[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by souravc

Thanks for the well written comparo, rated it 5 stars . More than a year back when i looking to upgrade my car and visited a Honda showroom , the sales guy had asked me to TD the Civic when I went to have a look at the City . I think the dilemna between a City and a Civic is faced by many - my vote goes for the Civic . The digital odo is one to die for apart from the other good things !
I agree with most of your observations though am still vexed by the GC comparo which does not support our observations regarding bottom scraping especially when both are from the same stable and the suspensions are expected to have similar setup ( softness )

My Pleasure, am glad that you enjoyed it and found it useful. Thanks for rating it 5 stars
I personally feel the bottoming out issue has a lot to do with the longer wheelbase of the Civic.
It's quite a low car. Has a soft suspension setup, and a long wheelbase.
Basically a recipe asking for it in Indian conditions.
The City actually has a GC 10mm lower than the Civic. But the wheelbase is much shorter, so though it can still scrap in many situations. The chances are much lower than the Civic.
This is the way i look at it. I may even be wrong.

Originally Posted by bluevolt

Nice thread mdsaab; was missing you and charthom for a while now.
Thank You Bro! Yes it has been a while. A little while longer before i am fully back.
Civic is any day a better car than City in all aspects. It handles much better, looks much better and performs much better.
Agreed.
When I was buying Honda City, I too gave Civic a thought but the difference of around 4-5 lacs put my mind off and I went straight away for City. Also the City is more compact and fuel efficient than Civic and power wise also it is quite near to it (118 PS and 132 PS).
These are the two very important factors which affect our purchase decision between these two.
1. The price difference
2. The City being more fuel efficient.

Honestly for me the 118 PS the City offers is decent enough.
It just needed to be a more smoother motor.
City is VFM car in comparison to Civic any day. But if one has bucks then Civic is the car to go for.

Totally Agree! Thanks for sharing your viewpoint.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The one place where the Civic definitely blows the City clean out of the water IMO is the cockpit.

Just sink into the driving seat of the Civic and have a look at the "Fighter Jet"-esque instrumentation in front of you, and feel your heart suddenly beating "THUMP! THUMP!" into your ears!

You BET! It really is mesmerizing in the evening.

Originally Posted by dot

True, one of the key reason I went for it.

For the folks, who are discussing the key, just wait till I post a pic of a Singapore based 8th gen 08 Civic's key (my Sis-in-law's). It has an remote trunk opener key. I wonder why they missed this very useful feature in India.

So i see the great choices in picking up Honda's lies within the Family.
2 Thumbs UP! You bet the remote boot opening feature is sorely missed. I think in the Honda lineup it's only the Accord and CRV which have it currently.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Maybe they will introduce it in the next-gen one, scheduled to be launched at the Auto Expo 2012.
I sure hope so.
I, for one, find that as a very useful feature for a car. Most if not all 8L+ cars should come with one by default, actually.

I quite agree, this small addition can make it life so much more convenient.

[mdsaab]

Just drove the Civic today after a while. As the golden beauty is in for her second service.
Parked at a mall and just clicked the button to retract the mirrors. Such a convenient feature it is.
Which is sorely missing in the City.
It just struck me then that due to the lack of this feature i dont end up retracting the mirrors of the City when i park. Only very seldom do i retract them on the city. Such a shame then, as they are so vulnerable every time you park. Whether on the street, in a lane or even at a mall.
Good thing though that the City mirrors bend both ways, though somehow for me at least thats not good enough.
Hope that Honda adds this quite essential feature and more in the City facelift.

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

Just drove the Civic today after a while. As the golden beauty is in for her second service.
Parked at a mall and just clicked the button to retract the mirrors. Such a convenient feature it is.
Which is sorely missing in the City.
It just struck me then that due to the lack of this feature i dont end up retracting the mirrors of the City when i park. Only very seldom do i retract them on the city. Such a shame then, as they are so vulnerable every time you park. Whether on the street, in a lane or even at a mall.
Good thing though that the City mirrors bend both ways, though somehow for me at least thats not good enough.
Hope that Honda adds this quite essential feature and more in the City facelift.

Did I miss something here? Retracting side mirrors from the key? When does this feature got available in Indian Civics?

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

Did I miss something here? Retracting side mirrors from the key? When does this feature got available in Indian Civics?

Hey mate, just to clarify
i did not mention anywhere in my previous post about pressing the button on the key to retract the mirrors.
I pressed the button on the driver doorpad to retract the mirror.
But having this feature available on the key would be a boon. Hope Honda is listening.

[mdsaab]

