[andafunda]

I think the people complaining about Honda's service (and rightly so) should once experience what Skoda makes its customers go through, especially in Mumbai. I would have gladly taken all of the above problems with open arms. Skoda service fraud starts where other brands' bad experience ends.

I have just booked my first Honda and liked the experience. The sales lead was quite knowledgeable and ensured I had a good TD experience, despite the car not being a top seller. Now at first look this car (Civic) is not a slam dunk. For example, almost every reviewer has criticized its HU and praised that of competition (Octavia/Elantra). On first look it does seem bad, but some research will tell you that you can root it (hail Honda Hack) and basically use it as an Android tablet - install whatever you want, including launchers. Much more practical than ventilated seats or ambient lighting. I'd allow John Cadogan from Youtube to explain CVT vs DSG.

Further, I think any brand/service in India needs to be dealt with caution and tact. What I've found is that quick escalation to the top is most effective and saves a lot of heartburn dealing with grunts with 0 authority - a tastefully written email (with just the adequate amount of sarcasm) to the senior management does the trick. When this fails, the National Consumer Grievance Helpline comes handy. In a rare scenario where even this is not effective, what comes handy is if the brand is an MNC. Usually emails to senior management in other geographies / board members really seals the deal.

The above approach has helped me get many, many things done - from installation service within 24 hours in lockdown for a dishwasher to a refund on an expensive real estate project (corporate builder, ofcourse).

[Schneller]

When i first drove a honda, it was the 2011 City. (I’m 23) I absolutely loved it. I understood why people like Honda’s. I went the next day to TD the 2015 City, I had turned 18 and it was time to get my hands on my own car as my 18th Birthday gift. I drove the city and i felt disappointed. Weak panels, the car doors felt really light as opposed to the thud from the 2012 city and what didn’t help was the amount of flex in the panels. I mistakenly bumped the TD vehicles door while opening it and it had marked a dent on the door. I was surprised. My WagonR could withstand that impact. At that time i went and bough the Vento 1.5 TDI DSG. 1,30,000 KMs and 5 years later, i was happy with the car and the service. The car needed repairs and stuff but it was nothing major almost everything was done in warranty. Come 2020, i want to change cars, i looked at the city new generation again. And i am again disappointed. There was no emotional connect + the dash looks like a taxi and the car isn’t particularly fun to drive (AT). And for 17 Lakhs, just no. They don’t offer feature like Hyundai, they don’t offer the German Build Quality and handling. And now the reliability part is also being hit. Honda doesn’t make fun cars now (atleast in India). Like for me, i would rather buy the Toyota Yaris than the City, at least that would be much more reliable than the Honda.

This time, i went and bought the Skoda Karoq, Skoda’s service still scares me but, with recent shift in their customer service and the way Zac Hollis get involved personally with a tweet promoted me to buy one. If Honda did something similar, i would have had a City at my house aswell. I’ve heard the same water leaking issues on my 3 of my friends City (all leak in different places) and they needed to spend more time and energy than i had to with VW to get my DSG changed. I feel Honda is on it’s way down and Toyota can gulp up some good market share from Honda now.

[nakul0888]

Honda India's strategy from post 2012 (from 4th gen city) so far has been as follows
- Do the very bare minimum and put in the least effort that's required in every
segment
- Count on the parent company"s reputation and goodwill
- Lay back and relax

I have no idea how else, products like the hilariously cheap feeling mobilio and the equally hilariously over priced accord hybrid even came on Honda's portfolio, or why they are not giving us the HRV, or the new accord or why they gave us the new civic and the CRV with L-A-M-E-S-T powertrain options possible. Couldn't even bother to plonk a 2.0 n/a with a stick in the civic. You can just feel that these guys just don't have that fire in them that Kia brings to the table.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Since the launch of the Amaze, Honda has lot the game in India. I still remember at one point of time when petrol prices were sky high, The 2011-12 City was still selling well. But looking at the market today, they have lost it. I have observed the following things-

1. The sales team of any Honda dealership still thinks what they sell is best in class. Gone are the days. When I had booked a Jazz for my aunt, the Deccan Honda team was at my office. I had a friend’s Old Jazz with me. An 8-year old 60k KMs done car and it was absolutely silent without any issues. The TD vehicle had so many rattles and to make matters worse my Aunt’s brand new Jazz also came with rattles.

2. A friend had the ‘03 City EXi, ‘10 City and ‘14 City. All the three cars used to do 10-12k KMs per year. In 2018, He had the 2010 and 2014 cars. He was planning to get a Jetta/Octy and upon discussing with his family, he sold the 2014 car. He then showed me the number of issues his car had faced and I was shocked. He eventually ended up getting the Superb and the 2010 City is still there with ODO over 110k KMs.

