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

So the wait continues...I went and signed the Form20 today with Dakshin Honda. The Dealer/SA say now all my formalities are completed and they will deliver the car at the earliest which they say is 03-Feb-14, Monday. He could not give me any valid reason why it would take that long...

To me it appears that they want to push the sales to Feb maybe? He also confirmed that Dakshin Honda has not delivered any HC2014 so far and all deliveries are going to start only from next week...:eek:

Should I buy accessories like bumper protector, side protector, mud guard, etc (which will not void warranty) and step illumi or step cover from honda dealer. I feel the price is too steep. For example, quote for mudguard set is 1999 where as in ebay you can get it less than 500.

Dealer quote for these things is 15K. Any one knows a shop in bangalore where I can get it cheap?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ambadan (Post 3356543)

You don't have to buy any accessory from dealer, even electrical stuffs could be bought outside and fitted at the dealer.

There are lots of shops in Bangalore, depends where you live. :) Between, it could be a bit early now as the accessories many NOT have hit the aftermarket yet.

I own a 3rd gen 2012 Honda City and out of sheer curiosity to find out how better is the 4th gen city, I went to the Honda dealer and took a TD of the vehicle. The vehicle impressed me very much, but I missed the beige interiors (purely personal).

In most of the pictures of the wheel well area, I had noticed that the inside was black in color. But in this TD vehicle, the inside of the wheel wall area was the same as the body. Picture attached for your reference. Also, the work did not have any finish. Was it done by the dealer? Owners please enlighten!

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL01BE (Post 3356742)

In most of the pictures of the wheel well area, I had noticed that the inside was black in color. But in this TD vehicle, the inside of the wheel wall area was the same as the body. Picture attached for your reference. Also, the work did not have any finish. Was it done by the dealer? Owners please enlighten!

I am not an owner, but I think I can address your queries. The variant which you have seen in reviews may have plastic cladding in the wheel well. The color of the plastic cladding will be black. The model which you have photographed does not have the plastic cladding so it is similar to body shade. The paint in the wheel well could be over spray during full body painting.

Now the area which you have marked with arrow shows the under body spray. It will give better resistance against rusting and paint chipping off. Also it will improve road noise levels inside the cabin.

The one you have shown in the circle is under body sealant. It basically seals the panel gaps. It's in paste form, so the operator (during application) normally cleans the excessive sealant like that.

These jobs are done at manufacturer end. To cut it short - it's a sign of cost cutting. I think Honda could have included plastic cladding in all variants.

Quote:

Originally Posted by harry10 (Post 3356889)

Can fog lamps be installed in SV variant?
Also what is the price of fog lamps as cant find them in accessory list.

I had done a similar evaluation and then decided for the V variant as I felt I would need Alloy Wheels, Electric OVRMs+Indicator & Reverse Camera as well.

You can check the Fog Lamps Pricing @Bangalore from Magnum Honda from the below URL: http://www.magnumhonda.com/magnum_honda_accessories.asp

Its quoted at 17,500.

When I met the SA today for enquiring about my booking (SV CVT), she told me that Honda will launch petrol variant by Feb end - march only. This is not what I heard during diesel launch (Feb middle was mentioned that time). Is Honda delaying petrol launch? Whether other dealers are also mentioning feb end-march period?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxTorque (Post 3356877)

The variant which you have seen in reviews may have plastic cladding in the wheel well. The color of the plastic cladding will be black. The model which you have photographed does not have the plastic cladding so it is similar to body shade.

Thanks MaxTorque for that clarification. But the variant that I test drove was the top end diesel with sunroof. Does that mean plastic cladding that was present in the review vehicle has been removed from the production ones?

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL01BE (Post 3356959)

Does that mean plastic cladding that was present in the review vehicle has been removed from the production ones?

Probably that will be the reason. If we both guessed correctly then it's a bad move from Honda.

Quote:

Originally Posted by irajiv (Post 3356374)

Test drove the new city and have cancelled by booking with nagpur dealer due to high NVH and less headroom. Engine noise is unbearable inside the cabin!

Can you please tell us which variant you drove? Diesel or Petrol? MT or CVT? More details please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa (Post 3356900)

That's quite pricey for a couple of fog lamps.
My Manza fog lamps cost 4000 a pair.
Amaze costs 11k. Infact most of items in City and Amaze accessory list are pricey in comparison to other manufacturers.

Had considered V variant but I can get much better alloys from outside at a much lesser price. Same for reverse camera if needed.

On a side note I have booked an amaze and thinking of getting it cancelled and get City instead. All depends on its test drive which i will do within a week.
My question - Does it makes sense to get City instead of Amaze when both share same engine?
It will cost at least 3 lac more for SV model in City from Amaze S MT model.

P.S- Is it advisable to get fog lamps from dealer only or they can be installed from outside also?

Good question. It depends on which car you are moving from as well. I am upgrading from the Accent CRDi and when drove the Amaze it felt like my existing car itself...

Here are some feature differences that I could figure out based on a detailed comparison:
1. Space: City is more spacious
2. Climate Control
3. Front Passenger Airbag
4. Wheel: 15 inch Vs 14 on Amaze
5. Gears: 6 Vs 5 on Amaze
6. Upholstery: Premium Fabric
7. Cruise Control
8. NVH: Honda City noise levels are less compared to Amaze
9. Steering Mounted Controls + Bluetooth Support
10. Rear Defogger
11. Rear AC Vents
12. Shark Fin Antenna

Many of these you can definetely get as add-ons...also what the listing does not mention is the additional value of the Honda City brand...