Honda City [2011-2014] User Reviews

I am from Pune, I got this car last month and so far clocked 2000 km mostly in City. I commute around 65 km daily from koregaon park to Talwade MIDC on Week days and the car is always chauffer driven. I got this car after driving a Maruti 800 for almost 9 years and pre-dominating fact helped in zeroing on Honda city is to get a car worth this long wait. There is no doubt that the car is quite high priced compared to the value offered but the honda name associated with car may be worth paying the premium, I guess.

my observations are as under:

Pros:

A. the car offer very smooth riding and comfort. you never feel the outside noise and jerks associated with indian roads, if driven with sensibility and care.

B. The silent engien offer tremendous power as I can observe from the pick up offreed by engine at various traffic junctions.

C. The car returns fuel effficiency of around 14 km/l in city driving condition though the odometer feature refects above 16 km/l all the time. Experiance sharing of other owners are welcome on this aspect.

D. The sound quality of music system pre-installed is just OK, nothing great to bring home about.

F. The interiors and quality of plastic and other material used is average.

G. The air-conditioner is quite effective and impressive.

Cons:

A. Low ground clearance : Expect Immediate hit to car and your heart, if you miss noticing any uneven surface or bumps and try some adventure.

B. priced a tad higher than value offered.The car is priced higher by around 100 K.

C. Honda could add few more basic features such as climate control, blue and me, Leather upholestry, A/c vent for back seats etc to make it more user friendly car.

Overall, I am, so far, satisfied with the car performance for the first month. I would add on after 3 months as I am planning some long drives during coming festive holiday seasons around Pune.

Great Style, smooth riding comfort, ample space, great engine performanceLess ground clearance, a tad costly than the value offered

Exterior Good to show only for girl friend, not family car, it will burn your pocket in deep for regular maintenance ( engine oil change for every 3000 km ( 3000 buck) and check and wash for every three month anther 1000 bucks) and bumpers get easily damaged by Indian road conditions kissed by two wheelers.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Good looking interior, good if your height is less, if your height is approaching toward above average, your head get easily stuck. Your leg knee touches the dash board, Arm rest is not in proper position, so use less, huge Boot space but not approachable from internal. Gear position and window glass switches are not comfortable position; you have to always move your hands to position it.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Good pick up, average 11.5km/l  in city road condition, useless third and fifth  gear position. In third gear you can’t speed up, fourth and fifth gear position hardly and difference you fill.

Ride Quality & Handling Not good for bad road condition, five people sitting inside, ground clearance reduces to  hardly100MM., easily kisses the road speed breakers, no engine cover at the bottom, no mud cover for wheel, saved the piece of plastic.

Final Words If you have deep pocket to spend on maintenance and price only then go for it to show white elephant.

Areas of improvement Slowly waking up kumbakarna, after cheating earlier costumer for charging high price, with less futures, low ground clearance.

Good looking, pleased to see, nothing more thanLow ground clearance, easily kisses the speed break, useless third position gear,

The All New Honda city is simply rocking when it comes to style, comfort and driver compatibility.

The Boot Space and the Leg room is cool and i am really taken away with the way it zips my road in early mornings

I hav'nt taken it for a highway drive but i hope that for sure its going to give me a thrilling driving experience.

The Steering is just like driving a Bumper car and the gears reminds me of my favourite time with my PS2.

But i am totally dissatified with Honda dealers and Honda as a whole for taking Indian consumers for granted.

The are no Add ons for the whooping costs the ANHC demands.

Thats really a shame on them for not working on value for money.

Otherwise its one of the Best cars i have driven.

 

Good fuel economy, Good style and easy to drive car in city conditionsVery bad service, no add ons for the price quoted

Dear Friends

 

In continuation of my earlier review dated 19.12.08 i update my view about this car.

i am jus back from a long journey frm Chandigarh to Agra and back via delhi. clocked 1300 Km ...

The overall trip fuel economy was 17 KMPL. This includes highway driving of 1100 Km (700 Km with AC), city driving of more than 200 km (100 km with AC). CHD to Delhi the highway speed was higher than 100 KMPH (at times above sanity levels tooooo....). The car was loaded with heavy lugage  4 adults+ 2kids .

In city ie Delhi as well Agra the FE was around 15.5 KMPL.

While coming back i kept speed between 80-95 KMPH and got a unexpected 22.8 KMPL.....exclusive highway driving.

The grip on road was far beyond wat people tell on this forum....15 inch tyres held gud...impressed with road handling n light steering , ease of driving and spacious interiors. the car got lot of eyeballs...that was topping on the cake.

NHC interiors are bit cheap for the price of  8 lacs+ but the ride quality n street presence is par excellence.

Seating is comfortable and storage space is more than sufficient. Overall a excellent choice ...

Good fuel economy, Good style, all safety featuresinteriors not upto mark

Have been doing 9 months of research and getting opinions from people on various mid-segment cars. Went last week for a test drive of the cars I shortlisted, among which was the Honda City which I had almost made up my mind to buy. Was absolutely shocked by what I saw. The car no doubt looks good and drives well but everything else about the car totally sucked.

Firstly, I was speechless at the quality of the interiors and plastics. It made the interiors of my Accent look like a Mercedes. The central dashboard and console where the music system is housed is a combination of an ugly silver and black which made it look really cheap. The cup holders, rear dashboard and other plastics were really cheap.

Secondly, I was shocked that a car of this value did not have a CD player. When I asked the dealer, he told me that CD players will be extinct in 2 years. I asked him why Jazz and Civic offer CD players if this is the case, to which he had no answer.

Thirdly, we hit quite a few bumps along the way (I live in Bangalore where speed bumps outnumber lampposts). It was not a good feeling at all as every time you hit one your heart skips a beat.

