[Geo]

I am driving a 2005 Hyundai Accent petrol. Have been thinking of upgrading to a new car for some months now. Discussions about new cars became more frequent recently, and I decided to drop into a Maruti dealer on the way to my office, one Wednesday. I wanted to take a look at the SX4 and also figure out the exchange value of my car. I was told that the SX4 petrol was waitlisted and would take around a couple of months to arrive. I checked out SX4 and Dzire petrol versions in the showroom. Didn't go for test drives. Got my old car evaluated. Was disappointed with the quote, but then the evaluation helped in accelerating my car search. Got on-road prices for SX4 and Dzire and left the showroom.

The next day I checked out Hyundai Verna. The showroom was again on the way and I could manage an inspection of the car on my way home from office. Verna has some attractive utility features like electronically foldable ORVM (even for mid variant), cooled glove box, integrated reverse camera display in rearview mirror etc. But the interiors of the car was a disappointment, according to my taste. The dealer offered good exchange bonus and other benefits.

I decided to do a full-fledged car shopping that weekend. The criteria was ~10L petrol sedan. I proceeded towards Hosur road in Bangalore. First stop at Nissan. Checked out Sunny. I was just making sure that the car wasn't what I wanted to go with. Feature wise, it was a good option, but I didn't like the interiors and the overall looks. Was not offered a test drive straightaway, and didn't push for it.

Next stop at Hyundai. Did one more round of thorough investigation of Verna features. Took a test drive. Drive was good. Wifey confirmed that the interior comfort and backseat driving isn't as comfortable as expected. Wifey wasn't impressed at all about the color combinations and interiors. Got a quote for my old car. Dealer offered some good bonuses and add-ons.

Toyota showroom was on the way next. Went in to confirm there aren't any offers to bring down the price of Corolla Altis to the level I can afford. Got convinced about the same, and left the showroom.

The next stop was Skoda a little distance away. Checked out Rapid Ultima. Much greater interiors compared to Verna. Dealer offered some very good add-ons, and a good exchange bonus. Test drive vehicle wasn't immediately available. I have driven friends' car before and skipped test drive as it wasn't immediately available.

The last one on that day was the Honda showroom. Checked out the City. Was impressed with the interiors. I would say Rapid scores a bit higher on the interior posh-ness factor and luxury feel, but City is not far behind. Took a test drive. Wifey was impressed with the ride comfort, and especially the back seat comfort, which was much better than the Verna. Did a feature comparison with other cars, and also within variants. Decided to go with SV - MT Petrol. Features missed from Verna are electronically controlled ORVM, cooled glove-box, reverse parking camera, reverse parking camera display integrated into rear view mirror etc.

Overall, I was convinced that this was the vehicle to go for. Ride was really good. Dealer assured that the ground-clearance complaint with the older versions of the car has been fixed. During test drive, went over some (not so huge) humps at decent speeds and the experience looked good. City driving was comfortable.

Started price negotiations. Realized that City didn't have any offers. The exchange price offered for old car was the lowest. No exchange bonus. No corporate discounts. Car at on-road price printed in the price-list.

Post lunch on Saturday, went to Whitefield to check out another City dealer. Same story there. Car at on-road price printed in the price-list. By now, I was convinced at City, overall.

Came back home, started research on Team-BHP. Asked in a couple of threads about the choices and also about City dealers in Bangalore. Realized that all the dealers in Bangalore had both good and bad reviews and there was no clear winner. On Sunday, went to a Honda dealer near MG Road to recheck. Same story as before - no offers.

More research on Team-BHP, and I was getting more and more points to go for City. The offer for my old car from City dealer was the least. Waited for one day. Got a call from the dealer on Tuesday as a follow-up. Mentioned that I would go ahead if they could up the offer price on my old car by 50%. (Don't think I am pushing it very far , from 1L to 1.5L ). Waited for another day. The guy called again and offered a 20% hike. I decided to go with it. Went on Thursday, paid advance and booked the car. Waiting period for 'Carnelian Red Pearl' and 'Urban Titanium' colors are around 2 to 3 months. So decided to go with 'Alabaster Silver' color. Moved the entire amount on Friday, and handed over documents for registration. Five working days is what it takes for processing. I should get my car next Thursday or Friday.

