[finneyp]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

I see that lot many Palio owners are buying Honda (ANHC or Civic)

I don't think lot many, have noticed only couple of them (Skywalker & you) on this forum.
I still feel ANHC is overpriced for what it offers!

[rahulsingh007]

ANHC is certainly overpriced.
I booked one, but canceled it after realizing that Civic/ Skoda Octy will cost me approximately the same.
Now I am buying the Linea

[StarVegabond]

I know 4 others in Mumbai and Delhi who have recently upgraded to Honda (2 of them to Civic, 2 of them to ANHC). i do not know whether they are members of the forum or not.

For me, ANHC had everthing what i wanted within my budget and other expectations.

[tortoiseNhare]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

I know 4 others in Mumbai and Delhi who have recently upgraded to Honda (2 of them to Civic, 2 of them to ANHC). i do not know whether they are members of the forum or not.

For me, ANHC had everthing what i wanted within my budget and other expectations.

Congrats StarVegabond. I believe Honda is the right way to go because you (perhaps) wanted to stick to petrol.

[marlinspike]

Hi,
Starvagabond have you written a ownership review yet for your ANHC.
Do post the link on this thread.

[prince_pervez]

Hey Starvagabond, all said and done, I mean the congrats and stuff, why 'dream car' ? Was Honda City your dream car ? Just curious.

[StarVegabond]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Hey Starvagabond, all said and done, I mean the congrats and stuff, why 'dream car' ? Was Honda City your dream car ? Just curious.

Yea !, that is a good question.

my dream car was as below

1. must be a real good upgrade from Palio, more powerful, more fuel efficient, more safe, better brand, better service, better re-sale value and ofcourse costing more.
2. i wanted a driver's car (as i plan to drive myself and not keep a driver) which offers longer leg room (i am 188 cms tall), good quality seats, all controls near by
3. i wanted to remain with Petrol as i drive approx 50 KM per day, and often i am on business trip (hence not required to drive everyday)
4. i wanted a car with a good boot space
5. i certainly wanted a safer car, Airbags, ABS, Immobilizer, crash proof
6. i wanted a good sound system in the car preferably that played from a memory stick
7. i also wanted a low maintenance car.

In my view Honda ANHC fulfilled all above much better than other choices.
1. it was within my budget.
2. The ANHC's interiors are very easy to maintain.
3. it has all safety and security features viz. dual airbags, ABS, g-con, immobilizer etc.
4. Car is very light and easy to drive in city traffic viz. clutch, gear, streering etc are very responsive.
5. Integrated FM Stereo, music player with USB is good quality and as I do not need any video in my car, this is sufficient. i know CD's are handy, i have ton's of them at home, but no time to listen to them. Mostly listen to MP3. hence CD Player is not a necessity.
6. I am not a fan of blue tooth. Even though i have BT in my phone since last 7+ years, i am not using it as it is a pain to keep them (mobile + headset) charging etc. Even though i prefer to have conf calls etc in the car but i prefer the good quality wired headset as catching range of BT headset is not as good as wired headset. Hence BT connectivity option is not a killer app for me.
7. I am not a great fan of leather interiors as in India is a tropical country, we sweat a lot. Our driving habits often make us drive with windows open especially on long drives. leather interors (seat covers etc) make one sweat more. i would prefer to have a simple seat cover and change it every 12-18 months. So not having OE leather interiors is okay with me.
8. Most of the Honda owners whom i talked to (i spoke to more than 25 atleast) told me that they have not faced any major probelm with Honda cars or service. while paying near to 10 grands, what i want is peace of mind for next 5 years. I hope to get it.
9. Honda cars have great resale value compared to other brands.
10. the looks of Honda ANHC made me say WoW. it looks like a Ninja fighter ever ready on a mission

[HappyWheels]

Congrats on the new ride, Star!

You really have done your homework, haven't you!

Wishing you all the happy miles that you can cover and memories in your ownership. Drive safe and buckle up.

[StarVegabond]

Note to Mods: Request you to kindly rename this thread as "My new Ninja - ANHC 1.5 SMT"
and move this to Initial ownership report section

Hi Friends,

After a long search, and a waiting period of over 10 days, my All New Honda City
was delivered yesterday. As announced earlier following are the details.

