My Brand New Honda City (ANHC S-MT)

suneel · 28th January 2009, 00:04

Hey everyone, its been a week and i finally found the time to make an ownership post of the new Honda City i got last saturday, the 17th.

Well to start off i had been driving a Baleno for the last year which my grandpa had given me. Its 4 years old now and my dad decided to give it away and buy me a new car. I decided on the City after seeing it because i really liked the new design, performance and interiors. It was just the kind of car i was looking for as it had the perfect balance of class and sportiness. All the colors look good, but my favorites were white and black and since my mom already has a black civic i decided to get the white one.

So we booked it at the end of december and got it on the 17th Jan. We went to the showroom and took it that evening, did pooja at a temple near my place and took it home. Ive been driving it around town a lot the last week. The odo is at 600km already and i havent gone out of the city yet (though i did go to the airport once). My friends were totally blown away! Everyone loves the car and we just cant stop driving around.

Heres my review of the car from what Ive experienced so far:

To start off I have to say, the car looks much hotter in real life than in pictures. I didnt really get convinced to buy it until I'd seen it in the showroom. I know there is some infuence from the euro civic and the BMW 3-series but Honda didnt directly copy anyone, they only worked along the same lines to make a unique design and it looks great. I think it looks like a beast from the front. The whole stance of the car is aggresive and mean. Everything from the grill to the side mirrors were very well designed. The only things that bothered me were the narrow wheels and the lack of a nice exhaust pipe/tipper. So in the looks department I give Honda a 9/10

Now for the performance. I've been driving a baleno for a year but I also drive my dad's Corolla and my mom's Civic from time to time so with that in mind I can say that the city is a real pleasure to drive. The acceleration isnt on par with the corolla or the civic (and it isnt supposed to be) but the car is definitely fast when driven fast. The thing i like about the city (and the civic) is the way the engine picks up. At low RPMs till around 3500, it gradually glides along the road and once it hits 3500RPM it starts pulling like nobodys business. Its almost like having a turbocharger, the way it accelerates past 3500RPM. This is great for driving in traffic. The corolla starts pulling hard from the moment you accelerate and thats great for a rush but its gets somewhat annoying when youre just cruising. I know its possible to drive such cars slow n smooth but its much easier and takes less effort to drive the city and civic smoothly because of the way they accelerate. Anyway the car is pretty fast when you drive it to the redline. It feels very stable at high speeds but I didnt get too much confidence while high speed cornering. There is some body roll but not too much. The car stepped out twice while doing some high speed cornering but i blame it on the bad wheels and brand new tyres. A wheel and tyre upgrade is essential to really enjoy the drive. The brakes are excellent and do extremely well at high speeds.
My top speed touched so far was 150kmph on the new airport road but my mom was having a heart attack next to me so i didnt push it further.
I give the performance an 8/10 with the stock setup but it has the potential to be a 10/10 if modified properly. (Alloys and tires alone should get it a 9)

Now for the interiors. I would say the best interiors of a car ive driven were the civics. Everything about the car is perfect, from the seating postion to the looks. The city is the only car in this segment that i see anywhere near the civics interior look. Thats one of the things that drew me into buying this car. The dash looks amazing with the 3 step design, similar to the BMW's. The grey-beige color tone looks very good just as it did on the civic. The speedo cluster and stereo light up in orange (once again like the beamers) and i think it looks very sporty, both the light and the design. The steering wheel is almost the same as the civic's and feels exremely good when driving. It looks hot too. The gearknob is not that great. Its actually a little too small for my taste so I would be changing that soon to something better. The seats are very comfortable. The cabin is hige and its very spacious in both the front and the back.The drivers seating position feels very sporty. The seat can be adjusted in all directions and i found myself the perfect low seating position. I wish they provided leather interiors for the price though. The music system is amazing. All my songs are on my ipod so this was exactly what id wanted in a car. The best part is that all the speakers are on the doors so theres plenty of room on the rear headboard behind the seats for subwoofers/more speakers. The cubby holes in the car are numerous and useful. The only thing missing is a Climate control A/C which im very disappointed about. Its essential in a car of this segment and of this price and the lack of it is the only thing I truly dislike about the car.
For interiors i give it a 7/10 (Leather and Automatic climate control wouldve gotten it a 9)

