Finally I got a new car: it's Honda City V AT in Deep Sapphire Blue

pratim · 11th November 2009, 15:16

Here I begin to write my first thread in TBHP with an ownership report for a car that has been purchased 10 days back.

When did it start?
=============
Almost 10 months back, sometime in mid-January.

And Why?
=======
Firstly, I wanted something bit bigger, comfortable and luxurious than my current car. Secondly, the condition of a ligament in my left ankle that tore off about one year ago. Due to this, I was using the service of a driver and one fine morning, he just refused to come anymore. I said to myself that enough is enough with being driven around. So again I started driving daily. My office being 22 km away from my home, it started getting difficult to drive sooner than I expected, specially if it's Palio, known for hard clutches. So, again started my search in renewed vigour to look for another car (not a replacement, I am still keeping my old bird), this time for an AT.

Choices
======
i10 AT: Asked myself, again one hatchback? That too smaller than the current one with crammed back seats? Nah...

Verna AT: Never liked the looks of the car (personal opinion), design seemed a bit dated, specially when you have ANHCs and Lineas setting the roads on fire. Also, reports about it's bad handling did not favour it.

Scorpio Refresh AT:
I TDed a brand new Scorp Refresh Automatic from India Garage and I was mighty impressed with the automatic transmission. I have driven it extensively in bumper-to-bumper traffic around MG Road, St. Marks Road, KG Road et al and driven in some great stretches in ORR. However, the poor ride quality was something that was in the back of my mind. I almost settled for it when I remembered that my daughter has bit of motion sickness and she surely will not enjoy this for a slightly longer drive. In fact she had given me this feedback in a different form, the way a six and half year can express; but she got it right. So out goes the Scorpio AT.

Honda City AT:
Spelndid engine and auto-transmission; and those paddle shift levers? heavenly. If anything, the engine and the auto-transmission combo in this car made the deal for me. It's silky smooth and effortless. But lack of equipments like ACC, integration of cellphone functionality (ex: Blue & Me in Linea) with the audio setup, lack of a CD player for a car of this much price used to put me in two minds.

Linea: I looked at Linea in detail and had a good no. of KMs for TD. I was hoping against hope that the damn ligament thing will get cured somehow and I will get my hands on this. This is the VFM car in the price range I was looking at. I would have bought this car had I not had the ligament issue troubling me often.

Euphoria and heartbreak
==================
I booked the car on 3rd week of July in Habenaro Red colour. I was in cloud nine and started waiting for my car lease application (I opted for company leased car scheme) to be approved by my company and fund released by the leasing company. First my company took lot of time for approval and once approved I was told by the leasing company that they have some issues with payment with my company and all fund releases are on hold for employees or my company. So, it got delayed so much so that the dealer called up one afternoon to inform me that they are selling the car that was booked in my name to someone else who had come with full payment. Irony is that I was getting the cheque ready by pulling lot of strings here and there and it was due ready worst case by the following day. However the dealer did not oblige, so there went the car I booked to someone else. And there were not any City AT available any more. They were upgrading it. I almost cried.

Now Cautious but happy nevertheless
============================
Over to Oct 15: Booked the City AT in deep sapphire blue colour Whitefield Honda (not the one where my first attempt went in vein) and the wait started again. Also simultaneously shot emails to the guys in my company responsible for handling the car lease and the leasing company that this time should not mess up the things and I want it quick. The car came to the dealership in about week’s time. We paid a visit to the showroom to have a look. Also the PO was released by the leasing company in 11 days flat. 26th being a week day (Monday), decided to take the delivery on the coming Saturday (31st Oct).

And the D-Day: woke up early (by my standards), had bath and off we (my entire family) went to the dealership in a Meeru Cab after a quick brunch. Once reached, cab driver gave a wide grin "buying a new car sir?" "Yes", I said and he gets Rs 50. tip. He is happy and so am I. Everything else went through smoothly (anyways, by this time I knew more about the car that the sales rep.). Got introduced to the Service Manager and Sales Manager.
I carried along a box of chocolates for the stuff of the dealership and a small gift for the sales rep (thank you TBHP for this). The sales rep later called up to say thank you and that she indeed liked the gift. I passed on her thanks to my wife; she selected it.

