[dreamliner17]

A very detailed and comprehensive review malgudi !

You have covered all the positives and negatives very nicely ! The fuel efficiency figures might put several small diesel hatchbacks to shame ! Although i still find it hard to digest the fact that you were able to achieve these figures

The only thing that the heart still yearns for , are a couple of more pictures of your City!

[malgudi]

Thanks Tejas. The car covers & steering Wheel Cover are done by Car Cupid in Pune. They have a store in Pimple Saudagar & Pashan.

Thanks AshBabu. Congratulations for your new city. Hopefully you would get it soon. The idea is to keep updating this thread for everyone to benefit including me

Thanks Zinda. Being a regular highway person Airbags & ABS gives that much additional security for me & family. Accessories can be added as and when you like but not these safety gadgets. Hopefully Government makes it compulsory in all models sooner.

Thanks Ashton. I normally change my tyres around 35-40K mark. Will definitely upgrade to 195. It is one thing I regret not doing straight after taking the delivery.

Thanks Pistons. Have not faced any ground clearance issues so far. City has managed to clear all the speedbreakers so far even with full load.

Thanks Seran. I like to keep all my documents neatly filed so it helps at later stage when I sell my cars . Have started tracking fuel only after 12K Kms using a free app called Fuel Monitor. Regarding the Fog Lamps, please ask your Honda service center to install them for you. They would install it for a charge (a friend of mine got it done in previous gen honda city for about 1200 Rs labour.)

Thanks Crazydriver. Actually the real negatives are the interior flimsy build quality and the tinny exterior. Hence the high ratings. Rest negatives are more of an irritant from owner perspective.

[AMDB9]

Congrats on car Malgudi. The seat cover looks fantastic and so does the detailed review.
The Fuel Economy you have achieved is simply great. Please do keep this thread updated. Some exterior shots of the car will finish the review on a perfect note...!

[delix]

Hey Malgudi, a very well written review, particularly impressed with the level of details. I am sure any carlover would dream to keep the records to this detail. On a separate note, are you using synthetic engine oil? Currently I am using one from Mobil and have found noticible changes in terms of mileage, smoothness and engine noise.

[tejas08]

Malgudi,

Great Ownership Thread. Looking at your thread I am inspired to put up my own ownership thread soon. I will be completing my first year with my Honda City towards middle of April. The only difference is the Petrol Engine.

I have driven about 11K Kms till now on my City. I do agree on some of the negatives listed by you but some of them were actually taken care by the Petrol engine, the V Variant of the City and switching to 195 Section Tyres.

Engine & transmission: (4/5)

Won't list down the negatives you said as there is no meaning in comparing an Apple and an Orange.

Fuel Mileage (Kitna Deti Hai): (5/5)
Although a Petrol Engine, I agree with you. With the current set of C1 & C2 Sedans, it just can't get much better than this in Petrol or Diesel. I have not reset the Trip B meter too. It indicates an FE of 12.9 Km/L. Manual Calculations Indicate somewhere around 12.5 Km/L which as per my expectations is fairly good.


Drive, Handling, Tyres: (4.5/5)

What you won’t:
- Light steering wheel at high speed (can be unnerving. Maybe I am feeling it because of the Swift)
Agreed. But you get used to it after a point of time.

- Unrefined drive quality at low speed.
Can't say since I drive the petrol counterpart and it does not have any such issue.

- Noticeable Body roll at speed.
Have noticed this sometimes when trying to turn at high speeds on corners.

- Missing Reach adjustable steering wheel
Why is it so hard for Manufacturer's to achieve this, when some other vehicles are already giving this since over 3-4 years now.

- Easily affected by crosswinds on highway.
I did a good amount of highway driving (About 4K+ KMs) in these 10+ months. I can only remember one occasion where I felt this. Other than that The car has been fairly stable travelling at speeds of 110-120 and even sometimes above.

- Inadequate 175 section wheels on highway (Have bent 2 wheels so far. Have not had this issue on the swift which runs on 185 section tyres). 195 is a necessity.
Can't comment as I have alloy wheels on m V Variant. Also, got the Tyres changes to 195/60 Profile on the first day itself.

- Disc brakes on Rear would have been confidence inspiring on highways.
Found the brakes to be adequate enough with ABS. Don't know how much of a difference can rear disc brakes make as I haven't driven a car with such configuration.