A little about the car name - I have seen a lot of Team-BHpians naming their cars. It helps in discussions when you have a name for the vehicle. I am a .Net developer, and the best name I can think of for my City is - C#. City Sharp

The sales guy came to my office on Friday, and collected all the documents. He was accommodating and helpful. He promised to deliver the vehicle on June 5th or 6th. After more research on Team-BHP, I asked him if it was an option to get Michelin tyres for stock, but he didn't commit on that.

I waited till Wednesday evening, and there was no call from the sales guy, so I called up. He said he was out of station, and would return on Friday morning to Bangalore. So I wasn't getting the vehicle on Thursday. He called up on Friday morning and updated me that the vehicle would be ready by Saturday afternoon. As I was extremely busy at work, I didn't push for an early delivery. Lesson: if you expect to get the vehicle on time, you have to keep following up everyday.

Got a survey call from the dealer on Friday evening. The lady who called checked if I was offered any freebies or offers. I confirmed there wasn't any. She clarified that none of the Honda dealers are allowed to offer any freebies.

Got a call from the sales guy on Saturday morning that the vehicle was ready to be picked up. Unpleasant part was that the bumper corner protector I had paid for wasn't available in body color. I had also asked for body color reverse parking sensors. That wasn't available as well. I decided to take delivery and get these fixed later. Reached the showroom by around 12:00 PM and the formalities were completed in a little over an hour. Everything went smooth on the day of delivery. Feature demos were done, necessary signatures taken, documents handed over.

[Geo]

100 km review

So, it is a silver Honda City SV MT petrol. I took possession last Saturday and was down with fever over the weekend after getting the car home. So couldn’t take the car for a highway spin. The first 100 kms have been an entirely within city, almost bumper to bumper traffic drive. My office commute is within Bangalore, 10 kms one way, moderate to heavy traffic. It has been office commute and occasional spins within the city every now and then. Not yet gone for a full highway drive.

Likes

•Low end torque – City SV MT is well equipped for bumper to bumper traffic. It moves smoothly in stop and start situations. I have this habit of down shifting in peak traffic very often, even going all the way down to the first gear in extremely slow traffic. But with City, I hardly have to go down to the first gear ever, unless I am starting from a complete stop. Second gear is equipped to take you through near bumper to bumper traffic situation and extreme slow speeds. On second gear, there is no reluctance to chug along, and the overall experience is smooth. The number of gear shifts required is less in slow moving traffic.

•Ground clearance – GC has improved considerably from the previous models. I travel through some city roads which have medium sized humps and some potholes. Have never scrapped so far. We don’t have to do the crisscross navigation over medium humps. City can take an average hump head on. I haven’t tried high speed maneuvering over the humps yet, but the experience so far has been good.

•Suspension – An improved suspension adds to the GC. The experience is good over potholed roads. Not extremely shockproof or anything, but comparatively good over uneven roads. Yes, you feel the vibrations inside to some extent, but not with the fill effect. The suspension system does a decent job of taking care of small aberrations on the road. Yes, you will know the big ones inside. But it sure inspires confidence to take the humps heads on.

•Driver’s seat position – I am 5’ 11”. The service advisor told me people usually prefer a low seat position for a sedate driving experience. I put the seat all the way up, and I really like this position now. Head room is good enough that I still have room over my head even after putting the seat to its top most position. The view is much better from here, and this kind of gives me more control in a bumper-to-bumper traffic situation. The extreme low position is suited for a sedate highway driving, IMO. The adjustment range is pretty good that it changes your perspective completely.

Features I miss

•Electronically foldable ORVM is missed in this variant.
•Reverse parking sensors and camera, and the integrated view on a center console or IRVM.
•Cooled glove box.
•Beeps from remote centralized lock. When we lock, the indicators blink three times and when we unlock, the indicators blink once. A coded beep would have been helpful. We don’t have to always look and make sure that the car is locked.

Dislikes

•The ORVMs do not fold in completely. Kind of looks protruded. A passing vehicle might easily chip off a portion of them 

•The interior finish is great to look at, but very difficult to maintain. Slightly soiled hands will easily leave marks behind on the light fabric.


