Team-BHP - 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by harry10 (Post 3478005)

Took delivery of my City i-DTEC today evening.
Was completely unexpected as we just went to the showroom to finalize delivery day. Evening delivery so everything was fast. Must be a record how fast I did the PDI.

Best part is I didn't need to go for tyre upgrade as got Michelin Energy XM1 as stock :)

Congrats Harry. It looks Stunning. Wow. What a great surprise you had on this day. Lucky that you got Michelin. Almost a mini congrats for that too :). Now looking forward to your ownership review. Crunch miles. Happy times ahead

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnCook (Post 3478015)

1. Superb handling and overall dynamics. It's a breeze to steer into tight corners at faster speeds. Your confidence only grows with every KM.

4. Comfortable ride. Google Maps messed up while we were driving from Rameshwaram to Pondicherry and had to drive on some extremely narrow and bumpy village roads but the car took them well and never bottomed out.

Some Dislikes :-(
1. Poor Headlights. I don't know if it's only me or others have also noticed that the stock headlight setup is not enough or adequate for night driving. .
2. Soft material of the seats. I drove non stop from Bangalore to Kanyakumari and got a bad backache at the end of the journey. Would have loved a harder compound for the driver's seat atleast.

Thanks for sharing your experience. There are many who have now complained of the poor headlamps. I am thinking of getting Phillips Xtreme Vision and replace before delivery. There have been mixed comments on the seat compound. Some love it for the long drives while it has caused inconvenience to some.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsk2009 (Post 3478290)

It was my mistake that I didn't spot it. But when I asked my salesperson didn't inform it.
There is a clear difference of attitude before booking and after booking. I had made 3-4 calls and made a personal visit to dealership for quotation. If they continue with this cold attitude I will rather bear the cancellation cost and go for Verna VTVT (o).

Suggest writing you to Honda Customer Care. It will keep the dealership in check. I really wish that you get a car of your choice. Would be sad if you had to change the car because of the dealership attitude.

Hi All,

I have a question.

The door automatically unlocks whenever there is harsh braking or when the car jumps into a pothole or a step like slope. I understand that this is due to the safety feature of the seat belt pre tensioners. But I'm finding it happening always and seems to be a little irritating when the door automatically unlocks with the warning sound.

Is it because I'm not wearing the seat belt properly? Are any of you facing this as an issue?

Thanks,
Adarsh

Quote:

Originally Posted by a4anurag (Post 3478085)

Would suggest you to upgrade the bulbs to Philips Xtreme Vision (60/55W) or Osram NB+.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vahanam (Post 3478432)

Thanks for sharing your experience. There are many who have now complained of the poor headlamps. I am thinking of getting Phillips Xtreme Vision and replace before delivery.

Thanks a4anurag & Vahanam for your suggestions. I also think that it is wise to look for better headlamp options. Do you have any idea about the cost and whether i should get it from outside or from Honda ASC ? I will check with Honda for any warranty issues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by for_cars1 (Post 3478293)

I have ordered Amron Mini backrest (link) and hope that it will give the necessary lumbar support for long drives.

Thanks for_cars1. It has been added to my shopping cart :)

Also can anybody suggest a good solution to cover the driver armrest. I got the beige seat covers from Honda but even they didn't come with any armrest cover . Now as my car is getting older, the armrest is getting dirtier day by day and now looks of different color altogether. Do I need to go for the custom made route or is anything available online only for the armrest?

adarsh76 I haven't faced this issue in my car issue so far. The only time my door unlocks is when it stalls but never while braking or going over potholes.
I am not sure if this a feature as the explosive charge in the pretensioners generally fire on an impact to pull the bodies towards the seat just before the airbags deploy for maximum protection.
Guys correct me if i am wrong.

