[gnome]

Originally Posted by GTO

• Honda sure is learning its lessons! Cost cutting has been reduced. All 4 windows get auto-up & down. That said, yet another usability error = if you child-lock the passenger windows, even the driver cannot operate them (normally, they are still operable from the driver’s control panel)!

This is the case even in latest Honda CR-V. May be their engineers said it's hard to implement or Honda has some reasoning for this?

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by GTO

Spent the weekend with the 2020 Honda City. My quick & brief observations below:

• Stability at 120 kmph & beyond is mediocre. Sure, straight-line stability is fair and there is no nervousness. But on any undulating sections of the expressway or dips on highway roads, it sure got bouncy with ample vertical movement. The bounciness is like that of any Asian sedan from even 10 years back. Even city flyovers taken at speed bring that “light Asian sedan” feeling & bounciness.

This right here is the bane of the new City. It was a trademark Gen4 problem and Honda hasn't fixed it. The bounciness and the constant vertical movement gets to you and causes motion sickness. This effect is much more pronounced on the rear seat and only gets worse with time as the suspension ages. This bounciness is so bad that my wife as well as my mum simply refuse to use the rear seat of my Gen4 City. Puts into prospective the whole 'City has best rear seat' argument.

As you rightly pointed out, the game has moved on and even the Koreans are now better at this. I'll stick my neck out and say that the City has the worst highway speed ride quality and the worst rear seat ride quality in its segment.

• Diesel is the same. Great driveability, noisy, strictly average performance by segment standards. Wouldn’t be my pick, unless they offered it with the CVT (like the Amaze).

This is a big disappointment. Honda already had the worst diesel engine in its class and chose to do nothing about it. They didn't even bother with the diesel CVT, something that was ready and plug n play. And they have the audacity to charge a solid premium for this lame motor. I believe this will be punished by the customers and the diesel will form a miniscule % of overall sales.

Personally, as a diesel Gen 4 owner looking for a change, this new Gen4.5 or Gen5 simply doesn't appeal. It is so much of the same. Looks aside, I see no reason why I should buy it over a Creta. Hyundai offers
1. A far superior diesel powertrain
2. Better usability (sedan vs crossover)
3. More sorted ride quality(Wow! Who would have thought?)
4. Superior rear seat (adjustable recline angle, adjustable headrests, higher base, better thigh support)
5. More features
6. A much better audio setup with a bigger and better screen
7. That panoramic sunroof

All this for about the same price.

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

I do not understand the purpose of having higher variants of the petrol 4th Gen City around when they are just 15k-30k lesser than the 5th Gen. Why would you buy the 4th Gen, unless there is a feature deletion in the 5th gen variants?
Or they are just priming for heavy discounts on the 4th Gen?
Or does the 4th gen exist just to show how great the 5th Gen is, despite the inflated price?

Guess some sense has previaled at Honda India?

Higher variants of 4th Gen Honda City axed. Only 2 variants remain, and both of them priced below the 5th gen.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...ariants-418137

[CARDEEP]

@GTO

How does rear seat headroom compare with competition?

This is something many reviewers pointed out. I understand this is not a problem for the shorties (including me). But, then it's a problem with with coupe like Verna.

Would definitely love to hear about ground clearance issue (if any) as certain sections in my area are poor.

Thanks in advance

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

This right here is the bane of the new City.

Personally, as a diesel Gen 4 owner looking for a change, this new Gen4.5 or Gen5 simply doesn't appeal. It is so much of the same. Looks aside, I see no reason why I should buy it over a Creta.

As a 4th gen Diesel City owner myself I completely agree with you. I bought it at 10.7 on road in 2014. For the same noisy engine without any changes now I will have to pay four lakh more. And exactly the same engine is offered in a much cheaper Amaze. Also, the Hyundai Verna which gives a much better engine is 2 lakh cheaper than City. The only thing where city has an advantage is the mileage. Honda City diesel just doesn't make any sense considering all these factors. I predict it to be a huge flop. If someone is looking to buy diesel then Verna S model, Creta or Seltos is a much better proposition.

On a side note I understand that people are quite happy that city is now longer in dimensions but for me personally it is a disadvantage as parking space in Delhi is at a premium. People who come to the Karol Bagh or a place like Connaught place will understand what I am talking about.

[sv97]

Originally Posted by harry10

On a side note I understand that people are quite happy that city is now longer in dimensions but for me personally it is a disadvantage as parking space in Delhi is at a premium. People who come to the Karol Bagh or a place like Connaught place will understand what I am talking about.

Completely agree with you on this. This is precisely the reason I would opt for the Seltos or the Creta over the sedans apart from the other advantages they offer.

[PrideRed]

After reading initially impression, here is what I conclude. If you are on budget and still want to have fun, pick Rapid Rider or Vento Comfortline(with discount). If you want luxury, peace of mind and still want to have fun, pick City eyes shut! I can see the Verna already running to cover(TGDi is only the saving grace!). Ciaz has its own Maruti customer base.