Make : Honda
Brand : The All New Honda City
Varient : 1.5 S MT
Colour : Silver

Accessories (Fitted at Dealer) : Mud Flaps, Floor Mats, Puncture kit, first aid kit, two spare bulbs,
SUN films, Reverse parking sensors, Twin Pillows, Car Fregrance, Lord Ganesha

Accessories (Being bought in after market) : Seat covers, Car Fridge, Tissue box

Accessories (re-used from previous car) : Mobile Charger, 4 GB Memory stick

Wheels + Tyres : Steel OE RIMs with OE Michelin tyres

ON Road Price (+ all accessories) : 1020000/-

Dealership : Whitefield Honda
Sales Consultant : Mr. Bharat

Car Selection Process :

As shared earlier my dream car was as below
1. Must be a real good upgrade from Palio, more powerful, more fuel efficient,
more safe, better brand, better service, better re-sale value and ofcourse costing more.
2. A driver's car (as i plan to drive myself and not keep a driver) which offers better leg
room (i am 188 cms tall), good quality seats, all controls near by
3. A Petrol car as i drive approx 50 KM per day, and often i am on business trip, hence not
required to drive everyday
4. A car with a good boot space
5. A safer car, Airbags, ABS, Immobilizer, crash proof
6. A good sound system in the car preferably that played from a memory stick
7. A low / easy maintenance car.
8. My Budget was RS 10,00,000/-

Cars Considered:
----------------
Maruti SX4, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna, Honda City, Toyota Innova, Toyota Corolla Altis, SKoda Laura

Shortlisting Process:
---------------------
1. Visited several sites on internet which offered comparison of several cars and studied it
2. Studied all the T-BHP ownership reports, threads, Test Drive results
3. Talked to the real owners in my business and porfessional networks and get first hand feedback
4. Drive some of the cars owned by colleagues/friends to understand more
5. Arriving at Overall Perceived Value for me and my family

In my view Honda ANHC fulfilled all above much better than other choices.
1. It was within my budget.
2. Core Proposition of ANHC is simply great, Stability, Driveability, Safety, Refinement of engine
3. The ANHC's interiors are simple and very easy to maintain.
4. It has all safety and security features viz. dual airbags, ABS, g-con, immobilizer etc.
5. Car is very light and easy to drive in city traffic viz. clutch, gear, streering etc are very responsive.
6. Integrated FM Stereo, music player with USB is good quality and do not need any BT, Video etc.
7. Most of the Honda owners whom i talked to (i spoke to more than 25 atleast) told me that they have not
faced any major probelm with Honda cars or service. while paying near to 10 grands, what i want is peace
of mind for next 5 years. I hope to get it.
8. Honda cars have great resale value compared to other brands.
9. The looks of Honda ANHC made me say WoW. it looks like a Ninja fighter ever ready on a mission

Pre-buying Experience :
-----------------------
I talked to all three Honda dealerships in Bangalore viz. Whitefield, Dakshin and Magnum and got same
quotation from everyone. Dakshin and Magnum did not bother to follow up. Whitefield guy (Bharat) followed
up persistantly. Arranged for the brosures, details of the features, financing options, quotations for
accessories, demonstration of the car and its features, Test drives, answering the questions, acknowledging
the improvement areas and feedbacks, showing the different color shades of the car, touch and feeling different
accessories etc. I wanted some discounts + accessories and he also helped me to get what i wanted.
Being in a Sales and Marketing job myself, i found him to be a very good Sales guy. I would be happy
to recommend him to any T-BHPian.
Regarding the dealership, my experience was pleasant with Whitefield motors (thanks to Bharat), they
allowed me to have a look at different make honda cars (city, civic, accord, CR-V), courteos and
professional reception, and proactive ON time response. I also got exposure to the service team, body shop,
Pre-delivery inspection area which helped me gain more confidence.
I did visit Magnum Honda which i found to be professional and also demonstrated me the car, but they
did not bother to follow up with me. Dakshin Honda even though sent me the quote, did not pick up my
calls regarding questions etc also did not bother to follow up.

Buying experience: :
---------------------
I had to pay the booking amount of RS 100000/- and got the receipt for it. I had chosen Silver color
after comparing all the colors available. It took couple of days for the car to arrive. Meanwhile
cOmpleted all financing formalities with Lease financier in 2 hours and handed over all the necessary
details with filled forms to the Lease financier. It took them working 3 days to verify and
approve the loan. The Delivery order was sent to the Dealer. I visited Dealership again to pay
the remaining amount and finalized all the accessories needed. Filled and submitted the
registration forms along with the photographs etc. It took the dealer 3 working days to get the
car to the show room, registration formalities, fittment of accessories etc. I was given choice
of Tyres (michelin and MRF) at no extra cost, choice of registration number (at extra cost which
i opted out).