Epilogue:
=======
After all the customary puja and crushing the lemon etc we went to a Shell petrol bunk nearby to fill in. Topped it up to the brim, took a U turn and started driving towards Marathahalli. About two kilometer after, got caught by traffic police equipped with speed guns, positioned at about 100-200 meters away, for over-speeding. I was doing around 72 kmph on an empty road and in the euphoria I did not notice that I crossed 70. So, paid the fine and drove to a relative's place for a quick show-off (actually, they are very close to us; they could not turn up that day so I had to take the car there). Then we went for lunch in a restaurant and returned home relieved, content, at peace and happy.

Accessories:
=========
a. CD player (I kind of hate keep converting and copying music from CDs to USB memory sticks)
b. Sun films for four side windows and rear - Llumar Platinum 50
c. Rear Parking Sensor (of Circuit make). Seems pretty accurate in calculating the clearance from a rear wall. However did not check its performance yet against smallish to moderate obstacles at the rear that can cause damage if being hit.
d. I might upgrade tyres to 195/60, but not decided yet.

First Impression:
============
Good things:
* Superlative and terrific, simply put the drive is great.
* Audio is clear and with good mid and high range.
* Interior is good, however, is difficult to maintain I guess. It's definitely improved over the pre-facelift version.
* I was bit skeptic about the choice of colour initially, but now, you bet!
What can be better:
* I would have liked a bit better suspension setup. It transmits the undulations in the road at low speeds. However with speed it gets better.
* Would have liked a bit more feedback on the steering.
* The GC; man, it touches almost many speed breakers in my office campus that is, Manyata Tech Park.
* Equipment levels

Mileage:
======
The greatest question perhaps: The average consumption meter showed 10.3 km/l. I filled up again yesterday morning: this time it went upto 29.57 litres (about another 700-800 ml after the auto shut-off kicked in). The trip meter reads 322.1 KM. The average: 10.89 km/l. This was with a) 100% AC with low cooling and fan speed b) 65% driving in ORR and remaining 35% in Koramangala, Indiranagar, MG Road etc in peak traffic and c) I kept engine running in all traffic signals while waiting for it turning green; I guess this is a good figure given that the car has automatic transmission and it's a new car.

Final Note: That you have read up to this much, it means you have so much so patience. A sincere thanks to you my dear friend for your time! Does it serve any good? I do not know.

Now, please give me some more time for pics, will you?

monty9991 · 11th November 2009, 15:27

kool. congrates on your new purchase. but you paid fine for the new cars thats funny.. lol
i am too looking for the ANHC in blue color. so please post the pictures.

wmanu · 11th November 2009, 16:33

Congratulation on your new ride, and a wise decision.

A picture is worth more than thousand words!

COSY RAJA · 11th November 2009, 16:39

Pratim,

A very detailed carlouge.

Enjoy your car and happy driving.

Raja

carlosTHEjackal · 11th November 2009, 17:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by pratim

* The GC; man, it touches almost many speed breakers in my office campus that is, Manyata Tech Park.

It is not the body of the car which touches the speed breakers, but the front wheel mudguards which actually touch the speed-breakers.
So nothing to worry about the GC.
Also you need to be slow when you cross other (Not the one in Manyata Tech Park) speed breakers, like 20Kmph or 15 Kmph to not scrape the speed breakers. Changing the driving style will be beneficial for the car's under body.

akas_chauhan · 11th November 2009, 17:39

Congrats for your new car. When are the pictures coming?

StarVegabond · 11th November 2009, 22:44

Congatulations, ANHC is a great city car
regarding GC, with a bit of careful driving, you will be able to minimize the problem.

drive safe, have fun

pratim · 11th November 2009, 23:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlosTHEjackal

It is not the body of the car which touches the speed breakers, but the front wheel mudguards which actually touch the speed-breakers.
So nothing to worry about the GC.
Also you need to be slow when you cross other (Not the one in Manyata Tech Park) speed breakers, like 20Kmph or 15 Kmph to not scrape the speed breakers. Changing the driving style will be beneficial for the car's under body.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

Congatulations, ANHC is a great city car
regarding GC, with a bit of careful driving, you will be able to minimize the problem.

drive safe, have fun

@carlos, I also noted that the mud flaps are touching. This is more pronounced when the car is going down the breaker with speed bit higher than should be.
And with 5 folks on board, I have seen that it is very difficult to negotiate some of the speed breakers (read hillls) without the smoke tank scraping against the breaker even at vey los speeds (< 10 kmph).