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Guess some sense has previaled at Honda India?

Higher variants of 4th Gen Honda City axed. Only 2 variants remain, and both of them priced below the 5th gen.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...ariants-418137

Err wasn't that the plan from the get go?
V VX and ZX from 5th gen and S and SV from 4th gen?

[OSH]

Originally Posted by iamitp

what's the expected discount someone might get for exchanging the brand new stock tyres?

That will vary from shop to shop but just keep in mind that the Bridgestone Ecopia 185/55 R16 costs ~6300 rupees so don't accept a low-ball offer.

[Turbohead]

Absolutely devastated to know that high speed stability and behaviour of the City still doesn't match the Rapid. In relation, the City is 2 full generations ahead! It's a shame because the 1.5l NA which goes wild after 5000 RPM truly deserves a proper chassis!

Can't believe I have to strike out the City from my short list.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Absolutely devastated to know that high speed stability and behaviour of the City still doesn't match the Rapid. In relation, the City is 2 full generations ahead! It's a shame because the 1.5l NA which goes wild after 5000 RPM truly deserves a proper chassis!

The city doesnt compete with the Rapid. Its targeted towards a different segment of people. more family oriented with huge space in rear and boot.

A Rapid cant sit 5, a city can do that easily. City is a non-enthusiast's car, PERIOD!

[iamitp]

Want a well rounded sedan with excellent city driveability, loads of space and elegant styling but average high speed driveability - Honda City ZX CVT

Want a solidly built, economical, but plain vanilla sedan for high speed driving and performance - Skoda Rapid/Volkswagen Vento MT

Want a sporty (also read immature) sedan with loads of features and sportier high speed performance at a competitive price - Hyundai Creta 1T-GDi DCT

Want the latest SUV/Cross-over with exclusive features but don't mind only 2 airbags (in vehicle body types prone to roll overs) - Hyundai Creta SX IVT/Kia Seltos HTX.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by iamitp

Want the latest SUV/Cross-over with exclusive features but don't mind only 2 airbags (in vehicle body types prone to roll overs) - Hyundai Creta SX IVT/Kia Seltos HTX.

Rollover is exaggerated on modern crossovers. A vestigial association from the days of Scorpio and Safari!

One has to be really reckless to induce a rollover in the Creta/ Seltos or any such crossover - the main examples we see are only TD cars. Especially when Creta SX and Seltos HTX are both equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Vehicle Stability Management control (VSM).

GTO's comment suggests that the Creta has a more sorted ride than even the new City!

[Punatic]

Took a nice long test drive of the Petrol Manual ZX today and really enjoyed it. I'm not much of a sedan person, but I'm actually tempted after this experience. It genuinely was one of the few "Take my money!" experiences I have had. There was another thing going for it, I must add: I showed up having just tried the Renault Triber AMT (don't ask) so even my 14-year old Fusion was eager in comparison, this brand new DOHC City was bound to impress. But it really has a lot going for it.

I took a purely driver's TD, barely looking at all the features the poor ASS was trying to explain, and I must say it flies. Highway stability was nice too, and it didn't feel "floaty" when I took a flyover at 100 kmph. And, as Julia Roberts says in "Pretty Woman", it corners like it's on rails. Ok, I'm exaggerating but it really was impressive. And I somehow managed to not scrape its bottom either, despite plenty of opportunities to do so, including the corner right outside the Crystal Honda showroom.

By the way, here are the quotes they gave me today for Pune:




Now, I had gone to TD the CVT but it was already doing that duty for someone else, so they're going to bring that to my home in a couple of days time and I suspect my enthusiasm will be tempered a little, assuming the CVT will not be as much of a hoot. Will also pay attention to the features then, but the VX looks good enough. If the CVT turns out to be even reasonably peppy, this is going to be hard to resist.

[Candy$Cars]

Guys, I see a lot of you crying over the high speed stability of the City. I have the 4th Gen City (ODO 76000km) and I can assure of you that it is not as bad as many of you feel. Even with the 175mm section tires, it is stable at 100kmph and quite stable at 120kmph.
Sure, it is not as stable as the Rapid but it is on par with the segment and just because it is not as good as the segment-best doesn't make it bad enough to tick it off your lists (you also need to factor in all the other positives). I am sure with the 195 or 205mm tires, it will be extremely stable.
Now, if you are used to D segment sedans and Germans, sure you will be able to feel that it is relatively less stable but anyone upgrading from lower segments will appreciate City's high speed manners (the agile handling and the point and shoot steering that weighs up quite well with speed).
At the end of the day, the City is not a race-car and neither are any of its competitors. It is meant to ferry its occupants with comfort and also let the owner have some fun when he wishes to, everything of which it does extremely well.