Thank you RavenAvi & Warwithwheels for your support.
~~~
I wanted to clarify a little about the buzziness of the Honda City 1.5 I-VTEC engine. It's actually butter smooth while cruising along, or driving at a relaxed pace within the City. It also starts getting buzzy when you rev it hard and expect brisk progress. It's in the brisk progress department where the Civic truly excels. The 1.8 I-VTEC really loves to be revved and does not feel strained at all. Infact the more you rev this engine the more in it's element it gets. As most of us love and live to drive. It's no wonder that most of us opt for the Civic then.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

The 1.8 I-VTEC really loves to be revved and does not feel strained at all. Infact the more you rev this engine the more in its element it gets. As most of us love and live to drive. It's no wonder that most of us opt for the Civic then.

This is one high-point of the Civic. AFAIK, of all the engine options available on the Civic worldwide, the 1.8 i-VTEC is the best-selling option.

[ashu_DL8SAL2859]

I was planning to purchase a 2011 ANHC for city driving. My friends and some previous Honda City owners suggested me to go for the Verna instead. The after sales and service of Honda in India has been questionable and not upto the mark as far as I know. The Honda City is a super car, however in the long run the customer also needs peace of mind for owning one. My plans for the Honda City 2011 are on hold for now. Requesting mods/experts to help me here.

[vasoo]

@mdsaab, good to see you active again with another great thread. When I bought my car I did almost all of these comparison right in the showroom for hours and the sales guy was getting desperate! I was leaning towards City while my wife wanted Civic as she felt I will feel bad if I buy City after a couple of years for not buying a "better" car! And you know what happened in the end . Went for a Civic AT which burned a hole in my savings and I am yet to recover from it.

But I will never regret buying it for all the goodies it has, including a "mini playground" of space for my daughter at the back while we are on long drives. The wallowy nature of the suspension does take away some of the driving pleasures, but that can be managed with some careful driving, especially on sharp curves. My wishlist for Civic includes a stiffer suspension which will also solve most of its bottom scraping issues, a nav system with reverse camera, steering controls for audio and... I cant think of any for now.

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by bkbkr1212

there are way too many threads on Honda City.

That is a good thing and shows the popularity of the car among BHPians.

And regarding this thread I would say that this thread was one requested by many BHPians and only after that mdsaab started this and is very helpful for prospective customers.

[vb-saan]

I think it’s common for a person to start a comparison thread on the cars s/he owns. Like in this case, Mdsaab is comparing his Civic with his parents’ City (or probably his City and his parents’ Civic). There are similar threads in the forum which compares a Nano with a Jazz, Laura with a 520d/320d, Corolla v/s Laura TSi etc. Some of these comparisons are extremely useful, especially for those have the flexibility to stretch. For e.g.; I wanted to buy a Civic, and now looking at thread I may think – Well, the City is actually quite competent, so why not I ditch the idea of Civic, and get a City (or vice versa).

And on the forum being flooded with Honda threads – I think our members’ interests does not really align with the sales charts. If so, we will have maximum no. of threads on Verna (in C segment). Certain brands/models attract more reactions irrespective of whether a car is good or bad. From what I have observed, a thread on Honda, VW or Ford (and even Fiat) garners maximum no. of posts/responses from fellow members.

[ashu_DL8SAL2859]

Thanks mdsaab. Diesel is not in my radar now. So will give the Verna a skip. Would be looking forward to the facelifeted Honda City. Thank you very much for the inputs and on starting this thread too. It surely is a super place for prospective buyers to be. Cheers!!

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by ashu_DL8SAL2859

I was planning to purchase a 2011 ANHC for city driving. My friends and some previous Honda City owners suggested me to go for the Verna instead. The after sales and service of Honda in India has been questionable and not upto the mark as far as I know. The Honda City is a super car, however in the long run the customer also needs peace of mind for owning one. My plans for the Honda City 2011 are on hold for now. Requesting mods/experts to help me here.

I think the Honda A.S.S. in Hyderabad is pretty good. Our friend adimicra from Hyderabad has the Jazz Select for about two years now and he had no complaints about the Honda A.S.S. there. In fact, he got a great deal on the Jazz back then through his local Honda dealer.

Check his thread - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...onda-jazz.html

Not sure about any City owners from Hyderabad but you can do a "Search" for related threads.

The Verna is a great city car, and packed with features. But for sheer quality and that awesome iVTEC engine, City tops the competition in it's segment. My vote will any day go to the City, but it's still a matter of personal opinion. Like mdsaab said, the facelifted City is due around the corner (launching on November 19th). I say do back-to-back TDs of both cars once the City facelift is launched, and then decide for yourself which one will suit you better.

One thing is for sure, if you want peace of mind and an absolute no-fuss ownership experience, best go for the City.

[ashu_DL8SAL2859]

Hey Raven, thanks for your inputs brother. Oops, just realised that I needed to update my location, I am in Mumbai now. Well, will eagerly look forward to the Honda City launch. How can you be so sure of the launch date? Insider news dada! I did TD the NHC a week ago and it felt like a dream. I am sure the next launch will up the stakes to a higher level.









Hopefully, this is how the next version might look like. The rear lights treatment is simply eyecatching.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by ashu_DL8SAL2859

Hey Raven, thanks for your inputs brother. Oops, just realised that I needed to update my location, I am in Mumbai now. Well, will eagerly look forward to the Honda City launch.

How can you be so sure of the launch date? Insider news dada! I did TD the NHC a week ago and it felt like a dream. I am sure the next launch will up the stakes to a higher level.

Hopefully, this is how the next version might look like. The rear lights treatment is simply eyecatching.

The next version, scheduled for a 2013-14 launch, might look like that. (nobody knows for sure right now)

But the facelifted City launching on November 19th will look like this from the front and back -





Very small cosmetic changes to the front grille, headlamps and rear tail lights , and the addition of an "ECO" indicator on the speedo inside. Other than that, no changes.

Good luck in your choosing.

[mdsaab]

another thing which makes a difference between the two.
we all have our favourite seat positons be it any vehicle.
Some of us like to push the seat further back, whether really required or not. Some of us like the seat a little higher than others.
So when driving the Civic or City i move the driver's seat into my approx favourite position. Which means the seat is quite back, the back angle rest is reclined around 3 notches from upright, and the seat height is at it's lowest setting.

It"s on this setting where i find the Civic more comfortable. Though there is one gripe. The view out is rather low, so you are much more lower than other cars and bikes too.
Almost reminds me of the driving position in the Esteem.

Sure you can push the seat height adjust higher. But then you will sacrifice headroom.

So here is one more place where the City nudges ahead as you get a better view of the road from even the lowest seat height position.

The other day when just after driving the civic i popped back into the driver's seat of the City. I almost felt as if i was sitting in an SUV. The view out ahead of the traffic in front was just so much better for urban conditions. Especially here in Pune where you have to dodge motorcycles, scooter, rickshaws etc at each and every turn.