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Old 17th December 2013, 20:08   #31
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Excellent review guys. I am happy that finally Honda got the senses and removed the speed limiter from the City Diesel unlike the Amaze, I know of so many people around who canceled the Amaze right from the stats because of the limiter.
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Old 17th December 2013, 20:16   #32
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Fantastic review as usual. Just can't stop appreciating the kind of details you get into. It simply can't be found in any other review; like the torn floor mat or pushing the fog lamp cover for durability etc!

Guess the reason for the same tune diesel engine is that car's handling limitation. They probably didn't want to provide a more powerful diesel just to ensure a safer performance (from a handling perspective). With a much powerful engine, it might have proved to be a worser handler (than right now). But then they ideally should have sorted out the ride & handling package.
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Old 17th December 2013, 20:17   #33
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Tremendous review GTO. Very detailed and informative. I was eagerly waiting for the diesel city's launch, only to be let down by the engine it has come up with. I was expecting a well-powered engine.
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Old 17th December 2013, 20:18   #34
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Needless to say,Wonderful review.
2 Power sockets for rear passengers? is there any earmarked space to keep phone/tablet for charging or will passenger end up holding it in hand while charging or one needs to slide it into seat pockets?
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Old 17th December 2013, 20:19   #35
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Wonderful review as always GTO.

The city seems to be more of a chauffeur driven vehicle this time. The Diesel engine, despite its staggering fuel economy is a big let down because of its double digit horses and unrefinement. Biggest factor now would be the pricing. Honda usually prices it's cars fairly competitively, hope the same this time too. The diesel engine might be frugal, but limited power could keep some customers away. Biggest competition would be to the Verna and perhaps the Vento. If Honda prices this just around 10 lakh, they have a winner.


Conversely, the Elantra has been doing decently with it's small Diesel motor, and now the cheaper Corolla might also be entering our shores with an even tinier Diesel powerplant. Its seems like a battle of the underpowered Diesel saloons. Now, it is quite possible that Diesel prices might rise by a huge margin, would this mean the death of the Diesel market or would it still attract customers because of greater efficiency. I don't think a diesel would be viable if prices go up, reason being higher prices and higher maintenance costs couples with poor refinement and environmental impact.
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Old 17th December 2013, 20:21   #36
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Fabulous review GTO! Thank you for going into the minutest detail.
Looks wise not much of a radical shift from the previous generation (that I own). This time however, Honda has equipped the car well with features like ACC, electrically folding ORVMs and stuff that I wish they had provided in the outgoing model.
A bit disappointing to read about the NVH levels in the diesel. But something tells me it will be a bestseller. And the suspension minuses remain. CVTs seem to gaining acceptance everywhere.
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Old 17th December 2013, 20:22   #37
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Amazing review as usual GTO

Was there a direction by Honda to all media people to publish their reviews on the 17th as almost all other automotive sites have given their reviews today itself?

The new City seems to have the Verna in its sights and in doing so it has also adopted Hyundai's school of thought for their cars, loading the car with all the eye-catching features available.
It would have been nice if they had included some essential, less 'visible' features as well.

It's also clear that they have released the car in a hurry and taken cost-cutting measures in the development of the car. The movement of the door pad when the window is operated is shocking

Hope the price justifies their decisions.

Last edited by Marauder : 17th December 2013 at 20:29.
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Old 17th December 2013, 20:23   #38
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Woah! That came up a bit sooner than we were expecting! Terrific review as always. Crystal clear snaps, impeccable attention to detail and your trademark ‘The Smaller yet Significant Things’ section is always interesting and fun to read. Thank you very much!

I believe the new City will mark a significant start for Honda after the Amaze which I believe is already doing quite well despite the bland interiors and equipment levels. I am glad that Honda has given a few neat touches to the new City. These are some of my observations:

- Relocating the front windshield washer nozzles from the bonnet to the drain pocket. BHP'ian bluevolt had posted a couple of snaps on his ownership thread, on how the previous placement of the nozzles on the bonnet caused rusting on its either sides. (Link 1 & Link 2)

- Keyless entry and go is a much welcome addition. Even the Micra has it! Call me naive but inserting a key into the slot feels so old school today! About time other sedans and even hatches caught up with this feature.

- The new metallic Golden Brown Shade looks fab!

- I would have preferred an auto-dimming rearview mirror. At least on the top-end variant or as an aftermarket accessory. All the auto-dimming mirror requires is a voltage input which can be easily tapped from the cabin lamp cluster if the manufacturer chose to leave a connector for it.

- The instrument cluster looks so Tron-ny with those blue rings around the dials and the large white-backlit MFD! Probably the best looking one for this segment? I recall when the Civic was launched in India, the digital speedo above the central tacho looked swell! Something entirely different from the other cars in the same segment. White readouts for the dials are easier on the eyes unlike the previous gen. City which had those glaring orange ones!