3. Someone I know has a 2015 Amaze diesel. His car has also faced the power window issue. Finally he got it changed from outside. Not only that but his car was in a covered parking during the lockdown. In August, he was shocked to see the amount of fungus in the car. All the windows were rolled up and the car locked properly. Inspite of that the car was in a bad shape.

A very close friend always wanted a Honda City. He described the car as a statement of achievement. One visit to the showroom later, he was disappointed with everything. Next thing I know, we are at the Nexa dealership negotiating on a Scross. There are many more like him who have ditched Honda after one experience. Going forward, things are going to get worse. You can go Mass market but why sacrifice your USP.

[dhruvlath]

Honda has truly lost the game! I have had at least one honda car at home since the first honda city. Most recently when we decided that it was time to move to a ‘SUV’ we spoke to every dealership for a display or test drive car of the CRV. The sales consultants look at you like you must be crazy to even ask and point out that no one keeps stock, the only available car belongs to their ‘MD’ and prior appointment would be necessary. All this for a 35L lakh rupee car which is understandably expensive but come on! The new city, despite all the great reviews doesn’t come across as a suitable update worth an additional 10-12L from the older city. The civic is a good looker but too low for a family car with parents. Honda needs a 20L SUV to rival the Seltos and Creta to stay in the game! I hope they listen!

[Asmt_b]

I remember in November 2014 when I was looking to pick up a manual petrol sedan.
Had shortlisted the then newly launched Ciaz and the Honda City. To be honest it was 60:40 in favour of the City before the test drives.However,the Honda experience was horrible.
Firstly, they kept me and my dad waiting for almost 40 mins in the showroom saying that the test drive vehicle will be here in 5 mins max.Nobody in the showroom really entertained us or apologised for keeping us waiting.
Lastly, the test drive car was in terrible shape.Scratches all over, a dirty interior and rattles everywhere.TD the Ciaz later that day and booked it.Honda definitely needs to start respecting their customers.

You still have time Honda.Please don't do a Fiat!

[ramki.grandhi]

Back in 2012-13, I had the best experience at a Honda showroom (Electronic City) when I went to test drive a car with a friend. The overall experience was terrific, stellar or words can't describe. Coming from the Skoda experience, the overall Honda experience was miles ahead. 4 of us went to test drive the Brio. The car wasn't ready, so they offered us refreshments, water, tea etc. One sales person and one woman started talking to us to keep us engaged. They wanted us sit in all the cars around and experience the,. After our Brio test drive, they wanted us to test drive the Honda City as well. We didn't even confirm that we would book the car, but still, they treated us really well.

Fast forward to 2018, 3 of us (a different gang) went to the Audi showroom in Electronic City. We had already confirmed that we would buy a Q3, but visited to see its colours in daylight. We finished the booking formalities on the same day. It took 2 hours for the whole process including the test drive. They didn't even offer us drinking water. We were the only ones in the showroom throughout, but showroom people were simply passing time on their mobiles (except for the one who was talking to us).

If today, Honda had a worthy contender for the Creta/Seltos, I would definitely pick it and would be okay to pay a premium. Their vehicles last long, service is pretty good and the overall reliability is much better than some other brands. If you've got the right model from Honda vs other brands, you should definitely choose the Honda. I'm not a Honda fan boy, but I wish Honda lots of success in India.

[YashD]

Being a Honda loyalist all these years, it's safe to say now that all I've gotten in recent years is disappointed. Gone are the days when Honda was synonymous to quality products, leading their respective segments with benchmark products. Now, it's all a sham, a mere compromise. None of the recent Honda cars are anything that woos a customer truly.

For starters, I used to drive a Honda Civic 1.8 VAT, come 2019, I absolutely loved the design of the new Civic and definitely felt like the replacement to my beloved 2007 Civic has been finally found. What I got?

• The same engine as my car at almost 28 Lakhs on-road.
• Lazier CVT than my existing Civic
• Interior Quality not upto the mark.

Still regretting the decision to let go of our 2010 ANHC and getting a 2014 Honda City SV AT.

• Rust Issues
• Petty Niggles
• The quality has gone down considerably
• Just Doesn't age well irrespective of the maintenance.

Friend's Honda Brio! An absolute hoot to drive and has been munching miles amazingly. Only issue, ain't as reliable as Hondas used to be furthermore, the dull interiors and inferior quality parts just makes the experience a lot worse.

