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-   -   Does anyone buy a Honda City anymore?! Oops! I did-and fell in love with it!! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/103180-does-anyone-buy-honda-city-anymore-oops-i-did-fell-love-12.html)

w.r.t. fuel efficiency I agree with Bluevolt.
I read rave reviews about the mileage on the forum and then once I started experiencing the drive, I never touched more than 15 on the trip meter and real world value was about 11.5 kmpl. I got anxious as to why my engine was behaving the way it did.

The SA was patient enough to hear me out and allayed my fear by showing me the way a break-in engine revs and how my new engine revved. The pistons (I hope I am using the right terminology) have far greater suction power as the rings are being bedded in initially. Now the engine revs more freely, thus improving fuel efficiency.

I also noticed while checking the engine oil gauge that initial engine oil consumption is also more than the second service test. I did this test to see if the HASS did change engine oil in first service.

Post 7000 clicks I find the engine is more stable (initially it also used to shudder briefly in cold start conditions), gives more mileage.

However to extract best economy kindly bear in mind that this is no 800cc or a 1200cc engine block but a high revving 1500 gem that commands respect and the right gear to please your accountant. Please do not lug the engine and sacrifice engine for fuel efficiency. I drive with light right foot and anticipate the traffic, minimize on hard braking and acceleration. Correct tyre pressure is important too. Most filling stations have inaccurate gauge, please try to get the right pressure. Also some have changed to fatter shoes and might lose some.

Cheers!

Yes,bluevolt is getting fantastic figures,which are not easy.It is nothing but correct driving attitudes.

@Sn1p3r,are you using ordinary petrol or enhanced type?Hoe you too are maintaining 32/30 tyre pr.

Honda recommends normal petrol as additives in our indian variety speed, power etc are not suitable to the engine. Also these are only but additives and not octane boosters. I once tried the Shell 97 as well, it gave an ultra smooth engine and also did more miles but it is tough to drive to that filling station on race course road in delhi and bring it back 25km to Gurgaon where I live. Higher octane has more balanced ignition than our normal petrol. Hope this helps.

Tyre pressure for skinny XM1s is maintained at 32 all over as I mostly drive solo.

Cheers!

I agree with you on this, but am yet to fully understand the right combinations for achieving good fuel efficiency without straining the engine. The usual parameters I go with while driving in city are - If the speed goes 20 KMPH or below and the car is in 3rd gear, I shift down. When shifting up, I get the RPM get to 1800-2000. I noticed that the shifting is butter smooth in upwards of 1800 RPM. Has anyone else noticed it?

With this, I have never gotten the engine to knock or feel it is being strained. I say so because every time I accelerate with these parameters, the pickup is quick and the power delivery is smooth. One other parameter is that anytime the car comes to an almost dead stop, I use the first gear. I have seen a lot of people use the second gear which I strongly feel is bad for th engine and the clutch.

Finally, on highways, I try to maintain a speed in b/w 90 KMPH and 100 KMPH. Using these techniques, I get a FE of 17.6 on the highway and 14.2 in the city (with aircon running at the minimum) and I am quite happy with that.

What techniques do you guys use for best engine performance and fuel efficiency?

@Sn1p3r,I was under the impression that Honda recommends enhanced petrol.My SE told me so.

The tyre pressure issue had been discussed once before.IMO,it is better to keep 32/30-as confirmed from Honda.

Your feed back has been really helpful.Hope our fellow BHPians would appreciate them.

@sudeepg, my techniques have been quite poor I am afraid.I am learning from you all.My City is automatic,and I have not driven much in S mode.Will drive in manual mode and post my experiences.

But you have managed remarkable mileage just like bluevolt.Systematic driving
no doubt,is the reason.Thanks for sharing.

^ I am happy that fellow ANHC owners benefit from my experience. Thanks! I learn from you all too.

With my style of driving I think the tyre pressure is alright. Once Mum is in the back seat (we bought this as her car; then I took over :D ) then the pressure is reduced to 30psi.

@sudeepg: You are getting good average, also you are spot on, the gears are tough to engage if the rpm is low, try moving from 3rd to 2nd or other way in the manual transmission and you will realize its like moving the earth. However if the rpm is correct its butter smooth.

I recommended ANHC as it came out to a friend in Bangalore and did not realize the speedbreaker will terrorize his fuel effeciency. His AT still managed a respectable average of 9kmpl in city limits.

Today, I was in the mood and the highway was a bit empty; had a blast pushing the car in initial gears. Love the vtec :)

Talking about tyre size, here is a picture of my car with the upgraded Michelin Primacy LC 195/60 R15 Tyres. The alloys are Lenso.

Hey,Sn1p3r-it was stimulating to read about your high way blast.Why don't you post a few snaps of your beauty?

Can't blame you for taking over the City,BTW:D I have almost forgotten my i10. I am taking the City even to the ATM.

My average too,seems to increase.Now 9 in city limits-waiting for further increase.Of course the pot holes are terrorising the FE.

