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Old 12th April 2014, 17:46   #1
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Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

Honda City ,4th Generation (i-Vtec)- Our Third Honda City in ten years[/b]

Hi all.This thread is about our 4th Generation Honda City "V"(i-Vtec),our third Honda City in ten years.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-3-cities.jpg

What we like

* The Engine.Honda has improved the characteristics of the 1.5 L (i-Vtec).
* Interiors - feels premium.
* Spacious cabin.
* Hands free telephone.Has good clarity.
* Design.Especially the rear.
* The ride.The ride seems to be better than the 3rd Generation.
* Feather-touch climate control.
*Advanced integrated Audio system is good.ICE is better than the 3rd Generation.

Things that could have been better

* Design of the front grille.Could have provided an option of the Platinum grille,like in 4thGen HC,Malaysia.
* Honda could have provided a touch screen interface and an integrated GPS.
* Should have included six Airbags at least in the top end version.
* Lack of boot lid cover.
* The lower half of the dashboard is apparently made of a lower grade plastic.
* Back up sensor and alarm should be included along with the reverse camera.
* Design of the alloy wheels could have been better.
* Honda should think about a more powerful variant for the enthusiasts.

I think it is better to buy the "V" variant than to install the missing accessories in SV.


The story

For nearly an year we were looking for a replacement for our Swift VDi (2008), which had developed many problems after 19000 km. Details are given in the thread –

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-warranty.html

It was a painful experience. Even though we did an engine replacement, the oil consumption was above normal.The engine’s performance was ok. But the car aged really badly. At 45000 km the car had deteriorated a lot in the terms of ride comfort and NVH. When we replaced the OEM JK tyres with Michelins there was some improvement in the ride comfort. But the car was nowhere near the other two aging cars in our garage. The 2nd Gen Honda City iDSI (2004,at 55000km) and the mighty 3rd Gen Honda City i-Vtec (2009,at 1,20,000 km).

Two of my colleagues who owned Manza(Quadrajet) and Linea(Diesel) also faced the same engine problem as our Swift.In both cases the warranty was not honoured.Half engine had to be replaced and the guy who owned the Linea had to suffer a lot due to poor service and lack of parts.

Our cars in the order of preference

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-picture-495.jpg

I know it’s not fair to compare Swift to the other two cars that are a segment higher.higher. Maruti should improve the quality and service of their cars. I wonder why many people sing praises to a car that is just average in built quality and comfort. But it seems the quality of the new Swift is significantly better than the older generation. My advice to new car buyers would be to test drive a properly maintained car of the selected model with at least 50,000 km on the odometer. Then we might get an idea how the car would behave when it’s old.

After reading the above paragraph my wife is asking me “Why did you suggest Swift diesel to my father, will you maintain it for him?” My father in law’s Swift (2007) is having a problem with starter motor and MASS is taking him for a ride. But at that point of time I thought it was the best car in the segment in terms of styling, engine and service.His car done 50,000 km.It felt like a junk when I drove it last month.I still believe I made right choice at that point of time.The car is properly maintained and driven carefully. Recently a part belonging to the axle broke and was replaced.There were also problems with the rear suspension.Two were replaced.

The new car was for my younger brother. He runs less than 1000 km per month. He has a very busy job, his wife is doing PG and has a 1 year old boy who is fond of cars. So we decided to buy a car which is reliable,refined,powerful and a pleasure to own.So all the DDiS/National engine based cars were ruled out.

Budget was fixed at 10 to 13 L. We didn't want to take a huge loan. So arranged for a loan of 3 L from SBT. Bank asked for details of filing income tax returns in the last 3 years.Those who are planning to take loans please ensure that your tax documents are upto date.

Since the car(Swift Vdi) had an engine replacement we didn't want to sell the car directly to a buyer. We approached Maruti True Value and Mahindra First Choice. Both valued the car at 3.3 to 3.5 L. Maruti True Value’s interest in the car decreased when they knew that we were not interested in buying another Maruti. Mahindra First Choice agreed to buy our car for 3.3 L.We didn't bargain much. Sold the car with a heavy heart even though it didn't meet our expectations.

We don't enjoy selling our cars.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-swift-pc.jpg


Cars considered

1, ECOSPORT

We loved the design. Ecosport with Ecoboost petrol was shortlisted. But we found the back seat to be cramped. It felt like a beefed up hatch. The Ford’s service is average in my place. Recently they dispatched my junior’s car (Fiesta Classic) after a routine service without tightening the wheel nuts! He was lucky not to crash the car.

When I travelled in Ecosport I felt that the back seat comfort of the car was not at par with the 3rd gen Honda City.There was also significant body roll.Which I didn't like.

2, Duster

There are about 6 Duster’s in my work place. Everyone seems to be happy about the car except my friend’s chauffer who drives the 110 bhp Duster.He says “sir overtaking was much easier with previous car” (Ikon diesel)! When I sat on the driver’s seat it didn't feel like a true SUV.The overall design is not very attractive in my opinion.