•For the mid variant, remote is part of the master key alone. The second key is a plain key, without the remote control. So if I misplace my master key, I will have to shell out money to get a replacement for the remote control.

•Gear shift isn’t as smooth as I expected. Faces occasional problems while doing a down shift to second gear.

Exteriors

According to me, the highlights of the City are the head lamps, rear lamps, the shark fin antenna and the H design. The car has a distinguished presence on the road because of these. None of the other cars from the same segment have these refined looks, IMO.

Interiors

The piano black console is the highlight of the interiors. I am totally in love with this contraption. No dials, no areas for dust accumulation. Smooth finish and feather touch buttons. Elegance and classiness personified. This gives a modern look to the interiors.


The upholstery is of superior quality. Driver side seat back is really comfortable. We can sink in and it kind of wraps around us. Driver side thigh support could have had a little more cushioning. The back seat is the place to be in a City, well cushioned, roomy, but alas I will rarely use it


The gear knob looks out of place, in my opinion. It should have had a sleeker and stylish look to complement the piano black console. The current one is so painfully plain ‘Jack’.


There is this knob to adjust headlight direction. Would be useful on highways.


Interior space

This is City’s plus point. Full sized adults can occupy all four seats and every one will have plenty of leg room. Even if the front seats are pushed all the way back, the rear seat still has at least a hand’s distance of leg room left. Even tall adults won’t find their legs hitting the front seat, even if the front seat is pushed all the way back. The fifth seat is a compromise and it may be a problem if 5 adults go for a long drive. Because of the center armrest and the comparatively straighter and narrower area of the center seat, the one who is designated to sit there isn't going to enjoy a long drive. But this seat is much better than the corresponding seat of Verna.

Air conditioner

Works very well for Bangalore situations. Auto A/C is convenient. When we start the car, the blowers work extra hard and get the interiors to the desired temperature. Fan becomes audible if it has to cool. Once the temperatures are lowered, blowers become silent. A/C is cooling really well for the current climate. Haven’t done an extensive negative testing.

Engine performance & drivability in the city

1.5L (SOHC) 4 Cylinder, 16 valve i-VTEC. This City hasn’t let down the Honda image about the engine quality. Super refined engine which works silently under the hood. Everything is silky smooth so far. A revving engine can be heard inside the cabin, but a sedate engine is usually silent, difficult to notice above the A/C sound. Pickup is smooth within the city, no sudden jerks, coughs are miss firing. The car has a heavy planted feel and the engine does a real good job of taking it along smoothly. It really is confidence inspiring the way it has responded so far.

Gearshift / transmission quality

Gearshift isn’t as smooth as I expected it to be. It has a mechanical feel as of now. 90% of the time, the gear shift is fine. But it doesn’t have a premium feel to it. I had expected it to be a little more refined in the shifts. I occasionally get a problem when I try to downshift to the second gear. It is kind of stiff for that move sometimes. This doesn’t happen all the time. Also, finding the reverse position was missed at least once in the last 6 days.

Fuel efficiency

This is touted as one of the plus points for the City. From my experience so far, things look good. Right from the start, I am getting FE in the vicinity of 9 kmpl in bumper to bumper traffic situation. This is based on the MDI readings and not based on tank empty method. I am getting an average of 9 kmpl when I hardly get a chance to put the car in the fourth gear. So I am sure this situation will improve as the engine matures, and definitely on the highways. It is very interesting to note the MDI display climb, some times all the way up to 30 kmpl when I get to drive on a level stretch without gear shifts.

Handling and Steering

The car is really responsive and it is easy to steer. The turning radius is nothing great to talk about. But the overall drivability is good. Can easily maneuver the car. Steering feels sturdy and the grip is good. Gives a solid feel to the drive.


ICE

I am not an audiophile. I find the stock speakers to be of tolerable quality and they are enough for my in-car audio needs. Plugging in usb and getting my songs to play was a breeze. No complications at all. Pairing with phone and playing songs from phone was easy too. The controls on the console are pretty straight forward and intuitive and you can start using them without referring to a user manual and stuff like that. The select and volume knobs on the console have a premium feel for them and they operate well. The ICE console is very friendly, classy and non-intimidating.