- Wheel Caps are slip-on variety rather than the ones which can be secured by the wheel nuts. (Someone has flicked all the wheel caps on my City. Honda has missed a trick here as all other models have wheel caps which are secured by wheel nuts)
Again can't comment since, I opted for a V Variant.

Exteriors: (4/5)

What You Won’t:
- Thin Panels easily get dings (Park in a mall & if the person in car next to you is not careful while opening the door it will easily put a ding on your car at the contact point)
Have to agree with that

- Paint Quality (Easily chips off even if a minute pebble hits the car)
Have had my car hit with many pebbles but never had any paint chip off but I do have a Paint Chip-off on front bumper which I have no idea how it happened. Happened inside the first 10 days after taking the delivery.

- Quality of Wipers (Factory fitted ones do not last even 6 months and become brittle)
I am still using the stock wipers. Possibly your usage after 25K Kms in a year has been fairly high. Mine was not that high. Any which way, I made it a point that the wipers will be changed before every monsoons

- High Boot makes reversing a challenge without Camera/Sensors.
Agree. The problem in my case if resolved by a Camera in the V Variant. And I haven't had to worry about reversing ever.

- No Rear Fog Lamps in any model (Though this was a regulatory requirement as my swift came with one 4 years back)
Living in Mumbai, I am not sure how much of a use that would be. But yes, people living up north definitely would need that.

- Chrome Center Grill (Individual preference. It is quite in your face type)
Like it or Hate it. It's a little over done. Thinking about getting an Aftermarket bolt-on sometime in the near future.

Interiors: (4/5)

What you won’t:
- The Dashboard is curved and for those who like to place an Idol on the dashboard will find it tough to locate a stable spot
I had to replace two idols to get a perfect Ganesha Idol to remain stable on the Dashboard. The trick here is to have an idol with a Larger base and have double sided tape on the whole of the base.

- Cheap Dashboard Plastics - Irritating Noise from center of dashboard. (Come on Honda I have paid 12 L for a car. Service center has not been able to resolve after 2 attempts)
No such noise as of yet. Fingers crossed

- The hands free Button on Steering is a joke (can only be used for picking & cutting calls or as an “ON” button for the music system. If you want to go to your dialed list or call anyone, first you need to use the music system to go to that entry)
Yes. It's a Pain. The Volume / Playlist control Buttons could have been utilised for this purpose possibly by Honda.

- Beige Carpet is a pain to maintain (So is the beige fabric. But have got Black Seat covers since day 1 so not that much of an issue for me)
I guess everybody owning the new City would agree with this. For Seat covers I still went for the Beige Covers. It gives a bit more brighter feeling to the car which I personally like.

- Hands free Mic. On SV model is near the music system and one needs to turn off the AC fan so that the person on other side is able to listen clearly. (V & VX models are better as they have the mic in the overhead console light above)
No problems here since it's a V Variant, but definitely Honda should have done better in designing and then answering to their customers who came up with this complaint. Some really horrible work-arounds given by Honda Customer Care.

- Armrest needs to extend a bit further. In current position it is only a storage box
Good for Taller people who drive with seat all the way back. For others definitely an issue.

- Auto AC is over sensitive (On a sunny day, travel in shade for 1 min and blower speed immediately drops. This gets a bit irritating at times.)
Haven't seen such sensitivity in my car

- Half beading on doors. On Highways at speeds above 80 you can listen to wind noise from the door mirrors.
Need to see this as I always have my music on while driving

- Missing Actual Dead Pedal (Honda has only put a rubber on the floor. Not sure what is the design thought of Honda here)
Why Honda Why? That's my reaction.

- Missing actual Temp Meter (My swift has one. City has only a light which is blue when engine is cold and maybe red when it becomes hot but is easy to miss)
Can't comment as I have not used a car with a temp meter

Service Center Experience: (4/5)

What you won’t:
- Have not been able to resolve the dashboard noise in 2 attempts
Haven't come across this yet.

- Pickup/ Drop if required needs a 1 week ahead planning (I don’t use so it is fine for me)
Just like you, I don't use the Pick-up and Drop service. I like to be there at the showroom the whole time during servicing. 4-5 Hours in 6 Months for your darling car shouldn't be much of a problem.

- My Details have been leaked to all Insurance Companies (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...companies.html (Policy up for renewal - Fed up of marketing calls from insurance companies))
Horrible. I think I should be mentally prepared for this as my Insurance Renewal will be up in like a couple of month from now.

[Rocketscience]

I'll take this opportunity to rate my car as well , it's been about 10 months and the car has clocked about 5000 Kms.