My friend who owns the 110 bhp Duster says that the rear has a tendency to fish tail if the cornered hard.It seems not to be as sure footed as his previous car (Ford Ikon).The placement of the rear air-con tower close to the rear seat is a space-wasting ergonomic disaster.

3, Hyundai Verna and Elantra

We liked the styling and the features of the Fluidic Verna. But we didn’t like the back seat. But my brother took the test drive of Elantra (Diesel) and he loved it.It was above the budget and I discouraged him saying that with a bigger loan at a high EMI he may not be able to enjoy the new car.

Did not consider

1,TATA Motors and Maruti based on previous experiences.Wont consider these manufacturers for at least a decade.

2, The “unreliable” German cars we could afford. Mainly because of the direct feedback from friends who own these cars.

Few examples

*My friend's VW Polo(petrol) - Engine (malfunction) warning light showed up at 20,000 km,2 years and 2 months after purchase.The car was transferred to the service centre from work place on a flat bed.He was told that the car has an engine problem and the cylinder head had to be replaced.The cost of the repair was calculated at Rs 70,000 for the parts and Rs 5000 for labour.Luckily he had opted for extended warranty.Still the service centre was reluctant to repair it under warranty.They told him that the engine problem can be attributed to his driving style!He argued that then how come his 10 year old Santro which has done three times the distance doesn't have any problem.He had to fight a lot to get the parts under warranty.Still the service centre charged him Rs 5000 for the labour.It should have been done free of cost as per the warranty booklet.My friend,a true petrolhead and a fan of team-bhp.com will be delighted to read this.

Few months later rats ate a wire costing Rs 80 in the engine bay.He was charged Rs 3000 as labour cost for the replacement of the wire.My friend says that he was lucky not to sell the reliable Santro. Another.Another colleague who owns the Diesel Vento also faced the same rat menace recently.

Another VW POLO petrol in our campus had an abrupt clutch failure at 20,000 km.The car got stuck in a busy junction.The owner is an experienced driver.The car had to be transported to the service centre with the help of a tow truck.The symptoms were not correlating with a normal clutch wear. She was very upset so I didn't bother to elicit a detailed history.

VW Vento This incident occurred one month back when my friend's Vento diesel developed starting problem on the way to Goa. The car refused to start at a petrol bunk in a forest area. Called the helpline number and they assured him that they will send the tow truck for a particular fee. It was getting dark and with his family on board he push started the car and somehow reached the authorised service centre. It was found that the battery got discharged because the battery cable was not properly connected after an accident repair he had recently.

He had bought the Vento as a replacement for 2nd gen Honda city which had crossed trouble free 1 Lakh Kms.He enjoyed the performance of the car till recently.Last week the check engine light showed up at 1 Lakh Km and the car went to limp mode.The service centre says that the problem can be related to EGR Valve.The car is out of warranty.VW says that the car can be repaired under VW good will gesture policy for Rs 45,000.The clutch has become very hard and the gear shifts also needs considerable effort making the car a body builders dream machine.


PassatThe interior designer of my house has a beautiful black Passat. I was surprised to find that his A/c unit had failed at 20,000 km.It took nearly a month for the replacement.Since the parts were made in Germany.

Skoda - Skoda Rapid diesel -Fuel pump failure at 10,000 km.Took a long time for the replacement to arrive.

VW Jetta -My friend let me drive his new Jetta Diesel (DSG).I liked the car very much.It already had some niggles like left front door was difficult open and the ICE had some serious issues and had to be replaced.

3, Mahindra –Mainly because of the quality issues faced by XUV owners.One of my friend's XUV had a clutch failure on the way to Ponmudi (Hill station).The locals helped him out with a Sumo.We buy these sort of vehicles to enjoy trips like this.Reliability issues like these are not acceptable.

Two Xylos replaced the ageing Innova's (3.5 L km) at my work place.Both are having various problems even before 50,000 Km.Mahindra will have to learn a lot from the Japanese and Koreans.

4, Toyota – their cars in our budget doesn't feel premium. Toyota is a company with huge resources.But they are not interested to design and build best quality cars at reasonable prices to Indian customers.

Last month my colleague's 2 year old Toyota Etios had a major AC problem. Luckly he got it repaired under warranty.So these days no car is absolutely niggle free.

The Inspiration

The inspiration to buy another Honda City was our 3rd Gen Honda City which has crossed 1,00,000 km in 5.5 years.
The car is nearly flawless,fun to drive,fuel efficient and low on maintenance cost.Will update on the car.