Pre-registration inspection :
-----------------------------
As advised by T-BHP forum, i asked for a pre-registration inspection. It was quickly arranged.
i noted down the engine nos etc during the inspection, i also had the second test drive. i found
the ground clearance to be bit low as it was touching the speed breakers. We were three people
in the car.

Delivery Experience:
--------------------
The D day arrived. The car was ready for delivery by 11 AM. I could reach show room only by 4:30
PM along with the T-BHP checklist. Bharat initially handed over the invoices, insurance,registration
+ tax receipts. The RC book and Insurance policy document would reach within next 3-4 weeks.
When i bought my Palio in 2002 in mumbai, i vaguely remembered that the car along with all the docuemnts
including RC book, insurance etc was delivered on the same day. This was followed by a complete
demonstration of the car, explanations regarding the precautions to be taken, how to use the puncture kit,
testing of the music system using a USB stick, meeting up with service advisor, followed by a installation
of Ganesha into the car and performing a Puja. I was gifted with a bottle of car fragrance and some chocolates.
I was also required to fill up the feedback forms from both Honda as well as Whitefield motors. A Photograph
was taken for records and I drove out at approx 5:45 PM. Driving out of the show room made me a bit nervous
as traffic was bumper to bumper. I was worried that somebody might just bump into my new car.
I took two U truns to reach the IOCL pump and learnt that the Premium fuel is not available, so i drove
to HP fuel station near the KR puram flyover and filled up the tank. The Fuel lid is on the passenger side
(in palio it is on the driver side).

First Drive Experience:
------------------------
Then we (myself and a colleague) thought of having some snacks and we decided to go to Indiranagar
when i turned on to old madras road, i hit once again bumper to bumper traffic. ANHC is indeed a driver's car.
Handling and drivability is simply great. the clutch, brake and accelerator are very light and responsive.
I could see several envious eyes arround me in other cars and two wheelers. We reached the old airport road,
parked the car at Corner House and had some snacks near by resturant. Then the rain started. What a rain !!!
it rained cats and dogs for next one and half hour along with thunderstorm. the traffic on the old airport
road was increasing and there was no way i wanted to rejoin the traffic. so we decided to go for an Icecream
at corner house. the IPL match (DD vs MI) was in the last few few overs and MI lost while we finished
our icecreams. so eventually at 8:15 the raining slowed down so i decided to head back home. i dropped
the colleague on 100 ft road. while on the way there was almost 2 feet water. the car handled it well.
i was not required to raise the engine (as i do in palio). I again hit the airport road. i thought i will
drive via outer ring road to hebbal, but i could only go till old airport, after waiting for almost 10
minutes in bumber to bumper traffic, i decided to take a U turn at HAL gate and drive back via
old airport road, domlur, MG road corner, Dickensen road, rajbhavan road, Mekhri circle. At Mekhri circle
i again hit the bumper to bumper traffic which took another 10 minutes to reach the Ganganagar / RT nagar
fly over. when i crossed the Kodige Halli signal, the road was inviting enough to speed up. The car
responded wonderfully, the surge to 100 KMPH was excellent and i reached home at approx 9:30 PM.

Some quick feedbacks:
----------------------
1. Honda's Philosophy of Man Maximum, Machine Minimum is indeed implemented. ANHC is the driver's car.
2. The Engine is very quite, the noise isolation from outside is also very good.
3. The Sound System is Divine, the Bass and trebles could be easily heard / felt. The remote is very
simple but effective, steering mounted buttons are very easy to control. FM radio performance was
very good especially with very heavy rain. i just read the user's manual. it says the antenna
is removable. i need to take precaution while parking in the public space for longer times.
4. Clutch is very light comparied to Palio. this is a boon when navigating the B2B traffic.
5. 0-40 acceleration is good, 40-100 acceleration is excellent, just like the arrow shot from the bow.
6. the integrated remote key less entry and immobilizer is great. but the sapre key does not
have the RKE. I am not sure how RKE would operational if i loose the main key.
7. I also read in the user manual that the tyre pressure need to be checked once in a month.
This is a welcome relief (thanks to tubeless tyres) from weekly visits to the fuel station.
8. The milage (KMPL) indicator looks great. i am yet to check the the fuel economy. i will do it
over next re-fueling cycle
9. I need to buy the rubber floor mats as honda has provided the standard floor mats only.
10. i need to visit after market shops today to buy the seat cover etc.