@starVB, I used to follow and still follow your ownership thread. And it has influenced me to a great extent in making my decision. BTW, did you notice the similarity between us?

H_Zoom · 11th November 2009, 23:26

Pratim,

Congrats on your new Possession.
That is a nice detailed review.

About GC, for first few days I too used to scrap thru' most the Speedbreakers on whitefield road on way to my office and also in the office parking. But as I started to experiment with tips from fellow ANHC owners, kind of mastered the art.

Couple of tips if it will work for you too:
Try to take the car in a slight angle (diaganolly) over the speed breaker.
Slow it down to about 10-15 kmph as you approach the speedbreaker and as the front tyre is just starts to climb the speedbreaker, apply the break, just enough to let the car slowly glide thru' the speed breaker. Like I mentioned it is as ART and it took sometime for me to master it.

Happy Driving!

jacobgeorge · 12th November 2009, 13:09

Hi Pratim,
Congrats by the way on your purchase and an even bigger pat on the back for selecting an AT. Personally I own two ATs (City and i10) and I dont think I will ever go back to a manual again after getting used to driving an AT in Bangalore traffic.

Yes, you need to slow down a bit when you hit speed breakers especially when you have people sitting in the back seat as the car really 'sits' and tends to scrape every (un)scientifically designed bangalore speed breaker.

So you had trouble with your leasing company? Was it ALD?

Anyways, happy driving.... I am sure you will love the experience

StarVegabond · 12th November 2009, 13:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by pratim

@starVB, I used to follow and still follow your ownership thread. And it has influenced me to a great extent in making my decision. BTW, did you notice the similarity between us?

Thanks Pratim for following my ownership thread. good to note that it was of some use to you. yes, i have noticed the similarities

1. own (ed) a palio ELX 1.2,
2. bought an ANHC
3. work at Manyata (i used to work there till end Dec 2008)
4. stay in Bangalore
5. both members of Team BHP
6. i saw your interests as Books and Travel, which is also part of my lists of interests

there could be more,

mkc15 · 12th November 2009, 13:27

First of all, congrats on your purchase.

Another little trick is to not keep the brakes applied while rolling over the bump. The suspension compresses when the brakes are applied, reducing the GC even further. Slow down to the right speed and release the brakes when the front wheels are on the bump. This is easy with a MT car, but in AT it needs some practice.

muralisk · 12th November 2009, 13:49

Congratulation Pratim. Drive safe and have loads of fun.

anekho · 12th November 2009, 14:31

Nice report and congrats pratim!
The mileage sounds really good - i10 auto owners must be cursing their stars

Looking forward to the photos!

SkyWalker · 12th November 2009, 14:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

Thanks Pratim for following my ownership thread. good to note that it was of some use to you. yes, i have noticed the similarities

1. own (ed) a palio ELX 1.2,
2. bought an ANHC
3. work at Manyata (i used to work there till end Dec 2008)
4. stay in Bangalore
5. both members of Team BHP
6. i saw your interests as Books and Travel, which is also part of my lists of interests

Good one. Except for 3. Manyata, i check all other boxes too. Not sure if i have listed all interests

Congrats on the car Pratim. Pics please!

