[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

The following are the possible add-ons planned:
2. Leather Wrap for Steering Wheel
7. Tyre LED Motion Sensor: URL - Has anyone tried these?
8. Sound Activated Stickers: URL ( I guess my wife will not allow me to add these. )

2-Yet to come across an aftermarket leather wrap for steering wheel which looks even half as good as company fitted ones but if you come across one , do let us know.
7-Love this , ordering it right away.
8-Not too sure about this and won't they interfere with the rear defogger? , also i don't think they'll last long , one snapdeal reviewer said they get overheated every half hour.

[arup.misra]

Congratulations on your new drive vsrivastsa. Hope she serves you well.

If you can get yourself a 3D mat. Your carpets will surely bless you in future.

[neel911]

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

2-Yet to come across an aftermarket leather wrap for steering wheel which looks even half as good as company fitted ones but if you come across one , do let us know.
7-Love this , ordering it right away.

2. Is Honda giving leather wrap for steering as part of official accessory list? I'm not aware of the same. I haven't checked with dealer though.

7. Is this inspired from the movie 'Tron'
Have a look here: http://jamesfauria.com/12/index.php/...-aventador-rev

[AmazeGuru]

Hey Srivatsa,

Hearty congratulations on your new acquisition. Here's wishing you thousands of miles of happy 'Earth Dream'ing. The car looks stunning, especially from the rear and is sure to be a long term companion.

Having owned Amaze for 5+ months and having completed 7000+ kms so far, I am enjoying every bit of the drive. The engine is an amazing piece of engineering from Honda which you will experience as it gets matured over time.

I was curious to know few things -
1. How is the in-city experience while driving in 1st and 2nd gears, specifically when you lift your foot from clutch? In Amaze, I am experiencing sudden acceleration even without opening the throttle and this can be bit of problem in bumper-to-bumper Bangalore traffic.
2. You said, you have done high speed couple of times. How was the engine response above 100 kmph in 6th gear. My experience with Amaze, being 5-speed, has been fantastic, especially when I wanted to do speeds > 100 kmph.

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

2-Yet to come across an aftermarket leather wrap for steering wheel which looks even half as good as company fitted ones but if you come across one , do let us know.
7-Love this , ordering it right away.
8-Not too sure about this and won't they interfere with the rear defogger? , also i don't think they'll last long , one snapdeal reviewer said they get overheated every half hour.

Let me know how 7 works - it will de-risk my purchase!
Agreed and as Amyth pointed out - it may gather too much of unwanted attention...

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Congratulations on your new drive vsrivastsa. Hope she serves you well.
If you can get yourself a 3D mat. Your carpets will surely bless you in future.

Thanks - I will surely consider a 3D Mat. But as neel911 has pointed out these are not yet available readily for the new City.

Originally Posted by neel911

2. Is Honda giving leather wrap for steering as part of official accessory list? I'm not aware of the same. I haven't checked with dealer though.

I am not sure if it is leather cover but the accessories list does mention a Steering Wheel cover on the Magnum Honda Site - URL

Originally Posted by neel911

7. Is this inspired from the movie 'Tron'
Have a look here: http://jamesfauria.com/12/index.php/...-aventador-rev

Looks similar.

Originally Posted by AmazeGuru

Hey Srivatsa,
Hearty congratulations on your new acquisition. Here's wishing you thousands of miles of happy 'Earth Dream'ing. The car looks stunning, especially from the rear and is sure to be a long term companion.

Thanks! I went thru the Ownership Review of your blue beauty as well.

Originally Posted by AmazeGuru

I was curious to know few things -
1. How is the in-city experience while driving in 1st and 2nd gears, specifically when you lift your foot from clutch? In Amaze, I am experiencing sudden acceleration even without opening the throttle and this can be bit of problem in bumper-to-bumper Bangalore traffic.
2. You said, you have done high speed couple of times. How was the engine response above 100 kmph in 6th gear. My experience with Amaze, being 5-speed, has been fantastic, especially when I wanted to do speeds > 100 kmph.