For the 3rd Gen Honda City brake pad was replaced at 75,000 km.Even at 1,20,000 km the clutch works fine.No bulbs were replaced till date.Service cost is about 1 rupee/Km,including synthetic oil.Synthetic oil costs about Rs 1500 to 2000 more than the mineral oil.The service interval in the manual is 5000 km for the 3rd Gen Honda City,while its 10,000 km for the 4th Gen HC. So the service costs of the 4th Gen(i-Vtec) will be less than the previous model.No suspension related issues till date.Actually it was cheaper to maintain than my Indica diesel.

Now i am on the hunt for the 3rd Gen Honda City replacement.At present the cars in the short list are the Creta (Diesel),Toyota corolla(Petrol ,1.8 G,17.0 L on road) and BRV.I am not happy about the Creta's back seat with regard to the space and restricted glass area in the back.I am tempted to buy Creta after reading the wonderful ownership reports by RavenAvi,Naveen.raju and BNM.Corolla lacks features but now seems to VFM considering the price of raised hatch backs like S-Cross.I am disappointed about the design of the Mobilio cross/BRV.

3rd Gen Honda City will be a very difficult car to replace.So I am planning to set a budget at 16 +/- 2 lakhs.I hate big loans.Started few RD's last month.Wife is not happy to put her share in buying the 3rd Gen HC upgrade.She says we should start saving for the studies and marriage of our daughter.Who is in 5th Std. I agree with her and there is no fault to point out in 3rd Gen HC at present."If it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy should be followed when you make big purchases.Hope the car will run trouble free for 1 more year.Always make it a point to save enough money for the future.If both of you are working save at least one persons salary.There is no point in buying cars based on emotions only.

Please don't get biased by Honda fanboy threads (like mine?) and Honda bashing threads like " Aren't Honda cars niggle-free anymore?" Please note Honda City was never a niggle free car. Even a BMW/Merc is not niggle free.I don't know how many Honda cars the thread starter has owned before starting the thread.Based on our experience with TATA,Maruti and Honda cars in the last 15 years it is certain that Honda cars are almost trouble free.There may be some minor issues.But no complaints related to major components like engine,transmission,suspension etc.I feel Honda makes their cars to last at least 2,00,000 kms.Even the life of the OEM coolant is 10 years or 2 Lakh kms in HC. While the new generation Maruti and TATA cars will be fine till 1,00,000 km.My perceptions may not be correct.

My friends new Hyundai i20 Elite 1.4 L diesel had a performance related issue in third gear within 5000 km of ownership.Initially the Hyundai dealer tried to convince them that its normal.But he persisted with the complaint.After resetting the ECU 3 times the car became normal.Unlike the dealer,Hyundai was very proactive in solving the problem.My student's Accent CRDi (at about 50,000km) had to under go an engine overhauling and replacement of engine block in 2005.That dosen't make Hyundai a bad manufacturer.So nothing is perfect,not even HC..Sorry for going overboard.

3rd Gen Honda City @ 1,00,700 km

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-anhc-100ka.jpg

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-anhc-100kb.jpg

City Evolution:The pursuit of dreams.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-city-evolution.jpg

4th Generation City

We knew from Team Bhp that the 4th generation city would be launched by the end of 2013.Since our experience with 2nd and 3rd generation City’s were very good we decided to wait for it for a few months.Booked the 4th generation Honda city(Petrol) even before seeing the car on 28th November 2013 at Peninsular Honda, Thiruvananthapuram. The booking number was 42.Paid 51,000 by cheque. Was excited about the unveiling of the car. I posted on my facebook page “Waiting for the bang -4th Gen City”. After seeing the car at the launch I soon deleted the post.

I was really disappointed about the design of the front end of the car. I consoled myself that my 3rd generation Honda City (2009) might get good resale value due its better looks. Thanked God that the design was not inspired by the Honda Crider.I also expected Honda to provide an engine upgrade for the diesel Honda city.

Launch at Peninsular Honda,TVM.

As a prospective customer and well wisher I was invited to attend the unveiling of the car at the showroom (Peninsular Honda, Thiruvananthapuram) on Jan 7th 2014.But the looks of the car were not bad as I had thought.

Headlamps were attractive with separate low and high beams.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-launch-2.jpg

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-launch-3.jpg

The design of the rear was very good. But the real difference with respect to my 3rd generation Honda City was in the interiors. Interiors felt bigger and better. There was no doubt that Honda had researched and worked very hard to improve on the previous generation Honda City. Many manufacturers including Maruti and Toyota just do a facelift by adding some unwanted chrome to their next generation cars to fool Indian customers, who used to buy anything based on brand value.

Test Drive

I had driven the Amaze diesel to get a feel of the iDTEC.I was very disappointed with the refinement and NVH. I got to drive the Diesel City few days after the launch. I was pleasantly surprised with the improvements in the Honda City(iDTEC) .The car felt nice to drive. The sound of the diesel motor was not too loud. It didn't feel underpowered during my short drive. Suspension wasn't too firm or soft. It didn't scrape on any medium sized speed breakers. I think Honda has made some significant changes in the engine’s tuning and mounting.Honda has got it right. Aam Aadmi is concerned more about the fuel efficiency than the torque or NVH. Hope Honda will improve the NVH and upgrade the engine later.

