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

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyfire2892 (Post 3348239)

I don't know if it's picture quality but that looks completely bland and worse than previous gen!

maybe partly picture quality, but the AC dials, steering wheel, instrument cluster et al are completely different from the other versions.
The instrument panel is a one dimensional arrangement with a simple orange dial tone like we see in the alto.
The fabric used in the interior is similar to the others though.
Steering wheel, though plain in looks is good to hold.

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedsatya (Post 3348538)

Everyone has been talking about upgrading to wider tires. Just curious to know on how would the ABS / EBD behave on changing to wider tires. I was always under the impression that any tire upgrade with OD same as OE tires wouldn't affect the ABS system. But some other online forums say any change to the width will also alter ABS behaviour.

What do the experts say?

Tire width change doesn't affect ABS. Only height change like from R15 to R16, but that can also be done without affecting ABS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedsatya (Post 3348538)

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyfire2892 (Post 3348596)

Tire width change doesn't affect ABS. Only height change like from R15 to R16, but that can also be done without affecting ABS.

Not entirely true. Changing the width will affect ABS but not negatively.

ABS will work on wheel speed sensors which kick in when the wheel speed and road speed do not match. Since the wider tyre will offer more grip and will not lock as easy as the OE tyre the ABS will not kick in as much. Changing the tyre will not affect ABS working but will reduce the ABS intrusion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vid6639 (Post 3348640)

Exactly ! agree:
ABS will not stop working properly with tyre change or size upgrade. If ABS used to intrude under full braking from 80 kmph on a certain surface, with more grip, ABS will now have to interfere only above 90-100 kmph.
Also, to get the speedometer and odometer working properly, you will have to get the sensor adjusted to the new tyre size. Service centres can do this with the help of OBD instruments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarathlal (Post 3348232)

I dont recollect any other car model offering such a drastic difference in the interiors as we see with the City. But still, this looks an ok marketing strategy given the price point at which they were able to start offering the car.

And most importantly, the addition of ABS with EBD and Driver Airbag on the lower variants. I think we should appreciate the gesture! I can certainly live with those plastics with my safety armor for the price they command. :) Well done Honda!

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san (Post 3347790)

IMO, those add-ons make the car looks a bit garish. It looks much more elegant in the stock form.

+1.

It does look very cluttered and ugly with all those addons. The only things I would add is wider rubber on better alloys and some gloss black for the front grille. The rest is very much fine on the outside.

Mod Note : Please do NOT use acronyms (e.g. ANHC, T-Fort) when referring to cars. You are ONLY permitted to use the full Make & Model name for cars.

Thanks!

I know I am late to the party, but I did a TD of the I-DTEC City two days back.
About the engine, I found it refined and responsive, but not quick, my daily drive is a Polo Tdi, which has a really sluggish engine. The Honda diesel, sure scored better in terms of in-city response but only marginally. I think it'll be as boring as my Polo on the e-way. A few more horses could have done wonders.

Being an owner of a 2012 Honda City, a few observations:

+ve. This car has a rear, one would want to show off every now and then, absolutely beautiful. The front- acceptable.
+ve. I think the steering response has improved significantly, the steering communicates nicely, my City has a shot-point-blank dead steering.
+ve. The car is BIG from the inside. Beats the competition hands down on space.
+ve. The design of the interiors has vastly improved, particularly the dash, my City has the most boring dash I have ever seen. The latest City has some amount of drama, feels good!
+ve. I found getting in and out of the car a bit easier than in my City. Couldn't find a reason why.
+ve. From a slider to switch air flow to a brilliantly done climate control system. That's some serious improvement.
+ve/-ve. The seats are softer than before, more comfortable, but not so for people with bad backs.

-ve. Honda still couldn't afford a plastic trim for the boot lid, looks horrible.
-ve. The car has lost a few soft-touch plastics from here and there, the dash on my City has a better-to-touch dash.
-ve. The door pads, could have been designed better, don't have that elegant feel attached to the Honda City! And those levers look directly out of an Etios.
-ve. The audio equipment is still nothing better than rat shit! Anybody who has ever seen the magnet of an OEM Honda speaker will know what I am talking about.
-ve. Those skinny tyres need to be replaced. If I end up buying this car I'll make sure its done with in the first hour of taking delivery.
-ve. Lastly the alloy wheel design is the most boring I have ever seen. But its still better than those made-in-Taiwan looking wheels on the Audi RS7.:D

The price for the top-end diesel Honda City with sunroof is a staggering 13.38 lakh OTR Pune, that's a lot of money for the amount of car you get.