1. I have felt this happen a couple of times in 2nd gear but not in first gear and it also seems to depends on the way we release the clutch. This has not been much of a problem for me as I find myself moving to second gear in traffic at lower rpms and hence the sudden acceleration is not there. Maybe we should observe if this happens at some specific rpm (I am guessing so).

2. The response is very good - I think the 6th gear ensures the RPM is reduced and the City hits 100 kmph at about 2000rpm and the noise levels are very low at this speed. The speed range of 100-110 kmph seems to be a sweet spot for this engine/gearing and it also gives amazing mileage at this speed. Beyond 110 the RPM increases and so does the NVH Levels but I did not find any lack of power.

[aspire]

Hi,

Can you please let me know the OTR price for the car in Bangalore, and the waiting period.

Thanks
Shailesh

[a4anurag]

Congrats Srivatsa for getting the Rockstar!

Wishing you many many happy long miles in one of the most reliable cars sold in India!

Anurag.

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by aspire

Hi,
Can you please let me know the OTR price for the car in Bangalore, and the waiting period.
Thanks
Shailesh

My car was delivered before the Excise Duty cuts and hence it came to 13.03 OTR for me for the V-MT inclusive of Extended Warranty and Dealer Experience Kit that included Car Cover and Mats. The current OTR for the same in Bangalore is 12,77,696, URL

The waiting period is a long story and varies based on the Variant and Color. Silver and Red are easily available colors and have less wait times. In terms of the variants the SV Variant is available in a week's time from what I heard. The higher variants such as V/VX have wait times of 3-4 months.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Congrats Srivatsa for getting the Rockstar!
Wishing you many many happy long miles in one of the most reliable cars sold in India!
Anurag.

Thanks a lot!

[vsrivatsa]

Under the Hood

The Honda City Diesel is powered by a 1.5 Litre Earth Dreams i-DTEC Diesel Engine which is the lightest in its class. Earth Dreams Technology is the latest engine technology from Honda with a focus on fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

Front View, LHS and RHS Views of the Engine Bay


















The Engine is an All Aluminium engine and as can be seen from the pictures, the overall size that it occupies under the bonnet is relatively very less in comparison with cars in this class. The engine bay is well laid out and it appears that Honda had sufficient space to lay out the different components as the engine itself did not eat up much space. All the other cars in this segment in India use Cast Iron Engine. The flip side of this design is that the noise emitted is higher. Honda has added various measure to lower the noise levels but in relative comparison with cars such as the Verna, the City Diesel would be classified as noisy.

NVH Levels
* NVH stands for Noise, Vibration and Harshness.






Some of the measures taken by Honda include a cladding on the bonnet and a noise dampening windshield(only on VX variant) on the outside and on the inside Honda has used liquid filled engine mounts and also stiffened the crankcase. The noise levels are less in comparison with the Amaze.

An All Aluminium Engine such as this one is more expensive to make than a Cast Iron one. With respect to the durability of the engine, the only real world proof point so far is the Honda Amaze. Given that the Amaze is also a recent addition to Honda's stable of cars its a wait and watch game as of now. There haven't been any specific engine related complaints from Amaze owners as such (except the NVH Levels) but when we talk of long term durability the proof points require cars that have run kilometers in excess of 1,00,000 kms. This is something we to have wait till the real world numbers start to flow in.


















From my own experience in terms of real world performance of noise levels I would say the noise levels is less when compared to my earlier the 3 cylinder Accent CRDi. Also there are specific RPM/Speed Ranges when the engine emits very less noise while there are some higher RPM ranges when you can clearly hear the higher tone of the engine.


Fuel Efficiency

Also, any technology will have its own trade-offs in terms of the positives and the negatives. By adding a 6th gear to this engine which is the main difference between the engine-gear match of the Amaze, Honda has made the Honda City Diesel the most fuel efficient car in the country as on date with an ARAI Fuel Economy rating of 26 kmpl.