11th November 2009, 15:16	#1
pratim BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Bagalore Posts: 209 Thanked: 58 Times	Finally I got a new car: it's Honda City V AT in Deep Sapphire Blue Here I begin to write my first thread in TBHP with an ownership report for a car that has been purchased 10 days back. When did it start? ============= Almost 10 months back, sometime in mid-January. And Why? ======= Firstly, I wanted something bit bigger, comfortable and luxurious than my current car. Secondly, the condition of a ligament in my left ankle that tore off about one year ago. Due to this, I was using the service of a driver and one fine morning, he just refused to come anymore. I said to myself that enough is enough with being driven around. So again I started driving daily. My office being 22 km away from my home, it started getting difficult to drive sooner than I expected, specially if it's Palio, known for hard clutches. So, again started my search in renewed vigour to look for another car (not a replacement, I am still keeping my old bird), this time for an AT. Choices ====== i10 AT: Asked myself, again one hatchback? That too smaller than the current one with crammed back seats? Nah... Verna AT: Never liked the looks of the car (personal opinion), design seemed a bit dated, specially when you have ANHCs and Lineas setting the roads on fire. Also, reports about it's bad handling did not favour it. Scorpio Refresh AT: I TDed a brand new Scorp Refresh Automatic from India Garage and I was mighty impressed with the automatic transmission. I have driven it extensively in bumper-to-bumper traffic around MG Road, St. Marks Road, KG Road et al and driven in some great stretches in ORR. However, the poor ride quality was something that was in the back of my mind. I almost settled for it when I remembered that my daughter has bit of motion sickness and she surely will not enjoy this for a slightly longer drive. In fact she had given me this feedback in a different form, the way a six and half year can express; but she got it right. So out goes the Scorpio AT. Honda City AT: Spelndid engine and auto-transmission; and those paddle shift levers? heavenly. If anything, the engine and the auto-transmission combo in this car made the deal for me. It's silky smooth and effortless. But lack of equipments like ACC, integration of cellphone functionality (ex: Blue & Me in Linea) with the audio setup, lack of a CD player for a car of this much price used to put me in two minds. Linea: I looked at Linea in detail and had a good no. of KMs for TD. I was hoping against hope that the damn ligament thing will get cured somehow and I will get my hands on this. This is the VFM car in the price range I was looking at. I would have bought this car had I not had the ligament issue troubling me often. Euphoria and heartbreak ================== I booked the car on 3rd week of July in Habenaro Red colour. I was in cloud nine and started waiting for my car lease application (I opted for company leased car scheme) to be approved by my company and fund released by the leasing company. First my company took lot of time for approval and once approved I was told by the leasing company that they have some issues with payment with my company and all fund releases are on hold for employees or my company. So, it got delayed so much so that the dealer called up one afternoon to inform me that they are selling the car that was booked in my name to someone else who had come with full payment. Irony is that I was getting the cheque ready by pulling lot of strings here and there and it was due ready worst case by the following day. However the dealer did not oblige, so there went the car I booked to someone else. And there were not any City AT available any more. They were upgrading it. I almost cried. Now Cautious but happy nevertheless ============================ Over to Oct 15: Booked the City AT in deep sapphire blue colour Whitefield Honda (not the one where my first attempt went in vein) and the wait started again. Also simultaneously shot emails to the guys in my company responsible for handling the car lease and the leasing company that this time should not mess up the things and I want it quick. The car came to the dealership in about week’s time. We paid a visit to the showroom to have a look. Also the PO was released by the leasing company in 11 days flat. 26th being a week day (Monday), decided to take the delivery on the coming Saturday (31st Oct). And the D-Day: woke up early (by my standards), had bath and off we (my entire family) went to the dealership in a Meeru Cab after a quick brunch. Once reached, cab driver gave a wide grin "buying a new car sir?" "Yes", I said and he gets Rs 50. tip. He is happy and so am I. Everything else went through smoothly (anyways, by this time I knew more about the car that the sales rep.). Got introduced to the Service Manager and Sales Manager. I carried along a box of chocolates for the stuff of the dealership and a small gift for the sales rep (thank you TBHP for this). The sales rep later called up to say thank you and that she indeed liked the gift. I passed on her thanks to my wife; she selected it. Epilogue: ======= After all the customary puja and crushing the lemon etc we went to a Shell petrol bunk nearby to fill in. Topped it up to the brim, took a U turn and started driving towards Marathahalli. About two kilometer after, got caught by traffic police equipped with speed guns, positioned at about 100-200 meters away, for over-speeding. I was doing around 72 kmph on an empty road and in the euphoria I did not notice that I crossed 70. So, paid the fine and drove to a relative's place for a quick show-off (actually, they are very close to us; they could not turn up that day so I had to take the car there). Then we went for lunch in a restaurant and returned home relieved, content, at peace and happy. Accessories: ========= a. CD player (I kind of hate keep converting and copying music from CDs to USB memory sticks) b. Sun films for four side windows and rear - Llumar Platinum 50 c. Rear Parking Sensor (of Circuit make). Seems pretty accurate in calculating the clearance from a rear wall. However did not check its performance yet against smallish to moderate obstacles at the rear that can cause damage if being hit. d. I might upgrade tyres to 195/60, but not decided yet. First Impression: ============ Good things: * Superlative and terrific, simply put the drive is great. * Audio is clear and with good mid and high range. * Interior is good, however, is difficult to maintain I guess. It's definitely improved over the pre-facelift version. * I was bit skeptic about the choice of colour initially, but now, you bet! What can be better: * I would have liked a bit better suspension setup. It transmits the undulations in the road at low speeds. However with speed it gets better. * Would have liked a bit more feedback on the steering. * The GC; man, it touches almost many speed breakers in my office campus that is, Manyata Tech Park. * Equipment levels Mileage: ====== The greatest question perhaps: The average consumption meter showed 10.3 km/l. I filled up again yesterday morning: this time it went upto 29.57 litres (about another 700-800 ml after the auto shut-off kicked in). The trip meter reads 322.1 KM. The average: 10.89 km/l. This was with a) 100% AC with low cooling and fan speed b) 65% driving in ORR and remaining 35% in Koramangala, Indiranagar, MG Road etc in peak traffic and c) I kept engine running in all traffic signals while waiting for it turning green; I guess this is a good figure given that the car has automatic transmission and it's a new car. Final Note: That you have read up to this much, it means you have so much so patience. A sincere thanks to you my dear friend for your time! Does it serve any good? I do not know. Now, please give me some more time for pics, will you?
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 15:27	#2
monty9991 BANNED Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Ludhiana Posts: 706 Thanked: 42 Times View My Garage	kool. congrates on your new purchase. but you paid fine for the new cars thats funny.. lol i am too looking for the ANHC in blue color. so please post the pictures.
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 16:33	#3
wmanu BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 139 Thanked: 28 Times View My Garage	Congratulation on your new ride, and a wise decision. A picture is worth more than thousand words!
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 16:39	#4
COSY RAJA BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 28 Thanked: Once	Pratim, A very detailed carlouge. Enjoy your car and happy driving. Raja
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 17:39	#6
akas_chauhan BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio Posts: 596 Thanked: 26 Times	Congrats for your new car. When are the pictures coming?
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 22:44	#7
StarVegabond Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,891 Thanked: 44 Times	Congatulations, ANHC is a great city car regarding GC, with a bit of careful driving, you will be able to minimize the problem. drive safe, have fun Last edited by StarVegabond : 11th November 2009 at 22:46.
	() Thanks