Engine : 3.5/5
This car is tailor made for city and that excellent low end torque really helps here.The engine has enough grunt to make fast progress on semi empty roads one may occasionally come across , altough the power is delivered in a very subtle and linear manner but mild surges of torque can be felt and immediately driving a car with naturally aspirated engine after this definitely feels flat. (The power delivery).
Load the car with 3 or more passengers and some luggage and the loss in power can be immediately felt which is further amplified when the A/C is on . Take this car on the highway and the experience is mediocre at best , although it can reach those insane 3 digit speeds but the way it gets there is pretty boring.

Mileage - 5/5

We have never owned a car with better fuel economy in our family and my dad has owned some 14 odd cars in the past 32 years.
With my kind of driving (revving from time to time and i'm certainly not a sedate driver) , we've got an average of 15.5 till date with A/C on 80% of the times and with bigger tyres. (205 50 R16)

Ride and Handling - 3.5/5

Ride with 16 inch wheels is amongst the worst i've ever experienced , it gets really uncomfortable on bad roads and the road conditions whatever they are , are always felt in the cabin. The car gets unsettled in semi broken patches and you have to bring the speed down at such times.
Handling with my tyres is pretty good and the stiff suspension helps here , body roll is in the acceptable range and the car can take corners at pretty high speeds , the steering however feels disconnected but is great for city driving.

Exteriors - 4/5
It's a personal choice but i've always been a fan of this large chrome grill , the design is sporty (it has started feeling even more so after the introduction of the somewhat bland Ciaz) and the car looks great from all angles and with the 16 inch alloys this car certainly looks hot.

Interiors 3.5/5
The asymmetrical dashboard took some time getting used to and looks pretty good with that piano black finish , the materials used are pretty ordinary and the overall quality feels from a segment down , manufacturers should learn a lesson or two from Hyundai in this department.
On the plus side the cabin is very spacious and practical.

Service Experience - 4.5/5
My previous car was a Hyundai and i have no reason to call Honda's service experience any worse than them , the car is delivered on time , the service center has resolved the dashboard noise issue , they are understanding and i got my 3rd free service done just 10 days back and never have they raised any objections on the upgraded tyres.
The car is properly washed with some kind of wax applied and paint touchup is also done for those mild scratches in every service.
The service charges are very reasonable and i got charged just 2.6k for third service and the paid service charges are not expected to be any higher than 5-6k!

[fastraj]

Hey Malgudi, your seat covers look awesome. I was looking for something like that, I have a silver city too. How much time did they take to install the cover. Also plz pm me the contact details of the installer.

[Mr.O]

Loved the way you described everything in detail using very few words and a lot of diagrams, which made a lot of sense. I'm guessing you are someone who likes perfection. I can see that perfection in those neat graphs, clean car and most importatly that awesome mileage.

[malgudi]

Sorry guys for the late response as have been travelling.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I'm at a total loss with respect to your points system and 'likes and dislikes' section though. The points system suggests very high ratings, while the description provides more glaring negatives than positives.

Crazydriver, I had read another post (though not able to find it now ) & know how you feel about the ratings. To clarify I cannot do anything about exterior & interior quality but handling can be improved with the 195 sections while engine is good for city and highway cruising (though we all want more ). Remaining are minor irritants which do not prevent me from enjoying the car & hence the high ratings. Still listed whatever I could think of so that whoever reads the thread can be aware of what to expect and accordingly my thought on the ratings

Originally Posted by dreamliner17

The fuel efficiency figures might put several small diesel hatchbacks to shame !
The only thing that the heart still yearns for , are a couple of more pictures of your City!

Originally Posted by AMDB9

The Fuel Economy you have achieved is simply great. Please do keep this thread updated. Some exterior shots of the car will finish the review on a perfect note...!

Thanks Dreamliner17 & AMDB9. I have put the fuel logs & these are with a heavy foot. Someone who drives with a light foot would be able to extract atleast 1-2 Kms more. City truly excels here. Haven’t put any pics of my car as it is still stock. Only changes are set cover. Will still try and put up a few Pics & also regularly update this as we go along.

Originally Posted by delix

I am sure any carlover would dream to keep the records to this detail. On a separate note, are you using synthetic engine oil? Currently I am using one from Mobil and have found noticible changes in terms of mileage, smoothness and engine noise.

Thanks Delix. It is easy to keep track of these if you have a handy fuel log app and document the purchase and service bills which as a team bhpian I am sure most of us do. This makes it a lot simpler when you sell the car.