When we look at the above statement in perspective it is actually a significant achievement to say that a car such as a Honda City would deliver better Fuel Efficiency than a i10/Grand i10 or for that matter even a Maruti Alto.

In my driving experience with this car of over 2,500 kms, I must say the car has returned spectacular fuel efficiency numbers.

City Driving conditions have yielded fuel efficiency numbers of 16+kmpl consistently with AC always On. In my regular commute to office which involves a mix of stop and go traffic and some consistent speed runs on Hosur Road towards Electronic City I have seen mileage of 17.5 kmpl on a regular basis.

On the highway, the story is even better when evaluated in terms of mileage. When driven with a light foot of 65 to 80 kmph, the MID showed figures of 23+ kmpl. On taking the speeds to 100-110kmph range which possibly is the ideal speed for Indian Road Conditions, the mileage still remains a consistent 21.5 kmpl. The car touches the 100 kmph mark at about 2000 rpm and the overall engine noise at this speed is extremely low making the 100-100 kmph speed range the sweet spot for this engine.











In my entire ownership of the Accent CRDi for close to 1,00,000 kms the hightest mileage I ever recorded was 19kmpl on a stint from Bangalore to Chennai and in order to achieve that figure I had to keep the speed figures in the 2 digit numbers. With the i-DTEC Honda City, I have recorded a mileage figure of 20+ kmpl on the highway every time and this seems to be the strength of the engine.

It appears that Honda has focused primarily on fuel efficiency and delivered on it too. As for the noise levels, I believe Honda could have done a bit more in terms of noise dampening. All in all, for people who do long distance stints this car will keep you happy with its Amazing fuel economy figures.

For more details on the i-DTEC Engine Technology I would recommend the readers to go thru this very informative video from Honda:

Honda Earth Dreams Technology Engine

[rajivn]

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

Fuel Efficiency

Also, any technology will have its own trade-offs in terms of the positives and the negatives. By adding a 6th gear to this engine which is the main difference between the engine-gear match of the Amaze, Honda has made the Honda City Diesel the most fuel efficient car in the country as on date with an ARAI Fuel Economy rating of 26 kmpl.

When we look at the above statement in perspective it is actually a significant achievement to say that a car such as a Honda City would deliver better Fuel Efficiency than a i10/Grand i10 or for that matter even a Maruti Alto.

In my driving experience with this car of over 2,500 kms, I must say the car has returned spectacular fuel efficiency numbers.

City Driving conditions have yielded fuel efficiency numbers of 16+kmpl consistently with AC always On. In my regular commute to office which involves a mix of stop and go traffic and some consistent speed runs on Hosur Road towards Electronic City I have seen mileage of 17.5 kmpl on a regular basis.

On the highway, the story is even better when evaluated in terms of mileage. When driven with a light foot of 65 to 80 kmph, the MID showed figures of 23+ kmpl. On taking the speeds to 100-110kmph range which possibly is the ideal speed for Indian Road Conditions, the mileage still remains a consistent 21.5 kmpl. The car touches the 100 kmph mark at about 2000 rpm and the overall engine noise at this speed is extremely low making the 100-100 kmph speed range the sweet spot for this engine.

Wonderful report on the technical proficiency and benefits of the Earth Dreams engine.

On the FE front - I am consistently getting 19.4 kmpl in the City with mild A/C running. This is with a mix of acceleration and sedate driving. On completely sedate driving I get 20+kmpl in the City. I upshift at about 1500 rpm.

I concur with you that below certain RPM range the engine is very refined. Another highlight is the minimal gear shifting required in the city making the city drive a breezy affair.

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by rajivn

Wonderful report on the technical proficiency and benefits of the Earth Dreams engine.

On the FE front - I am consistently getting 19.4 kmpl in the City with mild A/C running. This is with a mix of acceleration and sedate driving. On completely sedate driving I get 20+kmpl in the City. I upshift at about 1500 rpm.