@sudeepg,you too-pl can we have a few snaps?

@FireBug,wow-fantastic!!clap: Nice alloys.Look great on your polished metal coloured car.Obviously you have not opted for the Honda ones.Why Lenso?

How much was the set back?Where did you do tyour upgrade?At Global? Have you filled Nitrogen?How is the driving experience?Has the FE taken any hit?

Please tell us in detail.And more snaps,please please.Also the interiors with 3D mats.

Hi Charthom, good to know you liked it :). I opted for Lenso L1-Racing (24k) because I didn't like the design of Honda stock alloys, in my opinion it looks like a wheel cover (no offense meant).

I did the tyre upgrade at Global, soon after I purchased the car. Exchanged it with my stock Michelins and paid 12k more and yes it's on nitrogen. The first thing you would notice after the change is that the tyre noise has gone down considerably. The car feels more rooted to the ground and is easier to handle which instills a lot of confidence. Of course mileage takes a hit, it currently returns an average of 11.6 kms in the city (Cochin) and 15.7 kms on highways. (full tank - topping method)

I will soon upload more pictures of the car and the newly installed mat. I was planning to write a review but I have not started on it yet. Its definitely going to be the shortest review ever I fear, penning down stuff is exactly not my cup of coffee but will give it a try !

@charthom,

I have only the following 2 pictures for now. These were taken after I got the car. I plan to take more snaps today and will post next week.

[quote=kirantp;2409127
A.S.S:

I have completed 2nd Service at 4200 KMS. Got the oil changed to Synthetic as per recommendation from service advisor. The customer service is terrific here with frequent texting on service due, the current status of the service and also when the vehicle is ready. They also have a good customer service lounge well attended with coffee/tea frequently :)

[/quote]

Kirantp,

Which dealer are you talking about? Magnum Honda or Whitefield honda? I didn't hear good feedback about Whitefield honda. So I went to Magnum which is baout 30 KMS from where I stay. So far, the experience is good.

Please come out with a detailed review fireBug,will you?None of us are professional writers and it is the spirit and the enthusiasm that drive us.Expecting it soon:)

Wow,coffee and tea flowing in abundance,and I hope snacks too!!sudeepg,please do come back with your experiences at Whitefield/Magnum.:)

Car looks great BTW.Just like bluevolt's Venus.Planning any name for the sweety?Thanks for sharing the snaps.More please.

I am taking my car back to the dealer for the first servicing on 4th.Since it is the first free service,there may not be much action.Will come back with the feed back.Don't expect coffee and snacks at least this time.:D Will have my tyres topped up with Nitrogen at Global,too.

A querry to Firebug.Did you assess the mileage from the indicator or manually?Did you top it up to full and then ran to empty?Is 11.6 city average regular or you got it only once?Have you noticed any change in the ride quality after going down from 65 to 60?

My first experience with Magnum Honda, Bangalore was alright. I had taken it for the 3rd Free service (since I bought mine second hand, a car that had run only ~500 KMS only). I pay too much attention to things that are related to my city.

The service advisor greeted me and explained the procedures for 3rd services besides asking me things that needed fixed. Somehow I had to repeat a few things over and over again and that kinda made me feel he was not "listening" to what I was saying. I asked him to apply under chassis coating. It took them only 4 hours to service the car, which I thought was odd since the under chassis coating was being done. I specifically asked for 3M. But when I took delivery and asked for the coupons for checkup, he said they applied "honda recommended" and there were no coupons for checkup etc. I also observed that a day later, the coating was still wet. That felt really odd. I do not take everything the SA takes at face value unless I have had atleast a few positive experiences. Hyundai service guys were best. They could technically explain to my satisfaction why something was needed or not needed.

The car's performance improved after the service and it's doing pretty well. It's dead silent (well almost :) ) when idling. Gear slotting at low RPMs needs some work. So I always take it to 1800 at the least before shifting up. The only other thing I did not like after servicing is a black mark on the hand rest, which wasn't there when I gave it for service. I asked the SA about it and he got a guy to try and clean it, which unfortunately did not do anything good. I then purchased "Armour All - carpet and upholstery cleaner". It is a foam that can be applied on the seat and wiped off with a damp cloth after the foam settles. I didn't believe it until I used it. It completely cleaned up the black mark. What actually made me buy the product was a tag on the bottle from the company which says "If you are not happy with the product, then return it anytime for a full refund". This instilled some confidence about the product since the company had so much faith in it. Costed me about 485 bucks.

So all in all, not a lot to talk about the service experience at Magnum. I would say it was OK. The real feedback comes when you have some actual work to be done on the car and how they handle it.

BTW do you all turn off the engine while waiting for a signal? I always do and I believe that is one of the ways to improve mileage.

@charthom

Haven't yet thought of a name for my city. I am confused. The power & performance makes it very masculine. The beauty of the car makes it a super model. So what name to put eh?