Bluetooth and hands free

Bluetooth integration works well. It is easy to pair devices. Phone gets connected easily each time I get in. When I make a call, the recipient can figure out easily that I am calling from a ‘different’ device. I have got comments that I sound as if I am speaking from a cave. The recipients usually take some time to get used to the call. So the hands free phone operation is not the best, I would say. After some initial getting used to, the other person would be able to have a decent conversation. So Bluetooth calls from City isn’t impossible, but not a good experience either. As far as the experience at my end goes, it is pretty clear with the car speakers chipping in. So I find the talk a regular affair, but the recipient is at some discomfort.

Spotted this RFID on the left top corner of the front windshield. Not sure if Honda is using this for tracking


Overall

The City has a solid heavy feel on the road. The engine is silky smooth and carries the car around without missing a beat. The interiors are classy, stylish and comfortable. Handling is smooth, the gear shift is satisfactory but isn’t up to the expected high standard. The second gear is equipped for city driving. Driving this machine through the city is a pleasure.

Engine bay view of SV MT Petrol


Closer look. Snug fit.


Up close and personal


Angles


Goodyear 175/65R15 GT3 tyres came as stock. What is the general feedback of these, compared to the MRF one and also Michelin?


The first trip, trip home was rather uneventful. I was extra cautious on not trying any monkey tricks. The odometer reading was 8 km when I got the vehicle. MDI was showing fuel efficiency reading of around 10 kmpl when I started off and was on a good stretch of road. It steadily came down as I entered busy traffic areas. First trip of 11.1 km resulted in FE figures of 8.6 kmpl.

[Geo]

The distinguishing rearview


Closer... even a day in Bangalore traffic without scratches is an achievement


Best profile shot so far







Dash at night




Meter cluster at night

[Geo]

Vin check - significant alphabets are EE and they stand for May 2014. I got the car on 7th June. As close as I could expect.

[Geo]

Have been planning to get some weather protection from 3M. Decided to go with their JP Nagar showroom after seeing Srivasta’s excellent ownership review - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...r-arrives.html

Called them and reached there by 4.30 PM yesterday. The service personal there were really courteous and helpful. We went through the treatments required. Went there with underbody protection ‘3M Anti Corrosion’ in mind. I park my car under the sun for some time during the day. So decided to get a ‘3M Paint Sealant Essential’ treatment also done, even though this forum advices not to go for it . Opted for Scotchgard Paint Protection Film on the door handles, door edges, scuff plate area and ORVM.

Anti corrosion coating steps were exactly as mentioned in Srivatsa's thread. Car raised, attached plastic curtains, covered removable parts (exhaust and plastic), used up 2 cans of the spray covering the entire area underneath, including wheel wells. The texture of the material was giving a good look to the finished areas.

Car getting cleaned



A 'before' view of the wheel well




Curtains on



Spraying



These spill overs were cleaned later


Wheel wells getting coated


Finished look
Attachment 1248733

Texture

Attachment 1248735
Attachment 1248736
Attachment 1248737




I noticed that the finish of joints is comparatively better on my car. I don't notice much panel gaps, or at least the gaps aren't glaring.



Masking done for paint sealant work



Multi layered treatment


Tar and dust particle removal




Buffing

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Sommos]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you for your new Honda City.
Wish it serves you well for years and drive safe.

[Ram_NP]

Congratulation on your new City. I am sure you enjoy super smooth Ivtec.

Looking forward to your detailed ownership experience after you drive the car for a month or so.

[PatienceWins]

Congrats. I am very impressed with the interior space, and seat height adjustment of the new city. I like the design, except for the front grill. Good that you went for silver, the grill does not look very flashy. I still prefer the front of the old city, the rear looks good - pretty similar to BMW design.

Good review. Hope you will keep it updated.

[ad3952n]

Hi there, Honestly speaking, the dashboard and interiors look more refined than the 3rd and 4th Generation Honda City. I do own a 3rd Generation City Ivtec still I feel the latest City has far better interiors. Coming to the External design, even with it's flimsy built quality I feel over here the 3rd Generation City scores better than the present City.

Honestly, the design of the present City is not to my liking. However, this is totally my way of looking at the car so do not consider it as the final judgement.