11th November 2009, 23:26	#9
H_Zoom BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 43 Thanked: 0 Times	Pratim, Congrats on your new Possession. That is a nice detailed review. About GC, for first few days I too used to scrap thru' most the Speedbreakers on whitefield road on way to my office and also in the office parking. But as I started to experiment with tips from fellow ANHC owners, kind of mastered the art. Couple of tips if it will work for you too: Try to take the car in a slight angle (diaganolly) over the speed breaker. Slow it down to about 10-15 kmph as you approach the speedbreaker and as the front tyre is just starts to climb the speedbreaker, apply the break, just enough to let the car slowly glide thru' the speed breaker. Like I mentioned it is as ART and it took sometime for me to master it. Happy Driving!
	() Thanks

12th November 2009, 13:09	#10
jacobgeorge BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 53 Thanked: 6 Times	Hi Pratim, Congrats by the way on your purchase and an even bigger pat on the back for selecting an AT. Personally I own two ATs (City and i10) and I dont think I will ever go back to a manual again after getting used to driving an AT in Bangalore traffic. Yes, you need to slow down a bit when you hit speed breakers especially when you have people sitting in the back seat as the car really 'sits' and tends to scrape every (un)scientifically designed bangalore speed breaker. So you had trouble with your leasing company? Was it ALD? Anyways, happy driving.... I am sure you will love the experience
	() Thanks

12th November 2009, 13:27	#12
mkc15 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 317 Thanked: 94 Times	First of all, congrats on your purchase. Another little trick is to not keep the brakes applied while rolling over the bump. The suspension compresses when the brakes are applied, reducing the GC even further. Slow down to the right speed and release the brakes when the front wheels are on the bump. This is easy with a MT car, but in AT it needs some practice. Last edited by mkc15 : 12th November 2009 at 13:29.
	() Thanks

12th November 2009, 13:49	#13
muralisk BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hyderabad, Bangalore Posts: 711 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Congratulation Pratim. Drive safe and have loads of fun.
	() Thanks

12th November 2009, 14:31	#14
anekho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: . Posts: 1,997 Thanked: 685 Times	Nice report and congrats pratim! The mileage sounds really good - i10 auto owners must be cursing their stars Looking forward to the photos!
	() Thanks