- Somehow the integration of the HU on the front panel just doesn't seem right. The owners are going to mistake that huge 5" display for a touchscreen one - guaran-damn-teed! And the rectangular shaped hazard light looks completely out of place - they could have at least utilised that space below with a triangular or better still, the good ol' circular one. VW/Skoda can definitely teach Honda a lesson or two when it comes to this department. With a large display such as this, Honda could have integrated a better HU with GPS/navigation facility. This would have been a killer addition!

- The alloy design looks terrible IMO. The older pre-facelift model has a nice design (Link). Heck, the facelifted Civic had an amazing design! R16 alloys with wider tires would have given it a much sleeker appearance. I don't know why but the current designs remind me of those pinwheels we get during melas.

- The sharkfin radio antenna is a good addition.

- The black plastic insert at the C pillars suddenly reminded me of the current Vernas. Looks horrible! More so on the Verna as if it was glued and stuck by a fifth grade kid!

Indians always choose to associate Honda (and Toyota) with reliability and a fuss-free ownership. I am sure we are going to see plenty of i-DTEC Citys around. But I doubt if the Verna would take a huge hit considering the performance, equipment and looks of that car. And if we leave aside Japanese vs. S. Koreans out of the equation. Pricing however is extremely crucial for Honda - this will decide if it will pull down Verna's sales. Regardless, fantastic review! Loved reading every bit of it and the last 2 hours at my work well spent!

PS: E-mailed the link of the review to some of my company seniors. One of them is eagerly awaiting to switch from an age-old Indigo to the new City.

Last edited by Gannu_1 : 17th December 2013 at 20:29.
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Old 17th December 2013, 20:34   #39
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Great review as usual by GTO.

A few questions

I have a 18 month old city VMT, would it be advisable to upgrade to this one?

Or upgrade from my 2008 civic automatic to the new city automatic?
Please advice

Does the key look upmarket or flimsy?
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Old 17th December 2013, 21:46   #40
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Thank you GTO.

So, diesel is for the mileage oriented and petrol manual is for the enthusiast.

Regarding automatic transmission, by reverting to the CVT, I am wondering if the focus is on the urban female clientele. Do we have any statistics on the male/female ownership percentage of automatic cars in India?

I drive the 3rd gen City AT with the torque converter. Coupled with 'S' mode and paddlers, it is a pleasure to drive this car on the highway. I use 'D' mode within the city where gearbox does the chores and use 'S' mode in the highway to rev up the eager ivtec.

Finally, good to see the expansive equipment level in the 4rth gen City. Third gen (prior to face lift) hardly had any. Still people were buying it for quality, reliability and peppy engine.

Last edited by B103 : 17th December 2013 at 21:48.
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Old 17th December 2013, 21:48   #41
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

On-time detailed review (unlike the recent times E.g. Ecosport) as always - Congrats @ GTO. Just saw a review post elsewhere this morning & was looking for it here and we have it already

Dilemma points from my side:
1. The previous city looks better than the new one (subjective I agree)
2. Many misses against the positives - puny wheels, uncovered areas like the rear boot, under the steering, rear seat is suspicious for good thigh support, even lower seating positioning, rear view from inside the cabin seems inadequate, all round protection to the body is poor (like the rear bonnet is at same level as the bumper) etc - somehow does not slot well into the premium category
3. My main point of curiosity was the NVH levels for the diesel bench - seems not OK going by the review feedback
4. Unless they keep the pricing levels at a sweet spot - well lower than that of Fiesta/Verna/Vento, I find this an expensive proposition.
5. Suddenly, the diesel Verna looks like a great sedan to own compared to City!

I am finding it difficult to slot it into the premium car category for a strange reason (looks? misses? i am not sure). I guess pricing will play a big role. Amaze itself will eat into its numbers (instead of competition) if not priced & positioned right.
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Old 17th December 2013, 22:09   #42
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Wow ! What a review . Pure pleasure reading it. Let's nominate GTO for booker prize for car reviews . Honda has always been a wonderful car and it is extremely satisfying to note that they have spruced and made-up everything in this new avatar better. Still will race with my TJET this week with the 3rd gen :-)
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Old 17th December 2013, 22:13   #43
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Amazing mother of all review.
City is definitely going to reclaim its top position from the Verna.
However, did not like the ungainly Hazard light switch.
The wheels too don't suit the overall look of the car.
Other than that, its one complete package and has something for everyone.
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Old 17th December 2013, 22:28   #44
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Great Review!

For once we see a Honda City which is loaded with features. Really liked the instrument cluster, climate control, cruise control and the lower floor hump, this definitely differentiates it versus the Vento.
A 40L fuel tank, I guess they are expecting very good mileage.
And what would the service interval be? (I missed it)
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Old 17th December 2013, 22:40   #45
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re: 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

I like the new city except that extra large chrome bar in the front. But the rear looks so refreshing that one can live with the front. But ofcourse this one is little different from previous generations where Honda was known for drastically change the design of the city.
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