Please note.Most of the Honda dealers doesn't have a 4th Gen Honda City petrol for test drive even now.Both manual and automatic versions are sold without a test drive ! ? Word-of-mouth marketing. If they have a petrol iVtec for test drive nobody might be interested in the diesel.Except those who think that they will go bankrupt if they buy a petrol car.

Deciding the colour

We prefer white or silver. But in my eyes the Alabaster silver looked better.Especially with the chrome badge in the front grille.It tends to get a golden/beige hue in the evening sun.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-car-evening.jpg

Dealership experience and Delivery

I know the manager,people in sales and service at a,Peninsular Honda TVM for about 5 years.So we booked Petrol VMT at TVM.I am satisfied with their customer care and service.We didn't bother to test drive the petrol.We hoped that the car will feel similar to our 3th Generation Honda City (i-Vtec).The official review of the car by GTO and team was very helpful. GTO wrote "2nd gear sees just under 100 kph before the revv-limiter kicks in".It was enough to confirm the booking.Our 3rd generation Honda City reaches 80 kph in 2nd gear before my courage runs out.Thank you guys for helping us to make the correct decisions.


Invoice - After the price reduction

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-invoice.jpg

No discounts were on offer.

After the launch we were told that petrol versions will be arriving only by February end. So we were expecting the car to arrive on March. At the end of March second week we were informed by the dealer that our car has been loaded and will arrive after 11 days. We got the delivery of the 4th Generation City on 25th March 2014.Our 2nd Generation city was bought in May 2004 and 3rd Gen Honda City on 29th March, 2009.We bought 3 Honda City’s in a span of 10 years. By Gods grace all the three Honda City’s are with us and doing fine.

Pre delivery inspection(PDI)

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-pdi.jpg

As a true Bhpian I went for PDI at Honda’s yard. There were a lot of cars there. I was accompanied by a friend of mine who is an auto enthusiast and follower of Team-Bhp.com.I checked for external and internal damages. I took a photo of the engine and chassis number. Out of excitement I forgot to check the engine bay and to start the car. But everything was ok.

The dealer did the temp registration and the car was delivered on time.The accessories were all installed 1 hour before delivery.I thanked the sales manager for the prompt delivery.The dealer made sure that we got the car before the tax hike by the state government.

Car waiting for delivery

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-waiting.jpg

Initial Impressions

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-3-cities-outstanding.jpg

The car has been wonderfully reviewed by GTO .I don’t have much to add. Still I have noted some minor points.

The car has done 12,500 km till date.

Engine performance & driveability -Since the engine specs were the same,I was not expecting anything new. But I was in for a pleasant surprise.Since I have driven the 3rd gen Honda City (1,20,000 km) for the last six years,I could pick up some small but significant differences.The engine felt more refined.It had more torque at lower rpm. Drivability is much better.The 3rd gen Honda City has a tendency to bog down in 3rd and 4th gears at lower rpm.Especially if you prefer a light foot on the throttle,which is often exploited by the street racers in the DDiS powered cars.

NVH of the car is significantly better. I revved it upto 5000 rpm. On revving,the engine feels quieter than the previous generation. It is not just about the insulation. I think Honda has done some serious engineering to improve the engine. This cannot be explained by the minor changes in the engine specifications. Another thing is that this engine is dosen't need to rev much to get the desired acceleration compared to the previous generation.This car is not a face lift.

Drivability in the city and the highways are equally good due to the availability of more torque at a lower rpm.As GTO has found out in the official review the car could touch 100 km/hr in second gear before it hits the revlimiter.Next shift will propel you to unmentionable speeds which you should never try in public roads.Narain Karthikeyan tested 4th Gen HC at the MMSC track in Chennai.The car was faster than the previous generation by 2 seconds a lap.Which is quite a huge margin.Narain was impressed by the car.One should remember this is not a performance or limited edition version of a going to be extinct model.The 3rd and 4 th generation Honda City were built to emulate the fuel efficiency of the great iDSI engine in the 2nd Gen HC.I hope Honda had designed a less fuel efficient and more powerful version of the engine for the enthusiasts.It will remain a dream in our country where even the super rich are fond of buying diesel cars.Nobody is willing to spend an additional 5 to 7 Rs/Km for the fun.I don't think everyone is buying a diesel car for torque.