• Frequent Part failures, for e.g Suspension struts, Brake Pads, Discs, Starter Coil etc.
• The first generation Hyundai i10 had better interiors!
• Cost Cutting all around anywhere you look at.

Honda began spiralling down with their obsession of being a mass market player and became a part of the rat race which already had a pre-decided Pole positions for Maruti Suzuki & Hyundai.

In pursuit of more volumes, the company decided to produce Brio & the likes, the intention was brilliant but the execution lacked finesse. The interiors offered were sub par in the segments offered, the build quality can be labelled average at best, yet it found quite a few takers thanks to the brand name but fast forward now, they couldn't sustain the Brio nor the Mobilio or BR-V, why?

The products just weren't worth the price, the competition offered much superior products. Be it the Ertiga or the Grand i10, Figo & Swift. What made worse for Honda was it's lacklustre approach in terms of sales, the dealer executives are just not interested in selling the cars. The response is painfully slow, the TD cars aren't well maintained, the dealerships feels old now & it just doesn't offer the customer experience what it used to and now from the last couple of years, I am hearing about the poor after sales support too.

The new City had sparked some conversation but now again, it's just not good enough when you compare to the Koreans hence well! We know it's fate already. What baffles me the most though when it comes to HCI is the lack of Innovation in products and the strategy they adopted.

• Premium Cars are exorbitantly priced because Honda.
• Technological development is 0 (Same drivetrains being used since ages!)
• Lacklustre 1.6 Diesel offered in Premiums
• Poor Built & Interior Quality

All for what? Arrogance! "Being Honda, we can sell anything." Furthermore, what does Honda expects consumer to buy now?

• Honda City & WR-V, both mainstream cars lacks diesel AT.
• Honda Civic lacks a Diesel AT & Petrol lacks a MT transmission.
• Jazz is Under Equipped when compared to competition.
• Compact SUVs & Premium UVs, What's that? Buy WR-V it's both!
• Expensive CR-V with no availability and almost nil production.
• Honda Amaze? Well! That still can be bought cause as a package it's pretty nice.

Overall, Honda is heading down the grave and Koreans have taken over the opportunity to use it as it's advantage and the sales figures are reflecting the same. I hope HQ takes notice of the same and plans an on-slaught of new launches As soon as possible along with technological advancements else I can see Honda going the Nissan way in the next 7-8 years.

[GTO]

Till 2015, we always had 1 Honda in the family. We are planning a replacement for the Sunny next year. Budget is anywhere between 10 - 30 lakhs. Not a single Honda is on the shortlist.

I have owned 3 Hondas - an Accord, 1st-gen City Vtec & Civic. But nothing from their current lineup - except for the new City due to its beautiful 1.5L engine - appeals to me. Reasons:

- I don't like their cost cutting (although new City is an improvement from the 4th-gen). At one time, Hondas were known to be "over engineered".

- Absurd strategy. E.g. not giving the City a Diesel CVT which the Amaze gets, or the Civic's powertrain debacle of just a Diesel MT & Petrol AT.

- I don't like their new designs. The 8th-gen Civic was wow, while the 1st-gen City still looks fab. But their current designs are so weird / unappealing / quirky. Looks are very, very important to me and I'm a sucker for vanity.

- No innovation. Whether high-tech innovation (direct injection turbo petrols) or low tech (AMT, IMT), we only see it from other manufacturers. At one time, Honda was the master of new tech, but that's hardly the case anymore.

- Inconsistent strategy. The CR-V is awesome, but Honda overpriced it. The Accord Hybrid came & went without a trace, while the Camry Hybrid soldiers on.

- Missing segments - in a market that is so obsessed with crossovers, why aren't there any more Hondas? Doesn't Honda have anything to fight the Creta / Seltos which do 20,000 units a month?

I feel Hyundai & Kia today have taken over Honda's earlier position of appeal + tech + quality + fun to drive. Yes, you read the last part right. Take the Creta or Seltos turbo-petrols on the highway, then come back and tell me how it left you grinning.

[R2D2]

Nothing, absolutely nothing in the Honda India stable truly appeals to me. My City Gen 1 type II was a gem but the Civic as an offering doesn't really float my boat. 1.8 L engine with a CVT and a diesel with a manual. What the heck are you thinking Honda?! They are really trying to compete with Maruti and Hyundai in the process cutting corners while the other 2 manufacturers are trying to introduce fresher and more exciting cars. Yes Sir, Honda has lost its way in India.

[landcruiser123]

Back in the day, if the Lancer was the BMW for the masses, Honda City was the Mercedes Benz. Personally, my family never owned a Honda for a long time until my uncle bought a City in 2016. Come 2020, he feels his 2006 Getz was built better. "Good service" from Honda and Hyundai are a lie according to him.