So those are my impressions on the ANHC so far. As of now I'm waiting for the permanent registration and then I'll be putting tints, alloy wheels and a few other small things. I really want leather interiors but looks like I have to wait for a few months for that.

Here's a few pics of my new ride

Heres some pics I took with my old baleno the day I gave it away

Vikster · 28th January 2009, 04:10

Congratulations, and welcome!

zoom_vroom · 28th January 2009, 08:45

Congrats Dude !!!

Take her lightly in the initial run in period.
Enjoy the drive and drive safe.

mukeshgoel · 28th January 2009, 09:12

Congrats buddy !

That's an excellent car that too in white my personal favorite.

Enjoy your ride.

BenjiRoss · 28th January 2009, 09:33

Love the City versus Baleno face-off pics!
Nice car and I hope you enjoy it. Be careful during the run in period.
Hoping to get some fuel efficiency details and highway drives sometime in the future.
Take care, buckle up and drive safe!

aaggoswami · 28th January 2009, 09:41

Congratulations!
You have compared City's performance with Corolla and Civic, but I would love to see a comparison from your side between this City and Baleno.
The Baleno VS City picture is timeless.

Do give us update on FE.

happy.tripathy · 28th January 2009, 09:52

great dude, nice review and the car looks really cool, though i liked the red one.

muralisk · 28th January 2009, 10:07

Congratulations and Welcome to the Honda fraternity.
Take it easy during the initial 1000+ kms. I see lot of passion in you for the new ride and I hope that you drive safe. Have fun and post fuel efficiency details, when you have them.

SkyWalker · 28th January 2009, 10:13

congrats Suneel. Good choice. City is a perfect option for people who want a peppy drive.

Fountainheader · 28th January 2009, 11:10

Congrats Suneel. The City looks great in White.

Civic, Corolla and City.. quite a happy family there

srishiva · 28th January 2009, 11:21

congrats suneel. So many Citys already. I have never seen the wheels upgraded in a city until now though.

suneel · 28th January 2009, 14:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Congratulations!
You have compared City's performance with Corolla and Civic, but I would love to see a comparison from your side between this City and Baleno.
The Baleno VS City picture is timeless.

Do give us update on FE.

Oh yeah I forgot about that comparison. Well the baleno is a great car. I actually find the seating position and handling more to my liking than the corolla's. The baleno is lower and has less body roll than the corolla and loses out only on sheer speed and refinement. The city's seating position in comparison is not as low as the baleno's but not as high as the corolla either. For the height of the car i found it an ideal seating position and the steering wheel and overall feel of the interiors is much sportier and classier than the baleno's. Also I liked the engine note of the baleno which was somewhat high pitched and powerful. The city's engine sounds quiet at low rpms but when revved it has a deep powerful grunt, very different from the baleno. It sounds refined yet more aggressive because of the tone and I really love the way it sounds. Now comparing the drive of the baleno vs the new city I would say stock to stock they have the same handling in turns. In fact I feel a little more confident in the baleno. The city definitely has the potential to have better handling but its the tires that spoiled it. With wheels and tires I'm confident that it would have far better cornering capability than the baleno. The overall drive is much more pleasurable in the city. My drive to college and back is much less stressful and hectic. The city is much smoother and more graceful than the baleno. You cant even feel the engine vibrations in the cabin. My friend actually tried starting the car when it was running once because he didnt realise it was already on. The suspension is great. Its not too soft and feels solid like the civic's.