Handling

The steering felt lighter than the older car. But handling is good. I have read a lot of criticisms about the handling of 3rd and 4 th Gen HC.The other cars I have driven for a significant distance during the last 5 years are the two Swifts (ours and FIL's) and Figo (my uncles car).I feel the 3rd and 4 th Gen HC have good handling characteristics.HC is faster than the Swifts and Figo.HC is better to drive than the Swift and Figo in any situation.If you push it into corners there is an understeer which is very predictable.You can carry 80 km/hr into not so tight corners and accelerate out of it.Unless you corner at silly speeds there won't be a problem.Better don't carry so much speed into corners in our two/four lane lanes roads you never know what to expect beyond the corner.I always take the corners carefully and accelerate within the specified speed limits. Remember there is no acceleration limit,only speed limit.But always be careful during hard acceleration and braking.This car which is tuned for fuel efficiency is capable of doing a 0-100 in 10.13 sec.But to fully utilize the engine and gearbox you need to have a stiffer suspension,performance tuning of the engine and the talent of Lewis Hamliton.I feel 4 th Gen HC is a better handling car than 3rd gen.I don't think a car like Creta can achieve the performance and handling characteristics of 4th Gen Honda City.Creta is the top contender for the 3 rd GenHC replacement.

Last year a toddler jumped into front of my 3rd Gen HC.By Gods grace I felt that the child might cross the street.I was going at about 40 km via a bylane.Suddenly I hit the brakes hard.The car came to halt within one metre of the child.My advise to all friends is to never overspeed.The brakes with ABS did a very good job.I doubt whether the Swift with inadequate brakes would stop sufficiently early to prevent the accident.

*Ride -The car came with Goodyear GT3.Still the ride feels better than my 3rd gen Honda City which run on 195/60R15 Michelin Primacy LC.So we didn’t upgrade the tyre. The minor changes in the suspension has significantly improved the the ride of the car over the previous generation.My parents also like the ride of the 4th Gen than the other two.

*Interiors - the new City feels significantly more premium than the car it replaces.The interior theme (black, beige, silver) is classy.The piano black section and touches of chrome makes the interior significantly better than the 3rd Gen city.Like the previous generation city the dash board is made of two different grades of plastic.The lower part of the dash seems to be made of a lower quality material.At this level you can find some defects in fit and finish.In my 3rd Gen City the plastic parts have aged well despite the car is out in the sun most days except weekends.Honda should improve the quality of the interior plastics.

Generation GAP

2nd Generation Honda City

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-2ndgenintspeedo.jpg

3rd Generation Honda City

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-3rd-genint-speedo.jpg

3rd Generation Honda City versus 4th .

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-3and4thsteering.jpg

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-3-keys.jpg

The seats are very comfortable.The rear seats seems to be significantly better than the older generations.Seat cover (PU)(Rs 10,000).Seat cover(PU) I bought from Honda for the 3rd genHC is still doing fine after 5 years.Fabric seat cover was not available.We opted for the PU seat cover with a dark brown line.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-front-seats.jpg

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-rear-seat.jpg

Competition is always good.Thank you Hyundai.Otherwise these Japanese manufacturers would have stuck to the outdated interiors for Indian cars.

*Hand brake-on alarm -My brother handed over the key to me and I was able to drive Honda City 4th generation Petrol (V) the car for the first time. As the car started to move forward I heard a beep sound. I had not released the hand brake fully. It was the warning alarm for the handbrake which was not present in the last generation.

* The ICE sounds above average.If you keep the treble and bass to the maximum the sound quality is acceptable.We are impressed with hands free telephone via Bluetooth.It connected easily with the Sony Xperia phone with Android OS.The Bluetooth telephony works without any fuss.The music system is well-built and gives an impression that it will last long.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-ice.jpg

*AC works really well. Honda has improved the AC.The touch screen climate control interface is very user friendly.With some practice one can adjust some of the settings without taking eyes off the road.I keep the palm on the gear lever and direct the index finger towards the left to adjust fan speed and to the right to adjust the temperature.After a few days it was easy.My brother still prefers the rotary knob for the AC.

Cost of upkeep & maintenance

Fuel efficiency

Fuel efficiency is about 13 to 14 km/l (50% highway and 50% city).Calculated using tank full to tank full method.Which is about 1 km/l more than the previous gen HC.

Trip computer error 0 +/- 0.5 km/l..Error is much less than the last generation.In 3rd gen error is +1.0-2.0 km/l.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-fuel-efficiency-cal.jpg

Service costs

5000 km -Rs -1,500/- (Rs 1298/- for oil)
10,000 km - Rs 2500/-

Quality of after-sales service

The car is serviced at Peninsular Honda,Cochin.The quality of service is very good.

*Accessories

Honda genuine accessories are always over priced .