My family is returning from the vacation on sunday morning. i am sure they would be pleasantly surprised.
I also plan to visit the temple and get a complete Vahan Puja done.

Photographs:
--------------
i did not get opportunity to take photographs. i will take it over the weekend and upload

First long drive:
------------------
I plan to visit my native place (near Udipi) next week. I also plan to travel to Ankola (near Karwar)
it would be approx 1300KM drive over 4-5 days. This would give me more experience on the finer
aspects of ANHC on highways.

[prince_pervez]

First of all, beautifully penned down!
Next:

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

1. Must be a real good upgrade from Palio,

So what happened to the Palio, did you sell it ?

Cars Considered:
----------------
Toyota Innova

Hain??! Oh ok I thought you were looking for sedans.

Shortlisting Process:
---------------------
1. Visited several sites on internet which offered comparison of several cars and studied it
2. Studied all the T-BHP ownership reports, threads, Test Drive results
3. Talked to the real owners in my business and porfessional networks and get first hand feedback
4. Drive some of the cars owned by colleagues/friends to understand more

Thats a lot of studying. You could have cleared IAS instead

Driving out of the show room made me a bit nervous
as traffic was bumper to bumper. I was worried that somebody might just bump into my new car.

Yeah! been there.

First Drive Experience:
------------------------
Then the rain started. What a rain !!!
it rained cats and dogs for next one and half hour along with thunderstorm.

Was this yesterday?

Photographs:
--------------
i did not get opportunity to take photographs. i will take it over the weekend and upload

Excused, but on bail.

First long drive:
------------------
I plan to visit my native place (near Udipi) next week. I also plan to travel to Ankola (near Karwar)
it would be approx 1300KM drive over 4-5 days. This would give me more experience on the finer
aspects of ANHC on highways.

Great! So we will have a long distance initial report and a travelogue together. Might want to visit the Mangalore to Bangalore route info thread. It has become a classic.

Lastly, Congrats again.

[StarVegabond]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

First of all, beautifully penned down!
Next:

So what happened to the Palio, did you sell it ?

Hain??! Oh ok I thought you were looking for sedans.

Thats a lot of studying. You could have cleared IAS instead

Great! So we will have a long distance initial report and a travelogue together. Might want to visit the Mangalore to Bangalore route info thread. It has become a classic.

Lastly, Congrats again.

Thanks Parvez. I still have my Palio, Two option gift it to wife or sell it.

Innova came into consideration list as my little daughter wanted me to buy Innova

If i would have cleared IAS, i would have travelled only in a good old AMBY

[joecherian]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

i dropped the colleague on 100 ft road. while on the way there was almost 2 feet water. the car handled it well.

Man, 2 feet water and City handled it well ? 2 feet = 60 cms = 600 mm. And what is City's GC ? Are you sure you saw 2 feet water ?

[StarVegabond]

Originally Posted by joecherian

Man, 2 feet water and City handled it well ? 2 feet = 60 cms = 600 mm. And what is City's GC ? Are you sure you saw 2 feet water ?

I did not measure it, but for sure it was 1 ft plus. I could see the vehicle in front of me the watter was reaching the rear bumper. Apart from this there was water splashing from the other vehicles. this area was behind the building housing Bombay Post & corner house.

I was worried as i did not realize that there is so much of water.
i was thinking for some time but could not take U turn as the vehicle behind me started honking.

so i had to drive through this distance (approx 50+ meters) filled with water.

[Lukeskywalker]

Hey arvind congrats on the new aquisition, I was actually at Fern's Icon at about 6.45 pm on thursday, but it was raining so heavily and was getting late to a party so didn't call.

Man, 2 feet water and City handled it well ? 2 feet = 60 cms = 600 mm. And what is City's GC ? Are you sure you saw 2 feet water ?

My Optra had the opportunity to wade through more than 3 feet of water at the underpass just before the Marathalli bridgeon the same evening, the water level was at headlamp level and luckily the car did not stall. It was one scary experience.

[laluks]

Hari, you were there too?

I had to put the Civic through it. The level was just above the number plate, was one scary bit of experience. I dont know what all could be in trouble after this wading, got an underbody clean wash and sprayed anti rust spray!!

City could have done it decently I feel