Today first time i saw the ABS in action. While overtaking another car i braked because of a pot hole right in front of my car. The brake pedal turned wooden and i could feel it vibrating. There was no braking force at all for 1-2 sec and car kept on going as though no breaks were pressed. Then the normal breaking force returned. It was very scary. My previous car did not have ABS so i dont know if this is the correct behavior. What worries me is the lack of breaking bite when the pedal was vibrating. May be i subconsciously reduced the breaking pressure on account of the pedal vibration. Also there was loose sand/dirt on the road. I have heard ABS actually increases breaking distance in such conditions. May that is what i observed.

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Originally Posted by JediKnight (Post 3478680)

As per the Catalog City has ABS and EBD (No BA - Brake Assist). Based on what I know ABS avoids skidding of wheels while Braking and hence helps in the vehicle in Turning to avoid the obstacle).

With Brake Assist, the system in the car understands your intent to apply brakes fast and reacts by increasing the braking force further on your behalf.

So I feel that (may be) you would have reduced the pressure on brake pedal on feeling the vibration in the pedal.

seran

Quote:

Originally Posted by JediKnight (Post 3478680)

When ABS comes into effect, tyres are pressurized and de pressurized to avoid locking of tyres. So the brake pedal pulsates which you felt. It is normal but the point is you should keep pressure on. In case of non ABS braking, the tyres lock and then card skids.
What you thought that there was no braking, was actually ABS making sure tyres don't get locked which causes skid.

Are the tyres pressurised and depressurised or is it the brakes?
You should keep the brake pedal depressed. When earlier your non ABS car would have likely locked the wheels - I.e. wheels stop spinning and don't respond normally to your steering inputs especially when the road has loose gravel or water or mud - with ABS the wheels continue to spin and may respond better to your steering input. So there is a higher chance of you being able to steer into a safer direction.

Quote:

Originally Posted by for_cars1 (Post 3478293)

I have ordered Amron Mini backrest (link) and hope that it will give the necessary lumbar support for long drives.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnCook (Post 3478623)

Thanks for_cars1. It has been added to my shopping cart :)

I am looking for backrest for my Honda Jazz.
Please let me know your feedback once you receive the item.

I went through the Amron website and they are recommending to take the Executive model for car seats.
http://amron.in/executive.htm

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyfire2892 (Post 3478830)

No Pressurizing or depressurizing of the tyres baba.

Without ABS: When you press brakes hard, after a point, the brakes hold the brake disc/drum stationary and the tyres get locked. In this situation, the car skids and you have no control of the direction of car.
With ABS: When you press brakes, just before the discs/drums are held stationery, the system releases the brake for a split second and reattaches itself so that the tyres don't lock and you are in control of the car and can steer the car in different direction to avoid impact.

You can achieve the ABS effect in a non-abs car by manually releasing the brake pedal before the tyres lock and then press the pedal again (Warning try this in an open field)

You can read more on this thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...on-thread.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnCook (Post 3478015)

Guys I just completed a 2100 KM trip from Bangalore - Madurai - Kanyakumari - Rameshwaram - Pondicherry - Bangalore. Drove on the wonderful NH7, ECR and some not so great state highways. So following are my likes and dislikes from the journey completed.
First the likes:
1. Superb handling and overall dynamics. It's a breeze to steer into tight corners at faster speeds. Your confidence only grows with every KM.
2. Spacious. Very Spacious. We were 5 including my wife, mom, dad and my 6'2" brother and nobody complained.
3. Strong AC. Loved the climate control. The outside temperature however was also kind to us and hovered around 35C.
4. Comfortable ride. Google Maps messed up while we were driving from Rameshwaram to Pondicherry and had to drive on some extremely narrow and bumpy village roads but the car took them well and never bottomed out.
5. Good braking and ABS. Saved our life when suddenly a herd of cows jumped from the divider and decided to test our brakes when we were traveling above 80Kmph. Thankfully I was able to react in a fraction of a second and my car supported me in braking and steering away from the herd.
6. Mileage. Well mine is a SV MT iVTEC and my overall average for the entire trip was 17.6 kmpl. Impressive.