We bought Trunk spoiler (Rs 10,000)

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-trunk-spoiler.jpg

*Spare bulb - Made in Germany.I hope the electricals of this car is as good as the previous generation.Can you believe this?Not a single bulb or fuse has been at fault in my 3rd Gen Honda City in 6 years and 1,20,000 km. The headlights provide good visibility at night.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-photo1570.jpg

My daughter likes the interiors of the new car.But I still love the white car in the background.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-photo1564.jpg

*City might eat into sales of some D segment cars like Jetta and the new Corolla

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-dsc_0449.jpg

*An Apology for not updating my thread on 3rd Gen HC.Will try to do that before it reaches 1,30,000 km.God be willing.It is very difficult to find fault with it.The engine feels better than the day I drove it out of the showroom.But there were few problems which were solved.Will update on it.

*Strange but true

*Dogs seems to have a liking for the projected parts in the front bumper.I have seen 2 cars with front bumper damage caused by the stray dogs in the yard when I went for PDI.This occurred three times at my work place.I thank the owner for sharing the image.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-dog-menace.jpg

*Even though this review was in my mind for about two months,I could write it only when the internet was down for two days!

Honda city is very popular in my campus

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-6-cities.jpg

*There are about 10 (5 diesel+3 CVT+2 ivtec ) Honda Citys (4th Gen) at my work place.All of them are happy about their purchase.I felt that the CVT owners were the most impressed.Lot of the new car buyers ask my opinion about the Honda City.I discouraged a few who were using Innova and previous generation Corolla.

Recently installed a insulater Hood - Rs 800/-.My brother says that there is a minor reduction in the engine sound.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-hood-insulation.jpg

Accidents

The car met with a major accident few months back.My brother tried to overtake two trailers one after another during night.My father and I had always warned him to avoid night trips even though he is a good driver.He tried to over take the trailers on a straight road.He knew that there was a significant gap between the trailers.With the vtec power he easily passed the first trailer.But when he was about to move to the left lane he noticed that there was a car between the trailers ! So to avoid the on coming vehicle he moved slightly to the left but the trailer didn't slow down.It hit the left back door.The car felt solid even in the impact.He could accelerate out of trouble.Left door was replaced claiming the insurance.

A bus driver without licence hit the back bumper when he misjudged a U turn.It was repaired in a workshop of the bus owner.Unlike you might think Honda city has good built quality.It cannot be assessed by arm chair experts who go to the showroom and comment based of the flexion of sheet metal on pressure.Our 3rd Gen HC has been hit by motorcyclists 4 times in the last 6 years.Last year my neighbours i10 crashed into the rear bumper of 3rdGenHC. She accidently slammed on the accelerator instead of brake! It was a powerful hit.I thought the bumper and lights were gone.By God's grace the bumper deformed and almost returned to its original shape.It has lost some paint and had a small crack.Which I repaired few months back.The i10 had considerable front end damage.I was very fortunate not to be between the cars.Guys be very careful while giving driving instructions to someone.

The verdict at 12,500 km

Whatever people might say, Honda has done a superb job. If you find this sedan consistently outselling its rivals, it’s not a fluke but the fruit of research and hardwork by Honda.

" Aren't Honda cars niggle-free anymore?"

Based on my experience no car is niggle free.Honda city like any other car was never niggle free from the 1st generation onwards.Many things have improved from 1st to 4th generation.There have been cost cuttings too eglastics.Regarding the quality of plastics one should compare the swift versus HC.You would be surprised to note the difference.



Our second generation HC which has done about 60,000 km had more niggles than the 3rd Gen HC (at 1,20,000 km) Our 4th generation has completed 12,500 km.No niggles till now.There is no point in buying a car thinking it will be totally niggle free.

One has to appreciate that the newer generation Honda cities are safer than the previous generations.At least on paper and based on various crash tests.Which cannot be assessed by testing the flexion of the sheet metal.Hope we will get our own crash test facility.

Last but not the least.If you want to enjoy a Honda buy the petrol version.Enjoy the vtec.Once you start to enjoying the Vtec, the niggles are negligible.Diesel motor is in evolution.Its not upto the mark.


*Sorry for the poor quality snaps.It was because of a smart phone whose camera was dumb.

F1 lights.

Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-f1-light.jpg


I thank my two friends who are auto-enthusiasts and followers of team-bhp.com who helped me with pictures and inputs.My sincere thanks to GTO and the team for the guidance.
Attached Thumbnails
Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-hcitys-all-around-1.jpg  


Last edited by Mevtec : 30th August 2015 at 03:17.
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Old 30th August 2015, 09:45   #2
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re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 30th August 2015, 11:59   #3
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re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

Congrats on your purchase Mevtec.

Hope you have a brilliant ownership experience. Will be a pleasure to see your car sometime on the road (Got team bhp stickers?). I visit Trivandrum ever so often since it is my hometown.

I would request not to consider replacing the third generation City at this point, specially since it is not having any issues. I can point out a few BHP'ians who consider the third generation the best and repent replacing it with the fourth generation. Fourth generation might be good still, but they consider the third generation as the best.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mevtec View Post
Please don't get biased by Honda fanboy threads (like mine?) and Honda bashing threads like " Aren't Honda cars niggle-free anymore?" Please note Honda City was never a niggle free car.

