illumination of the LED headlamps of ZX model? I generally upgrade the stock headlamps in most cars I own/have owned. With the LEDs this won't be an option.

4. How good are the leather seats of ZX? Are they built to last? Do they cause sweating of contact areas in bad weather?

I am confused between VX and ZX. Only hitch being the quality of seats and illumination of LED HL. Should I go ahead with ZX or go with VX and upgrade the headlamps and upholstery.

Cheers

Hi Bravo,
Yes it's a tough choice between VX & ZX and I also passed through this conundrum.
Eventually I bought the ZX for the significant seat comfort. The foam quality is few notches above the V & VX variants.

1. For automatic, CVTs are one of the best options from reliability and you can TD Seltos, Creta & Verna as they are good too.

2. Ground Clearance is not a major issue although I have changed to 195/55 R16 from 185/55 R16 which gives a marginal advantage. Majority of the cases the plastic engine guard takes the hit and it has scratches only.

3. Seats are brilliant. Cannot comment on durability now. Not faced sweating issues till now.

4. LED Lights are pretty good in dark stretch but suffers the typical issue in rainfall which is common for all LED lights but you will get used to it. Need to use the Fog Lights also to overcome the bad scenarios.

Hope I could help your queries.