I concur with you that below certain RPM range the engine is very refined. Another highlight is the minimal gear shifting required in the city making the city drive a breezy affair.

I think Honda has made the trade-offs to provide a car which is extremely fuel efficient. Good to hear that you are getting 20+ kmpl in city driving That is a terrific mileage under city driving conditions!

[vsrivatsa]

More Updates
My Diesel Rockstar has completed 3100 kms so far and going well. I have not faced any of the quality hiccups that some of the other 4th Gen City owners have reported so far.

The car does sport 2 minor scratches now I guess it’s all part of normal city driving in any metro and we have to live with these.


Experience with Transferring the No Claim Bonus (NCB) to Honda Assure

This is something that I was not aware of when I purchased the car and went with the insurance provided by the dealership which was Honda Assure. The Honda Assure Zero Depreciation Insurance was essentially a re-branded insurance coming in from ICICI Lombard and costed Rs.37,357 in total.

However thanks to the good folks at Team-BHP I was educated about the possibility to claim NCB on the new insurance. I decided not to transfer the older insurance and only sold my earlier car and retained the Insurance.

Here is a step-by-step guidance on the approach I took to obtain the No Claim Bonus:


STEP 1:
The first step, is to transfer the ownership of the older car to the new owner. This involves the RTO of the respective State and required me to provide the following documents:

1. RC Book of the car to be transferred
2. Existing Insurance Copy.
3. Pollution Certificate.
4. Form No.30 and Form No.29 available on RTO Website.
5. Transfer Fee of Rs. 410/-

After submitting these documents to the RTO, the process took over 1 month post which the new owner received the updated documents. I requested for a copy of the updated documents from the new owner.


STEP 2:
After the ownership was changed, I approached the insurance provider for my earlier car which was Bajaj Allianz. I submitted the following documents to Bajaj Allianz and requested them to issue a NCB Certificate to me.

1. A copy of the Existing Bajaj Allianz Insurance policy on the older car which was valid till August 2014.
2. Proof for the Change of ownership of the earlier car – the Registration Certificate provided by RTO.
3. Cancelled Cheque and Bank Account details for Bajaj Allianz to refund the unused amount for the remaining period till August.

Bajaj Allianz folks took about 1 week and provided me a letter stating that I was eligible for a 25% NCB based on my historical data.


STEP 3:
With this certificate, I approached Honda Assure and submitted them a copy of the letter provided by Bajaj Allianz and requested for a refund of 25%. The Honda Assure contact person at the dealership reviewed the documents provided and has submitted for a refund of 25% which he claims would be done within a period of 45 days.

The refund would be directly debited to the Bank Account that I have shared with Honda Assure.



The steps listed above should be helpful for others in a similar situation. Hope these details are helpful. Thanks for your time in reading my post - I will be sharing more updates related to the various accessories that I have added/purchased for the car soon. Keep watching...

[vsrivatsa]

Accessories for the Diesel Rockstar

Let me start with the most important and simplest accessory:



L T D Key Chain:
The Team BHP Branded "Live To Drive" Keychain is the first accessory that I wanted to list in true BHPian style. I had to wait sometime till this became available as it was out of stock. But I must say its a great key-chain, looks good and durable.




The yellow on black rubber contrast gives a great appearance to the Key Chain





Can be ordered from the following URL





Tekton Tyre Pressure Gauge:
The next accessory is a Pressure Gauge that I picked up. A colleague of mine had travelled to the US on a business trip and I ordered the Tekton Pressure Gauge from Amazon.com.


The Tekton Tyre Pressure Gauge



This is an extremely handy accessory and is useful for checking the tyre pressure. The Gauge has the capability to show the pressure readings in PSI, Bar, Kg/cm3 and kPa. The Gauge provides a digital display screen and also has an illumination of the screen as well as the tip which needs to be pressed against the nozzle to get a read out from a specific tyre.


