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

Presenting my Honda City, IVtec SV MT aka "The Ballista".

After waiting for a few more day than committed because of all the usual Indian confusion, the car is here. Armed with the PDI, I checked the car and it is ok. The panel gaps in the rear are more than what I would like but will have to live with it now as it was expected. All I want now is the sweet tune of the Ivtec.
Checked the VIN number, it is July 2016 make, fresh from the factory in Tapukara!

Have given the green signal to release payment and get the registration done next week! Praying to all the gods combined to postpone my business trip next week so I will be present for the official delivery/puja. :) It would be a bummer if I am not here next week!

Presenting to you "The Ballista" people......May the IVtec sling forward the vehicle like a projectile after the initial run-in period.

4th-gen Honda City : Official Review-honda-city.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by nivatakavacha (Post 4020944)

Congratulations man!
The City is an all rounder. Be it performance, space or fuel efficiency.
Our City is to be delivered soon.
May the good times roll.

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma (Post 4020055)

I don't know what is with people getting crazy over FE. Be it 12 or 15, who cares as long as you enjoy your ride. First spend 12-13 Lakh rupees and then use a light foot to save ₹500 per month! Hillarious!

Getting better efficiency out of their vehicles is more of a feel good factor rather than affordability and is one of the popular aspects of vehicle purchasing and ownership.

Forget about Rs12-13 lakh car owners, even many luxury segment owners have the same mindset in this area and its a worldwide phenomenon.
No wonder the 320d continues to be such a popular car, extremely fuel efficient even with all its driving dynamics and fun factor.

Its always good to have fun and at the same time drive as efficiently as possible without being obsessive about it and crossing the border into miserliness.

As you rightly said, spending an additional Rs 500 every month will not burn a hole in the pockets of most car owners at an individual level.

But what if each one of the 1+ crore car owners in our country had the same mindset, it would mean Rs 500+ crores worth of fuel additionally burn’t every month to cover the same distance. Thankfully, people have different perspectives and mindsets. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by for_cars1 (Post 4021244)

Getting better efficiency out of their vehicles is more of a feel good factor rather than affordability and is one of the popular aspects of vehicle purchasing and ownership.
But what if each one of the 1+ crore car owners in our country had the same mindset, it would mean Rs 500+ crores worth of fuel additionally burn't every month to cover the same distance.

Well said, its a saving of fuel and environment at a large level if more are concerned about their individual fuel economies. I appreciate this thought and like it.
But my statement is still valid. If its just a feel good factor for one, its nice and good. But if it becomes an obsession for the mass, so much so that in today's market where all the cars are getting more and more fuel efficient and almost all the cars return good FE when driven sedately, people keep FE number above driving dynamics, vehicle build quality, A.S.S. etc, then its just stupidity.
I would say I am a sedate driver, use less brakes and almost never metal the pedal and never ever give a damn about FE numbers.
But if one drives with just FE in mind, keeping in low revs, upshifting early, I fail to understand that.
My boss' usage is 250 KMs per month. I suggested him to have a look at the Linea, citing how good that TJet is, and how happy it makes one with it's high speed caliber and he just said that he really likes that car but it won't give as good FE as a Ciaz/City would. Hearing this, my first reaction was a poker face, and then I just changed the topic. If he had said that he won't buy the Linea as its a Fiat and brand perception isn't that good, I would buy it, but how could FE be the top reason to make a car buying decision, when you won't even use it really.

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma (Post 4020055)

You are doing it right sir. Finally somebody talking sense here. I don't know what is with people getting crazy over FE. Be it 12 or 15, who cares as long as you enjoy your ride. First spend 12-13 Lakh rupees and then use a light foot to save ₹500 per month! Hillarious!

Everybody talks sense here. It's not a few people only who talk sense.

Everybody owning a Honda City knows how its to be driven. With regards to FE, everybody every now and then likes to boast about the excellent FE he/she gets.