On your query, I am still using what Honda recommends (I think they have some proprietary Honda oil). Have not tried synthetic yet. My swift also still runs on normal oil and has covered ~ 1L Kms so don’t think I would switch. How many Kms have you covered on synthetic oil and what rating of oil are you using as Honda does not disclose the oil rating. Hopefully you did the change at Honda authorised service center.

Originally Posted by tejas08

Malgudi,

Great Ownership Thread. Looking at your thread I am inspired to put up my own ownership thread soon. I will be completing my first year with my Honda City towards middle of April.

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

I'll take this opportunity to rate my car as well , it's been about 10 months and the car has clocked about 5000 Kms.

Thanks Tejas & Rocketscience for chipping in your observations. Really appreciate it. Do put in your review threads as well. Team BHP guidelines actually make you think on all parameters of your car. Note to mods: Thank you for the template & standards you have set with official reviews.
As rightly said, I need to upgrade to 195 to improve the handling. Will do it when I change at 40K interval.
Rocketscience, I think you should downgrade to 15 inches. The ride would be better.

Originally Posted by fastraj

Hey Malgudi, your seat covers look awesome. I was looking for something like that, I have a silver city too. How much time did they take to install the cover. Also plz pm me the contact details of the installer.

Thanks fastraj. It took installer about 4 hours as it is custom stitched. Here are his contact details
Car Cupid : Phone No : 9763845000/02066820574/02065292985. They have a showroom in Pashan & Pimple Saudagar & Workshop at Baner (near highway). Contact Person Sunny (Pimple saudagar) & I think his brother is Sumit who manages the Pashan Sowroom. Here is a link on another thread which has detail pictures of the custom stiching of seat covers by Car Cupid http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3571857
(Disclaimer : I am in no way related to car cupid and have only utilized his services for my car.)

Originally Posted by Mr.O

Loved the way you described everything in detail using very few words and a lot of diagrams, which made a lot of sense.

Thanks Mr. O. I am no perfectionist. Only trying to put all details for benefit for everyone who reads my ownership thread so that they can have an inside view on Honda city Ownership

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by malgudi

Rocketscience, I think you should downgrade to 15 inches. The ride would be better.

No matter how much i love the way 16 inch alloy wheels look , i have to admit they are not worth the compromise in ride quality.

Getting 15 inchers would not just improve the ride quality because of the increase in sidewall height but also because Michellin 3STs are available in that size (195 R15). They would make a world of difference , they are remarkably silent and the ride is exceptionally smooth it's literally like your're driving on velvet ! To add to my woes the Yokohamas are noisy and harsh and that spoils the ride even further.

With all that being said , Yokohama's USP is the grip and i'm enjoying every bit of it , the car can handle pretty high speeds at corners with ease and what more , they compliment my 16 inch alloy wheels really well and look sporty.
And moreover have spent a lot on alloys and the tyres have just run 5000 KMs and should be good for 30K KMs atleast (which would take a long time to cover) , so guess i'll have to live with this only.

[psn]

Great Review.
I own a 2008 Honda City ivtec, and i realize from your review that a lot of things are common between the 2 generation of the city. However, just to share a few of the changes I have made to it to make it better.
1. 175 section tire.. After 40000 km I got mine changed to Bridgestone Turanza 195 section. The fidgety handling has become a more calmer and controlled drive. On highways you may have noticed, on turns, the back side tends to slip a bit. Now, I don't experience it.
2. My car came with 4 speakers as standard, but after a few years, got OEM tweeters fitted. The sound quality wasn't bad earlier, but now it is terrific. The channel separation is far more clear and the sound overall has moved from my toes to my ears. If you can get that done. Costed me only RS.3500. Way better than going for a new HU. And I will put my neck forward and say, that after listening to all OEM HU, Honda system is definitely the best.

[vsrivatsa]

Awesome thread with colourful deep dive details on every aspect

I changed my tires to 195/60R15 on Day 01 itself based on the advice of the others on this forum - your comments about the stock tires justify what I spent on the upgrade. Its not just that they don't provide better tyres, the service centre guys and showroom guys also scare you towards not making an upgrade. Given that the car still manages to provide the same level of mileage with the upgraded tyres its time Honda updated the stock tyres.

I just crossed 17,000 kms last week and very happy in terms of the ownership with my iDTEC City. Wishing you many more safe and joyous miles on the City!