That's about it! I was wondering how difficult or easy would it be to get a remap done to this car to improve the mid-range and top-end performance, the low-end is acceptable to me. Any pointers?!?!:D

I can't believe this. Still no test drive car available with Apex Honda, Sion, where I had pre-booked the IDTEC. Registration issues apparently.
Well, in the meantime, I did a little re-think on whether I really wanted all the bling and glamour promised by the City and came to the conclusion that I would probably not be really comfortable in it, what with the really, really low plastic engine guard, approx 110 mm above the ground by my rough measurements, touch screen, fingerprint magnet, door that flexes too much when I squeeze it with my fingers with the window down, high parcel shelf and so on. I also TD'd the Terrano and found its power and suspension terrific but the steering-return was too strong, clutch too hard and the horn pad too hard to operate (thinking of my daughter, who has just got her licence and is itching to get on the road).
So I looked around and found the perfect match. My neighbour has a Ford Fiesta Classic which he invited me to try out. TD'd it too at the Juinagar (Navi Mumbai) showroom and was hooked. It has tremendous power for a 1.4, good suspension, fab mileage (my neighbour gets 22kpl on the highway), easy-to-use clutch and horn and the dealer gave me some fantastic discounts and freebies too. So I've booked the Titanium since it comes with ABS and dual front airbags, which are important for me, after reading some threads here about surviving some horrible accidents. It's mine as soon as I break into some mutual funds and gather the cash.

Was checking out on AT models and City 2014 AT also seems to be one mid level sedan to consider.

Following are considered for AT models (all top end):
1. Vento TSI (12.87 OTR in Bangalore)
2. Honda City 2014 CVT (~14L? OTR in Bangalore?)
3. Scala/Sunny CVT (12.84 OTR in Bangalore)

I did test drive of Vento TSI and just loved the way it works! Sports mode is really a thrill to drive and breaks engage very well. Liked ergonomics and rear seat comfort too. Boot is sufficient and more than enough for my needs. Tried Sunny CVT and did not like it at all. I could really feel the rubber band effect with Sunny and that's good enough for me close my doors to Sunny/Scala.
But, now Honda has launched its all new CVT and pricing is not making any sense to me. Has anybody observed any great thing about City CVT over VW TSI? I m only looking at performance, drive and handling. City suppose to deliver 119BHP peak compared to 105BHP of Vento. However, TSI produces 175Nm of torque compared to City' 145Nm. The way TSI behaved, I would never want to change to manual mode as it managed upshift and downshift so well (much better than I would do manually). So, I m really not so keen to know about paddle shift and any other cosmetic things.
Also, IMO, fuel efficiency would also be same for TSI and CVT (at least in the City limits).
If somebody is not really keen about Sunroof, Paddleshift and some funky dashboards, is there any real sense in buying Honda City AT instead of Vento TSI?

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Originally Posted by ssbshankar (Post 3349115)

If somebody is not really keen about Sunroof, Paddleshift and some funky dashboards, is there any real sense in buying Honda City AT instead of Vento TSI?

Well umm, space is one factor. The Vento will not be able to hold a candle to the Honda in terms of cabin room. If you like being chauffeured, it's the obvious choice.

Also, if you're someone who prefers Japanese reliability, the Vento does not stand a chance. The TSI's dodgy gearbox and the general VW ownership experience will make several people think twice before buying the car.

Remember, it's not just about buying the car, it's about living with it too. ;)

EDIT: Also, the TSI engine is bound to be the punchier of the two mills. It's a turbocharged petrol engine. The City's engine is naturally aspirated. You can't go purely by power figures because the characteristics of the two mills are vastly different. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssbshankar (Post 3349115)

I was in the same dilemma.
For the extra bucks you get the following additional things in City CVT vX
Sunroof
keyless entry
keyless start
cruise control
paddle shifts
more space
better fuel efficiency
Not to forget the peace of mind of owning a Honda.

a CVT V variant would have made sense

I for one decided to go for the Vento TSI