I am pretty sure there are a lot of people who get better FE as well as revv the engine a lot more than some people who think they don't care about FE and just enjoy the Performance on the Honda City Petrol

So How many times have you or any other people hit the revv-limiter? How many times have people pushed the engine about 6500 RPM? I go past the 6500 RPM mark almost 2-3 times every week

Nobody is looking here to make a World Record of the highest FE on a Petrol car and neither people are looking to save 500 bucks by driving for FE.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tejas08 (Post 4021304)

Why to get offended mate? I keep seeing just too many posts about fuel economy that it doesn't suit teambhp. Our prestigious forum is not just about 0-100 figures, nor it is just about "mileage".
I myself don't own a City but still follow this thread. Purpose is too see people talk about relevant things, like whether the quality issues are fixed now, whether diesel is quiter now, whether people still love the City the way they did the previous day. I get a notification from my android app about a new post in this thread I launch the app in excitement in middle of a boring office meeting, just to see another post about fuel economy.
Why to boast about a FE figure one got by frustrating driving manners? The City's strength lies in that sweet little iVtec engine's top end, and of course, the brand perception and that is it! Its not the 1st gen City that drove like a dream anymore. Its just another car with more space than ever after all.
So, if one doesn't rev this engine to its sweet glory and drive just to get FE, whats the point in buying it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma (Post 4021320)

I get a notification from my android app about a new post in this thread I launch the app in excitement in middle of a boring office meeting, just to see another post about fuel economy.

I do the same thing, getting updates on threads from the team bhp android app is the happy part of an otherwise dull office day. Sometimes I can't wait to leave in the evening and let 'er rip on the way back.:)
For my route it's actually not too hard to decide my driving style. I've tried both ways sedate as well as spirited driving. So far the difference has never been more than 1 km/lit which I don't mind at all. With this driving style the engine has really opened up since I bought it and is returning better mileage and now revs effortlessly to the redline.

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma (Post 4021279)

Completely agree with you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by for_cars1 (Post 4021244)

But what if each one of the 1+ crore car owners in our country had the same mindset, it would mean Rs 500+ crores worth of fuel additionally burn't every month to cover the same distance. Thankfully, people have different perspectives and mindsets. :)

I agree with most of your statements before this one but this last para is actually contradictory. You are confusing up miserliness and eco friendliness. See basically misers will only care about that last penny at the end of the day and nothing more. Much less thinking of poor mother earth.

If wasting petrol was a concern, then Europeans and Americans etc should be literally persecuted by the world for burning up fuel unnecessarily with all their muscle cars and umpteen races and drags and the humongous V8s and V12s and the like.

But believe me, these people are much more concerned about the earth than u and me and they have much more stricter and stringent environment freindly laws in place with huge penalties for polluters and also all other types of polluters(we all know what happened to VW, as an example). The perspective is in the right place. Yeah, they could be more gas saving though, but they're catching up.

But back home, you see these people riding in the most fuel-efficient cars, like typical Wagon-R types, and they will religiously keep the speed in check to have total mental bliss knowing that they are going from point A to point B in the most money-saving way and on top of it they will switch the Ac off and roll the windows down for added effect! Phew.

Pretty sure that mother nature is the last thing on these guys minds while going about these antics, otherwise they would be driving a hybrid or taking the bus/train if thats what they really want.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron:) (Post 4022115)

I have a 2009 City which has been serving me flawlessly. The interiors are showing no signs of wear and tear, except for one bit - the steering wheel emblem.

The chrome plating on the emblem has worn out, and the yellow plastic is visible. It sticks out like an eyesore. Has anyone else faced the same problem? Any solutions? Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

This happened on my old Corolla when it was around 9 years old. No sign of this on my 2010 City. By any chance do you honk by pressing the center of the horn pad or the edges (closer to the rim of the steering wheel)? It may explain quicker wear & tear if that portion is regularly touched.

Try getting a new emblem from the local market/accessory shop. I doubt the authorized service center will replace only the steering emblem. But still, no harm in asking. They will push you to replace the entire horn-pad, which will be more expensive.

In the case of my Corolla, I just let it be and didn't change it since it was not that noticeable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nivatakavacha (Post 4020944)

Heartiest Congratulations brother.
Need to know a lot from you as you are the owner of the latest batch of this generation Citys. You must have read through this thread about the experiences of the owners of the initial batch of this model and the glitch-related woes. Please keep us posted how far Honda has managed to rectify them. Wish you many many miles of happy niggle-free ownership.