Read out in PSI




Read out kg/cm3




Read out of a value of 35 PSI




Full View of the Gauge with the Display Lights




Closer Look




Closer Look of the front Nozzle which needs to be pressed onto the tyre to get the reading




Side View of the Gauge


Overall an easy to use and important accessory to ensure the tyres are running at the correct pressure.

The recommended pressure for the 2014 Honda City is as follows:
City Driving: 33 PSI for the Front Tyres/31 PSI for the Rear Tyres
Highway Driving: 35 PSI for Front Tyres/33 PSI for Rear Tyres

The difference of 2 PSI between the front and the rear is recommended as there will be additional load on the front tyres due to the weight of the engine. Air Pressure is important since it has an impact on the ride quality, fuel effiency and also the life of the tyre itself. The higher pressure is recommended for highway driving since the wear out of the tyre is twice as much as at lower speeds.

Also, remember that the recommendation is to check the pressure of the tyre when the tyres are cold. The tyres get hot when in motion and hence if you check the air pressure after driving some distance then this would be incorrect.

More Details related to the Tekton Pressure Gauge@URL

In order to ensure the accuracy of the gauge I got the tyres inflated at petrol station and then validated using the gauge and I got a match between the readings. I would say the gauge is accurate and will help me in keeping a check on the tyre pressure.


Thank You for reading my post. Watch out for details of more accessories and handy add-ons in the coming days.

[vsrivatsa]

Before I move onto the next accessory, here are some exterior shots of the car. Had been to Nandi Hills (URL) yesterday on a small joy ride.

For people who know less about this place, its a hill which is just 60 km from Bangalore and known for its hair pin bends and a nice picnic spot. The drive up the hill is about 15 kms and comes with a few hair pin bends that can serve as a good test for checking the abilities of a car. I must add that the car handled the bends extremely well. The upgraded tyres (195/60R15) surely added to ensure the car stays planted while I turned and turned up the cyclic path that leads to the top!

Exterior Photo-shoot @Nandi Hills



Side View from the Front




From a little farther away




Front View with Chrome Grille




Rear View




Rear View From a distance




Rear View Up Close




From a distance




Side Profile Upward Tilt




Side Profile Downward Tilt

Thanks for reading my post. Keep watching this space for more.

For folks who are on the look out for other threads related to the 2014 Honda City, I would recommend the following excellent Threads on Team-BHP Below:
2014 Crystal Black Pearl Honda City VX-D - A new member in the family by //M

"Empress" - 2014 Honda City i-DTEC VMT - Earth Dreams Unleashed! by RavenAvi

2014 Honda City SV CVT Automatic - My White Unicorn by neel911

The list of owners is growing on a tremendous pace and I hope to see more ownership threads springing up month on month with the sales numbers on fire!

[neel911]

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

L T D Key Chain:
The Team BHP Branded "Live To Drive" Keychain is the first accessory that I wanted to list in true BHPian style. I had to wait sometime till this became available as it was out of stock. But I must say its a great key-chain, looks good and durable.

Attachment 1230986


Tekton Tyre Pressure Gauge:
The next accessory is a Pressure Gauge that I picked up. A colleague of mine had travelled to the US on a business trip and I ordered the Tekton Pressure Gauge from Amazon.com.

The new LTD keychain is indeed awesome. One thing I noticed that the 'Honda' Logo on the Key is not chrome plated/finish. Is it the spare key you are using and maybe that's why its not chrome plated? The main one that they have given me for my SV CVT Honda City has that. Check picture below (For SV variant, the spare key does not have any remote lock/unlock buttons so could not compare) :



The tyre pressure does look good. However, please do keep check on accuracy as only a few good digital ones are able to retain accuracy over period of time.

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

Before I move onto the next accessory, here are some exterior shots of the car. Had been to Nandi Hills (URL) yesterday on a small joy ride.

Very nice shots and the car is looking stunning