As for the FE, Ive driven 640km so far and I'm gettin 11.3 km/l in city, according the the odo which I reset on delivery. Most of the driving has been to college and back in traffic with the A/C on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by srishiva

congrats suneel. So many Citys already. I have never seen the wheels upgraded in a city until now though.

I've seen two citys on the streets with wheels, both had 15 inches and looked good. I'll be getting wheels after the registration but I havent found the perfect rims yet, still searching...

suneel · 30th January 2009, 08:01

And heres some more pics

The interiors

Vikster · 30th January 2009, 10:06

this white colour really shows up on the ANHC. Did you get the side garnishes and are you thinking of the door shades along with alloys?

Jaggu · 30th January 2009, 10:20

Congratz! Good looking car esp in white.

The stock tire somehow looks small sized for the cars stance

28th January 2009, 00:04	#1
suneel BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hampi Posts: 146 Thanked: 421 Times	My Brand New Honda City (ANHC S-MT) Hey everyone, its been a week and i finally found the time to make an ownership post of the new Honda City i got last saturday, the 17th. Well to start off i had been driving a Baleno for the last year which my grandpa had given me. Its 4 years old now and my dad decided to give it away and buy me a new car. I decided on the City after seeing it because i really liked the new design, performance and interiors. It was just the kind of car i was looking for as it had the perfect balance of class and sportiness. All the colors look good, but my favorites were white and black and since my mom already has a black civic i decided to get the white one. So we booked it at the end of december and got it on the 17th Jan. We went to the showroom and took it that evening, did pooja at a temple near my place and took it home. Ive been driving it around town a lot the last week. The odo is at 600km already and i havent gone out of the city yet (though i did go to the airport once). My friends were totally blown away! Everyone loves the car and we just cant stop driving around. Heres my review of the car from what Ive experienced so far: To start off I have to say, the car looks much hotter in real life than in pictures. I didnt really get convinced to buy it until I'd seen it in the showroom. I know there is some infuence from the euro civic and the BMW 3-series but Honda didnt directly copy anyone, they only worked along the same lines to make a unique design and it looks great. I think it looks like a beast from the front. The whole stance of the car is aggresive and mean. Everything from the grill to the side mirrors were very well designed. The only things that bothered me were the narrow wheels and the lack of a nice exhaust pipe/tipper. So in the looks department I give Honda a 9/10 Now for the performance. I've been driving a baleno for a year but I also drive my dad's Corolla and my mom's Civic from time to time so with that in mind I can say that the city is a real pleasure to drive. The acceleration isnt on par with the corolla or the civic (and it isnt supposed to be) but the car is definitely fast when driven fast. The thing i like about the city (and the civic) is the way the engine picks up. At low RPMs till around 3500, it gradually glides along the road and once it hits 3500RPM it starts pulling like nobodys business. Its almost like having a turbocharger, the way it accelerates past 3500RPM. This is great for driving in traffic. The corolla starts pulling hard from the moment you accelerate and thats great for a rush but its gets somewhat annoying when youre just cruising. I know its possible to drive such cars slow n smooth but its much easier and takes less effort to drive the city and civic smoothly because of the way they accelerate. Anyway the car is pretty fast when you drive it to the redline. It feels very stable at high speeds but I didnt get too much confidence while high speed cornering. There is some body roll but not too much. The car stepped out twice while doing some high speed cornering but i blame it on the bad wheels and brand new tyres. A wheel and tyre upgrade is essential to really enjoy the drive. The brakes are excellent and do extremely well at high speeds. My top speed touched so far was 150kmph on the new airport road but my mom was having a heart attack next to me so i didnt push it further. I give the performance an 8/10 with the stock setup but it has the potential to be a 10/10 if modified properly. (Alloys and tires alone should get it a 9) Now for the interiors. I would say the best interiors of a car ive driven were the civics. Everything about the car is perfect, from the seating postion to the looks. The city is the only car in this segment that i see anywhere near the civics interior look. Thats one of the things that drew me into buying this car. The dash looks amazing with the 3 step design, similar to the BMW's. The grey-beige color tone looks very good just as it did on the civic. The speedo cluster and stereo light up in orange (once again like the beamers) and i