Wishing you a happy and safe drive with the car ahead. Do take good care.

Thanks.

[anilagdr]

congratulations on your new acquisition. May you have a long great journey on your c#.
Your review made very good reading, in particular I was happy to learn that the panel gaps in the new cars are not that prominent as earlier. I assume HCIL has started to run their quality control department more professionally these days.

[Geo]

Originally Posted by Sommos

Let me be the first one to congratulate you for your new Honda City.
Wish it serves you well for years and drive safe.

Thanks Sommos. Me too looking forward to a long stint.

Originally Posted by Ram_NP

Congratulation on your new City. I am sure you enjoy super smooth Ivtec.

Looking forward to your detailed ownership experience after you drive the car for a month or so.

Thanks Ram. Ivtec has been a smooth experience so far. I will update this thread frequently.

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Congrats. I am very impressed with the interior space, and seat height adjustment of the new city. I like the design, except for the front grill. Good that you went for silver, the grill does not look very flashy. I still prefer the front of the old city, the rear looks good - pretty similar to BMW design.

Good review. Hope you will keep it updated.

Thanks PatienceWins. I am a bit of a showoff myself, so I don't mind the garish look of the grill . As you said, it doesn't stand out that much on silver. Seat height adjustment really changes your view, that was what I was impressed with. I didn't expect it to bring in so much of a difference. I will keep the thread updated as much as I can.

Originally Posted by ad3952n

Hi there, Honestly speaking, the dashboard and interiors look more refined than the 3rd and 4th Generation Honda City. I do own a 3rd Generation City Ivtec still I feel the latest City has far better interiors. Coming to the External design, even with it's flimsy built quality I feel over here the 3rd Generation City scores better than the present City.

Honestly, the design of the present City is not to my liking. However, this is totally my way of looking at the car so do not consider it as the final judgement.

Wishing you a happy and safe drive with the car ahead. Do take good care.

Thanks.

Thanks ad3952n. The interior looks better in my opinion too. The back seat cushioning, the surrounding cushioning work, the dashboard all have given a better look. The dashboard without knobs, dials and switches is a step forward in my opinion. I am sure other makers of the segment will follow soon. I have seen some of my friends preferring the old city looks. Especially the front portion look.

Originally Posted by anilagdr

congratulations on your new acquisition. May you have a long great journey on your c#.
Your review made very good reading, in particular I was happy to learn that the panel gaps in the new cars are not that prominent as earlier. I assume HCIL has started to run their quality control department more professionally these days.

Thanks anilagdr. I have seen some Team-BHPians complain about panel gaps recently also. I think it all depends on your batch of cars. I too am hoping that HCIL is watching over incident reports like this and taking appropriate action. I think we should continue to bring issues to their notice, and urge them to do a better job overall.

[turbodude]

Congratulations Geo on your new car. Thumbs up for the decision of 3M. Our car also has it and really it shines like new everyday.

Interiors look very refreshed and the dashboard with blue glow looks stunning. Also the chrome strips (front and rear) look good.

Wish you a happy and safe drive.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Geo

Have been planning to get some weather protection from 3M. The service personal there were really courteous and helpful. We went through the treatments required. Went there with underbody protection ‘3M Anti Corrosion’ in mind. I park my car under the sun for some time during the day. So decided to get a ‘3M Paint Sealant Essential’ treatment also done, even though this forum advices not to go for it . Opted for Scotchgard Paint Protection Film on the door handles, door edges, scuff plate area and ORVM.

Anti corrosion coating steps were exactly as mentioned in Srivatsa's thread. Car raised, attached plastic curtains, covered removable parts (exhaust and plastic), used up 2 cans of the spray covering the entire area underneath, including wheel wells. The texture of the material was giving a good look to the finished areas.

First of all congratulations on your purchase.. Happy motoring.

May i ask you how much do they charge for the under body protection?
By the way, does the under body protection can have any play in warranty problem? i mean is there any chance this coating can hamper performance of some component?

[MaxTorque]

Congratulations Geo. An upgrade from small H to big H. Wish you a happy ownership experience.

By the way did you inquire about other options available in Bangalore for paint sealing? In my opinion there are many good options available in Bangalore for paint sealing other than 3M.