I don't know how many Honda cars the thread starter has owned before starting the thread.

Based on our experience with TATA,Maruti and Honda cars in the last 15 years it is certain that Honda cars are almost trouble free.There may be some minor issues.But no complaints related to major components like engine,transmission,suspension etc.I feel Honda makes their cars to last at least 2,00,000 kms.
I usually refrain from posting on new car ownership threads because new owners tend to treat me as the bashing person . But since you have qouted me multiple times, let me just clarify a few things.

1. Bash = To criticize harshly, accusatorially and threateningly. I did neither, and only made a collection of the issues faced by existing owners. And shared my realizations with the forum. If the figures and facts are wrong, anyone can oppose the same. Its an open forum afterall.

2. The thread starter (me) hasn't owned Honda cars before. Correct. I would have loved to own the Civic back then, but couldnt afford anything more than a WagonR back then. I would still like to purchase a Civic, except that my wife strongly opposes the pre-worshipped route. And none of their current generation products excite me as much as the Civic did.

3. I hope the car treats you well for 2L kms as you have mentioned. Trust me, it doesn't make me feel any better to see another BHP'ian suffer. I've just been reading through RavenAvi's ownership thread and the extremely sad turn it has taken.

Hope that clarifies. It would be quite inappropriate to discuss anything more here. So let us leave that topic for the appropriate thread, shall we? And dedicate this space to your ownership report. Once again, congrats and enjoy the car.

Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 30th August 2015 at 12:06.
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Old 30th August 2015, 23:12   #4
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re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mevtec View Post
Honda City ,4th Generation (i-Vtec)- Our Third Honda City in ten years[/b]

Hi all.This thread is about our 4th Generation Honda City "V"(i-Vtec),our third Honda City in ten years.
Congratulations Mevtec on your purchase. Wish you happy ownership experience, like with your previous Honda City cars. I have driven ANHC of my neighbour few times and I especially appreciate the smoothness and refinement of it's engine.


Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
Congrats on your purchase Mevtec.

I usually refrain from posting on new car ownership threads because new owners tend to treat me as the bashing person . But since you have qouted me multiple times, let me just clarify a few things.

1. Bash = To criticize harshly, accusatorially and threateningly. I did neither, and only made a collection of the issues faced by existing owners. And shared my realizations with the forum. If the figures and facts are wrong, anyone can oppose the same. Its an open forum afterall.

2. The thread starter (me) hasn't owned Honda cars before. Correct. I would have loved to own the Civic back then, but couldnt afford anything more than a WagonR back then. I would still like to purchase a Civic, except that my wife strongly opposes the pre-worshipped route. And none of their current generation products excite me as much as the Civic did.

3. I hope the car treats you well for 2L kms as you have mentioned. Trust me, it doesn't make me feel any better to see another BHP'ian suffer. I've just been reading through RavenAvi's ownership thread and the extremely sad turn it has taken.

Hope that clarifies. It would be quite inappropriate to discuss anything more here. So let us leave that topic for the appropriate thread, shall we? And dedicate this space to your ownership report. Once again, congrats and enjoy the car.
I had read the CrAzY dRiVeR's thread completely.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...e-anymore.html

The thread is based on systematically recorded information from other users and I do not think that it is a bashing thread. IMO, this thread is a valuable contribution. This is my conclusion after reading the CrAzY dRiVeR's thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3790868

If Mevtec is happy with all his Honda City cars, I am happy for him and I wish him continued satisfaction.
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Old 30th August 2015, 23:29   #5
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re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
Congrats on your purchase Mevtec.

Hope you have a brilliant ownership experience. Will be a pleasure to see your car sometime on the road (Got team bhp stickers?). I visit Trivandrum ever so often since it is my hometown.

I would request not to consider replacing the third generation City at this point, specially since it is not having any issues. I can point out a few BHP'ians who consider the third generation the best and repent replacing it with the fourth generation. Fourth generation might be good still, but they consider the third generation as the best.


I usually refrain from posting on new car ownership threads because new owners tend to treat me as the bashing person . But since you have qouted me multiple times, let me just clarify a few things.

1. Bash = To criticize harshly, accusatorially and threateningly. I did neither, and only made a collection of the issues faced by existing owners. And shared my realizations with the forum. If the figures and facts are wrong, anyone can oppose the same. Its an open forum afterall.

Hope that clarifies. It would be quite inappropriate to discuss anything more here. So let us leave that topic for the appropriate thread, shall we? And dedicate this space to your ownership report. Once again, congrats and enjoy the car.
Dear Crazydriver,

Sorry for criticizing your thread.I didn't mean that you were bashing Honda.But I felt some arm chair experts were.I thought the thread might scare new owners.I hope nobody will face a problem like RavenAvi.