think it looks very sporty, both the light and the design. The steering wheel is almost the same as the civic's and feels exremely good when driving. It looks hot too. The gearknob is not that great. Its actually a little too small for my taste so I would be changing that soon to something better. The seats are very comfortable. The cabin is hige and its very spacious in both the front and the back.The drivers seating position feels very sporty. The seat can be adjusted in all directions and i found myself the perfect low seating position. I wish they provided leather interiors for the price though. The music system is amazing. All my songs are on my ipod so this was exactly what id wanted in a car. The best part is that all the speakers are on the doors so theres plenty of room on the rear headboard behind the seats for subwoofers/more speakers. The cubby holes in the car are numerous and useful. The only thing missing is a Climate control A/C which im very disappointed about. Its essential in a car of this segment and of this price and the lack of it is the only thing I truly dislike about the car. For interiors i give it a 7/10 (Leather and Automatic climate control wouldve gotten it a 9) So those are my impressions on the ANHC so far. As of now I'm waiting for the permanent registration and then I'll be putting tints, alloy wheels and a few other small things. I really want leather interiors but looks like I have to wait for a few months for that. Here's a few pics of my new ride Heres some pics I took with my old baleno the day I gave it away
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 04:10	#2
Vikster BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 45 Thanked: Once	Congratulations, and welcome!
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 08:45	#3
zoom_vroom BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Faridabad Posts: 262 Thanked: 52 Times	Congrats Dude !!! Take her lightly in the initial run in period. Enjoy the drive and drive safe.
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 09:12	#4
mukeshgoel Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 1,234 Thanked: 2,142 Times View My Garage	Congrats buddy ! That's an excellent car that too in white my personal favorite. Enjoy your ride.
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 09:33	#5
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 1,330 Times	Love the City versus Baleno face-off pics! Nice car and I hope you enjoy it. Be careful during the run in period. Hoping to get some fuel efficiency details and highway drives sometime in the future. Take care, buckle up and drive safe!
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 09:41	#6
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,982 Thanked: 2,931 Times	Congratulations! You have compared City's performance with Corolla and Civic, but I would love to see a comparison from your side between this City and Baleno. The Baleno VS City picture is timeless. Do give us update on FE.
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 09:52	#7
happy.tripathy BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 76 Thanked: 3 Times	great dude, nice review and the car looks really cool, though i liked the red one.
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 10:07	#8
muralisk BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hyderabad, Bangalore Posts: 711 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Congratulations and Welcome to the Honda fraternity. Take it easy during the initial 1000+ kms. I see lot of passion in you for the new ride and I hope that you drive safe. Have fun and post fuel efficiency details, when you have them.
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 10:13	#9
SkyWalker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,531 Thanked: 136 Times	congrats Suneel. Good choice. City is a perfect option for people who want a peppy drive.
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 11:10	#10
Fountainheader Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Silicon Valley Posts: 1,501 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Congrats Suneel. The City looks great in White. Civic, Corolla and City.. quite a happy family there
	() Thanks

28th January 2009, 11:21	#11
srishiva Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 4,375 Thanked: 2,256 Times	congrats suneel. So many Citys already. I have never seen the wheels upgraded in a city until now though.
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 08:01	#13
suneel BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hampi Posts: 146 Thanked: 421 Times	And heres some more pics The interiors
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 10:06	#14
Vikster BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 45 Thanked: Once	this white colour really shows up on the ANHC. Did you get the side garnishes and are you thinking of the door shades along with alloys?
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 10:20	#15
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Congratz! Good looking car esp in white. The stock tire somehow looks small sized for the cars stance
	() Thanks