Internationally too, Honda seems to have lost their mojo. Hyundai + Kia seem to be threatening their dominance in the North American market. Honda is a one trick pony with their brilliant VTEC and i-VTEC systems. After that, they lost the Hybrid car race with Toyota and Honda E (UK) is a joke for the price tag.

One thing to remember is that Honda still makes killer motorcycles. Cars from the same brand aren't what they used to be :(

[2000rpm]

I have owned two Honda's and seen one close up with my friend.

People who are saying Honda lost the plot from 2014 onwards with the 4th gen cars rusting, havent seen the 2nd Gen City I guess. That car rusts more than a Maruti and ages horribly. I think Honda has always been this complacent, only that the competition was weaker back then with Hyundai and Maruti focusing on A and B segments respectively.

The Civic was great but the suspension and ground clearance was just not made for India. We were enamoured by the design but the car was horrible from a practicality point of view (also the worst boot in such a large car)

The City 4th Gen is a good all-rounder car. I dont think any car today checks all the boxes which city does.

• Class leading Passenger Space
• Class leading Great Boot
• Sufficient GC
• Powerful Engine (powerful enough)
• Availability of Automatic
• Nice to have features like Sunroof
• Reasonable price (for a 5 seater)
• Reasonable after-sales cost
• Decent safety features

There is a reason why the city still sells as much as they do. There is not other car which ticks as many boxes. I miss the city for what it was, only wish I had bought a manual and not the CVT (sold my car because I hated the CVT).

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by MadinMumbai

He made several notations on the service sheet. And told me he could hear the EPS motor. I couldn’t hear any such thing, but maybe in my old age I am going deaf. He is, after all, a Honda guy. Later in the day the guy called to give me his estimate for the service- Rs. 1,15,000. He listed changing the EPS motor and assembly, changing all four shock absorbers and engine housings.

Have had the same experience with my sister's Maruti (Wagon R) and brothers VW (Polo). Seems to be a common scam.

Originally Posted by pk1972

They did not respect the market and its time the market shows them the door.

+1

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Lost interest and City felt overpriced and overhyped. TSI felt superior over IVtec engine. Still not able to understand why people rate iVtec so highly.

I somehow never understood what's so great about VTEC? Totally overhyped. The people who have bought a Honda after owning a Maruti are the ones who love it. Ask someone who has owned a Skoda or VW. The new City is dull to drive "The YO VTEC kicked in" never happened despite flooring the throttle on an empty straight road.

Originally Posted by andafunda

I think the people complaining about Honda's service (and rightly so) should once experience what Skoda makes its customers go through, especially in Mumbai.

Don't know about Mumbai but in Goa, Skoda service is quite good.

[07CR]

My father due to his trust on Honda brand had bought the Honda Amaze back in September 2013. There were no troubles from Engine or Steering, Brakes departments. However, we witnessed a sub par dealership experience since 2015. For instance-

1) The AC cooling had drastically reduced in 2015. We went to the dealership, Crystal Honda, and they simply said "Sir it's summer time. Cooling will naturally reduce, we can't do much". They topped up the AC gas, but still no effect. Visited a local garage and got this sorted for just 3K. Culprit? The air filter was clogged and some other stuff (don't remember now).

2) One of the chrome elements on the AC vents was broken. My father likes everything perfect in the car, and placed a request for replacement of vent around July 2018. Repeatedly followed up with multiple dealership, where we did not get it.

3) Lots of rattling and creaking noises. I am not sure if dealership could do much about this, but can be an issue with the pathetic build quality of the Amaze.

4) The service bills were not cheap. For its nearly 7 year duration with us, we spent a total of more than 3Lakh rupees. Equating to 42K per year, which is extremely high for a car of this segment.

We have moved on from Amaze recently to a Ford Ecosport S. Ironically, back in 2013, Ecosport was rejected because of the supposedly below par Ford Dealerships, and Amaze was selected because of the brand Honda!

Recently completed the second paid service of the Ecosport, with the bill being a pleasant surprise at just little over 4.5K.

[vsrivatsa]

I own the 4th Gen City and have had a happy ownership for the last 6 years+. But I agree with the general sentiment on this thread that Honda does not have anything which is aligned with the current hot selling trend of SUVs.

City is still the market leader but in a segment that has lost the fascination of the buyer. It is time for Honda to move on beyond City and bring in more attractive cars.

On the other hand, I do wish more Japanese brands enter the Indian market such as Subaru and Mazda.