Intro
I wanted to write my ownership experience for a long time now. First, it was at 5K, then 10K, then 15K and then one-year, but I guess I was quite lazy and had other things to take care and hence writing my first ownership review now – when I would be completing two-years.
Background
After owning Matiz for over 7 years, we had decided to upgrade to a newer and bigger car. Our criterion was to move to a car which would fit our budget (approximately 8.5L) and would be a hassle free car to maintain.
Shortlist and Test drive
Based on these two parameters, me and another friend of mine decided to start the test drive process. First, we began with Ford Fiesta diesel, then SX4 and finally Honda City. There were couple which I did not consider for my test drive – Chevy Aveo and Hyundai Verna.
Ford Fiesta was good; I really liked the drive, handling and the power. However, I did pass it based on after sales service feedback from my friend and also it was quite expensive when it comes to maintenance.
SX4, I had great expectations from this car as it is one of the popular ones in the US and had good feedback from my friends. When I saw the car and the features it had, I was impressed. However, when I took the car for a test drive, I was quite uncomfortable with the high back head rests, which were blocking the rear view and I almost banged into a car as it was completely hidden from my view behind the head rest. Hence, I decided to pass this one too.
Finally, decided to try out Honda City. I wanted a GXi for a test drive as it was the car that I would be buying. However, the sales guy got me a Vtec car. I was not sure if I should try it out as there is lot of difference in power between these cars even though the look and feel might be the same. After some deliberations, me and my friend decided to take the car for a spin. After driving for about 2-3 kms, I did feel quite good about the car and have more or less decided to go with it. The drive was comfortable, the driving position was decent, and the ground clearance, not that bad. We took the car through really bad roads that it did handle well. However, I did insist that I do test drive a GXi model before deciding to go ahead with the car.
Next time, me and my wife did take the GXi model out for a test drive and were quite happy with the car, its ride & handling and the feedback we did receive from friends. So, we had decided to go in for Honda City.
Decision
Chose Galaxy Grey color and haven’t really decided on any of the add-ons for the car. I was interested in alloys, but they were working out quite expensive and hence decided to go in at a later date. As we were buying the car through company lease, we had to wait for week to 10 days for the paper work. As part of the company lease scheme, I 20K corporate discount, steering grip and floor mats free. Once I took the delivery of the car, as a sentiment or my lucky mascot, I took the car to the same temple for pooja, where I took my bike and my Matiz.
Driving Experience
In these two years, I have driven the car for around 30K+ kms and never ever felt that I made a wrong choice. Moving from a small car, it took me couple of days to get adjusted to the new size and the sensitive steering. Initially, I felt it was too soft, but I guess it was a matter of time, I got used to it and now I am quite comfortable with the feel. The cabin is quiet, seating is comfortable and the stock music system is decent, till I decided to upgrade.
Mileage
I am quite happy with the car both in the city and on the highways. I get pretty decent mileage – 14 – 15 km in city driving conditions and 19+ on the highways. Btw, I would like to add that I am quite sure that I would the above stated mileage whenever I fill Shell gas in the car. To some extent, BP opposite Manipal is also good. But, there are some, where they either cheat me with quantity or quality or both and I do experience dip in mileage.
Accessories
I did not add any accessories on the car for the first 6 odd months. After that, the first thing I got installed on the car was sun film. I did some research and narrowed down to V-Kool. For all the wind shields, I paid 19K.
I did get the alloys when Honda was clearing the old stock just before the launch of all new Honda City. I got the 4 wheels for 11K and I am quite happy to have them on my car. It looks great.
Next in line for upgrade was the stock audio system and speakers. The car came in with Alpine basic model. After some research on various HUs, I had narrowed down to Alpine 9886. I checked the price here in Bangalore and with the iPod cable, it was costing 18K. I did check the price in the US and it was working out quite cheaper. I got the same system for 12K in the US. Coming to the speakers, I had got JBL P 6560 in the front and Infinity 6022i in the rear. I am quite happy with the sound and would add an Amp and Sub down the line. I guess that would complete the ICE setup on my car.
Apart from these, there are few more accessories that I would like to add – fog lamps, rear spoiler and leather seats.
Service Experience (before and after sales)
With regards to dealer, we decided to go with Dakshin Honda (again based on the feedback I had received from my friends) and I must say that both their pre-sales and post-sales customer service is good.
However, there is one thing that I would like to add about the niggling issue I face with Dakshin Honda. Every time I leave the car for service, they do not clean it well especially from the inside. I did give them my peace of mind and hope they would really improve on that from next service onwards. If not, I am prepared to try out other dealers.
Maintenance
I had spent about 17K on 2 free and 4 paid services. The highest I paid was for 20K kms service, which is a major one and it has costed me approximately 8K (includes synthetic oil as well).
To conclude
I am happy with the car, the ride quality & handling, its stability and it does meet my objective of having a hassle free car to maintain.
Here are few snaps of my ride -
Honda City GXi My Ride - muralisk's Photo Gallery - Team-BHP 
12th June 2009, 08:16