Some Dislikes :-(
1. Poor Headlights. I don't know if it's only me or others have also noticed that the stock headlight setup is not enough or adequate for night driving. Things become even worse when you are not driving on national highways but on some 2 lane state highways or link roads without reflectors or central dividing line.
2. Soft material of the seats. I drove non stop from Bangalore to Kanyakumari and got a bad backache at the end of the journey. Would have loved a harder compound for the driver's seat atleast.
3. Smaller tank results in frequent visits to fuel stations.

Have you driven in 110-120kmph range? How is the noise inside the cabin? How is the acceleration in 3 and 4 gears?

Quote:

Originally Posted by harry10 (Post 3478005)

Took delivery of my City i-DTEC today evening.
Was completely unexpected as we just went to the showroom to finalize delivery day.
Best part is I didn't need to go for tyre upgrade as got Michelin Energy XM1 as stock :)

Many congrats harry10. Wishing you happy miles ahead. Anyway the wait paid off with you getting lucky with the XM1s. Isn't yours the SV variant? The white city looks royal, and I am yet to get mine!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnCook (Post 3478015)

Guys I just completed a 2100 KM trip from Bangalore - Madurai - Kanyakumari - Rameshwaram - Pondicherry - Bangalore.
Some Dislikes :-(
1. Poor Headlights.
2. Soft material of the seats.
3. Smaller tank results in frequent visits to fuel stations.

CapnCook, your observations are in conformity with those of many others. I have already bought a pair of Osram NB unlimited HB3 bulbs to replace the stock bulbs once I get the car. I have also ordered for the Amron executive backrest.
I don't think replacing the stock bulbs with a similar wattage one would void warranty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adarsh76 (Post 3478612)

This seems to be a new issue reported. Anybody else with the same problem? or can someone pour in some more details please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adarsh76 (Post 3478612)

Adarsh,
Have been driving a City Diesel SV since last 4 months(Jan Make) and 12K Kms. Have had to do panic brakes a few times which has invoked the ABS but have not come across doors getting unlocked automatically. Please check with your Service advisor at Honda and confirm here (May be a new feature added by Honda :) )

Apart Guys, planning to install Fog Lamps on my City. Has anyone got it installed from Honda/Outside? Can they please provide cost? I have come across one online on Ebay.com and it is costs 135 USD. Yet to check the local accessory stores here in Pune. Will appreciate any help on this

Thanks
Manoj

Quote:

Originally Posted by malgudi (Post 3478951)

Guys, i got this rectified. The issue was rectified by Peninsular Honda, TVM. As per the mechanic at Peninsular, during delivery time they used to tighten the door locks as part of a standard procedure, which Perfect Honda (where i took delivery) missed it out. Hence, the door was keeping on unlocking during bumpy situations.

I will keep a watch whether this issue is recurring or not. I had given the feedback to Perfect Honda and as expected, they were telling that they will take care about this in future and to get my car to them only as I'm their valued customer.

However, I thing the damage is done. I might give the car for service in Peninsular only going forward. Perfect Honda is a new showroom and hence may be the guys are not highly experienced. But they have state of the art facilities at their service centre since it's new.

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Originally Posted by malgudi (Post 3478916)

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeybee (Post 3478888)

I read about pressurization here, perhaps this will explain better
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-p...ock-brake1.htm

But ABS decides does not attaches and deattaches by split second, this is decided by speed sensors which tell the system which tyre is about to lock up. This is also the reason why tyre size change by larger % messes up ABS because speed sensors are not calibrated properly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by harry10 (Post 3478005)

Hearty Congratulations, harry!!

Your long, LONG wait (almost a tapasya) is over, finally! What a beauty she is. Am sure she will provide you with plenty of satisfied, happy miles in the years to come. She's gleaming as proudly as her owner in all the pics!

You are so lucky, bud. I am envious of you! Michelins seem to be the least provided OEM tyres for the 2014 City. Everywhere I see only MRFs or Goodyears. And yes, the stock Michelin tyres are a cut above all the rest - upgrading is unnecessary. Enjoy them until they last.

Be gentle for the first 1000-odd kilometers, then revv her hard! Wish you and your family a long, blissful journey ahead.

Drive safe, my friend!