I am personally attending the service of my 3rd Gen City for the last 6 years.I make it a point to talk to service engineers and owners.There are some minor niggles.But I couldn't find any serious issues with the petrol/Diesel model.What we know might be very limited.Hope you had a Happy onam.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat View Post
Congratulations Mevtec on your purchase. Wish you happy ownership experience, like with your previous Honda City cars. I have driven ANHC of my neighbour few times and I especially appreciate the smoothness and refinement of it's engine.

I had read the CrAzY dRiVeR's thread completely.

The thread is based on systematically recorded information from other users and I do not think that it is a bashing thread. IMO, this thread is a valuable contribution. This is my conclusion after reading the CrAzY dRiVeR's thread:

If Mevtec is happy with all his Honda City cars, I am happy for him and I wish him continued satisfaction.
Thank you Rahul for the suggestions.I respect your stand.If some issues develop in my cars I will report it for the benefit of Team Bhp.
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Old 1st September 2015, 13:21   #6
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Re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

A very nice ownership review. It is reviews like these which give a good insight to prospective buyers; and who else would be a better person to speak about the Honda City than a person who has owned 3 different generations of the car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mevtec View Post
*Dogs seems to have a liking for the projected parts in the front bumper.I have seen 2 cars with front bumper damage caused by the stray dogs in the yard when I went for PDI.This occurred three times at my work place.I thank the owner for sharing the image.
I never knew that stray dog were attracted to the City's bumper. Could you shed some light on this?
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Old 7th September 2015, 03:26   #7
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Re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

Hey thats a great review!

I really would like to know more about that insulator hood thing, is it available with Honda? or is it something you found in the aftermarket? Do you get one for the boot too as it comes without any kind of cladding?!

And wish you a happy ownership and read more about it
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Old 7th September 2015, 05:43   #8
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Re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

Nice and crisp review.
I agree with you almost on everything including the niggles part. Just like yours mine has been relatively niggle free with the Odo at 24564 as of today in 15 months of ownership. However, there are members who are facing issues and i hope they stay in minority. For me Honda and Toyota are most reliable manufacturers and i will hate to change this perception. Hopefully, honda will take notice sooner or later and tighten their QC dept.

The opening pic of all 3 cars in unison is simply nostalgic. I still like the front look of previous gen City over this one.

Also, the fuel efficiency indicator which you have mentioned is from 0-30kmpl is in petrol variant. In diesel its still given as 0-40kmpl. Attaching an image from my ownership review to confirm.

Keep enjoying that amazing ivtec engine. Cheers.
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Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years-img_20140714_181348.jpg  

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Old 14th September 2015, 19:15   #9
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Re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

Congrats on your purchase. See that you're in Trivandrum. I'm not basically from TVM but work here now (Technopark).

Very nice review. I own a VX CVT and I'm happy with it. The manual which you own is a powerful machine but I went for the convenient automatic due to leg pains caused due to depressing clutch in heavy traffic.

The only notable complaint I have is the ride quality which has much improved over time. Peninsular Honda is excellent in service. I took the car from Perfect Honda and did the 1st free service there. But after that, I never went there. They were not really qualified to become Honda dealers when compared to Peninsular. Things might have improved now though.

Yes, I was also reading the niggles on 4th Gen but as an owner of 3rd gen and your experience, Honda cars are not niggle free. In fact, no cars are.

Hope you're having a nice time with all your City's
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Old 14th December 2015, 20:15   #10
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Hey Mevtec congratulations on your purchase. I am also a Mallu. :P
Btw what real time fuel efficiency are you getting on your car in city as well as highway conditions?
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Old 18th February 2017, 15:09   #11
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Re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

http://www.financialexpress.com/auto...otos/556532/2/

Looks like financial express has blatantly copied the image of your 3 hondas for one of their articles online. Just thought you should know.
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Old 14th March 2017, 08:34   #12
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Re: Honda City, 4th generation i-Vtec - Our 3rd Honda City in 10 years

[quote=Mevtec;3411883]Things that could have been better

* Design of the front grille.Could have provided an option of the Platinum grille,like in 4thGen HC,Malaysia.
* Honda could have provided a touch screen interface and an integrated GPS.
* Should have included six Airbags at least in the top end version.
* Lack of boot lid cover.
* The lower half of the dashboard is apparently made of a lower grade plastic.
* Design of the alloy wheels could have been better.

/QUOTE]

Hi Mevtec,
Honda seems to have taken your recommendations seriously. Apart from the grill (which I think can be sourced), most of what was on your wishlist has been addressed in the 2017 face-lift. I'm guessing you fit into the Honda's ideal customer profile, especially with your history with Honda cars.
Secondly, this also proves that Honda is going through Team-BHP to gauge feedback. More power to Team-BHP!
PS: This is my first post.
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