Fourthly, the tyres. With such a huge wheelbase, you would expect at least 195 R15 tyres but the tyres offered are 175 R15 which is undersized for this car.

The dealer had no answer to my questions and all he kept harping on were the looks of the car and how it drives. But for 10+ lakhs on road, I would want something that gives me that all important 'Feel Good Factor'. The impressive exteriors of the car are for people on the outside to admire. The high power (118 ps) can only be used on highways as in Bangalore traffic, it is difficult to do even 30 km/hr consistently. When I drive, I want to feel the overall product convenience which to me is a combination of the driving pleasure, mileage, interior features, additional features such as tyres, electrically adjustable mirrors, etc. The Fiat Linea and the new SX4 score much higher overall.

Good LooksApalling interiors, No VFM

The New Honda City has the design advantage that makes it  look more fashionable and gives a luxury feeling and the feel that the car will give the same performance even years later. With  an average of 15 mileage and 100+ bhp engine along with Honda badge of quality, the engine is smooth and gives more power on highways. The steering feels very light and does not give any road feedback . The initial pickup is less but it delivers once you are above the third gear. For costly cars the cost is mostly the engine features and City's engine is a fabulous one for the city roads.

The driving experience is great and interior seating is comfortable for me and most of all, i like it when people are giving you a oomph coz the car is a new model. The seats look more luxurious compared to fiesta or other cars but comfort is moreover a personal matter of perspective and desire.

Most of the reviews were comparing SX4 with a Honda City saying SX4 is a more economic car, but in  the end who would want to buy an ambassador even when it comes with Mercedes interior features. SX4 's resale market has plummeted in  my place with people saying that it gives not more than 8Kmpl in city conditions and the car doesn't have maruti's eternal beauty look, a similar case to its previous version, the baleno. The SX4 looks big from the side and back view but the front is total let down.

Most mechanics say that the old city runs for around 10 years without any engine problems and you could expect the same here too and they do give 2 more years extended warranty free. I should say if you are gonna take a car go meet a good mechanic or you may cry later. Unlike skoda which has gained a reputation for its 25k for each service after a few years, this car looks better and is cheaper on the long run too.

City spares are expensive compared to Maruti but you wont be affected much as the parts are good quality and until there are accident claims where insurance can cover it for you proportionately, after sales services wouldn't rip your pocket unless your dealer decides to make more money out of you.

Addendum
The car still gives me 19-21 on highway and 14-15 on city roads after 10k and still no hickups. But I have had ground clearance problems  mainly on  the front bumper and also when fully loaded but in the end the car is still smooth and silent and gives me the satisfaction I need driving it.

smooth and powerfull econommic engine with stylish exteriorslacks advanced features

I bought my Honda City 1.5S MT in April last year. At its 3rd service (10,000 km), I was told that the front brake pads need replacement. On further enquiring I was told that this was pretty common

and the newer Honda cars were needing replacement of brake pads at 5000 kms only.

I do realize that this is dependent on the driver but I drive other cars too (Suzuki’s). I was also a proud owner of the old Honda city. But none of the above required replacement at such an early time.I was also told by the dealership that there has been a change in the vendor who supplies brake pads and problems have started occurring after that.

I just wish to bring it to the attention of the Honda Management and all potential customers that this is a genuine problem and many current customers are facing it. Such issues would make the maintenance of their cars very costly for consumers like us.

The dealership which promised to raise the issue with the company has not done anything at all and has sent me a letter saying it is not their problem. Apparently, there are silos and they do not communicate with each other :(

I will not recommend Honda until this issue is resolved.

pleasure to drivehigh maintenance cost

After a lot of research and test drives, i settled for the All New City.
A look at her exteriors and you are bound to fall in love at first sight. To me, this is the finest Honda has ever produced. I have absolutely nothing to complain about her exteriors.
Though a lot of people crib about the low ground clearance - I would say its not a problem with honda but with the indian roads where speed breakers are not meant to break the speed but damage the car's bottom. A higher ground clearance would almost certainly affect the car's safety at high speeds. And come on the same car is moving succesfully on the roads all around the world !
Now as you step into the car, you find that there is a lot more space than you thought would be available. The dashboard - looks ok but find the quality of plastic - simply awful and pathetic by the high standards that Honda has set(A serious turn-off mind you!!). Innovative music system and good sound quality are appreciable. The non-existance of the rear AC vents is quite disappointing.
Now for the most important part of this review - Performance.
Steering is smooth being electric power assisted. Gear shift is extremely smooth - its a sheer pleasure.
Brakes are very effective even at high speeds.
Appreciable safety features.
To my knowledge this she's the best in her segment mileage wise.
I get a mileage of around 10  in heavy city traffic. On the highways with full load at speeds around 80-100 kmph, the mileage achieved is anywhere between 17-21 kmpl. At speeds around 100-140 kmph, the mileage achieved is around 15-17 kmpl. The car is extremely stable at speeds upto 176kmph on straight roads. A top speed of 186kmph with full load on the highways/expressways is easily achievable. Small turns can be easily accomodated at speeds upto 145kmph. An this is where the aerodynamic designing and low ground clearance helps. It helps keep the car on the ground at high speeds - thus eliminating the fear of toppling at those speeds. At speeds constantly above 155kmph like my last trip - the overall mileage achieved was 13.8 kmpl. Now thats a figure to be beaten !
It is a pleasure to drive her in the city and even more on the highways/expressways.
To sum it up, the ALL NEW HONDA CITY is here to stay and as my title says she's a typical high middle class girlfriend who's got a lot of positives, turns you off a few times BUT knows how to drive you crazy and keep you attached to her.
Happy driving !!!
-Leo

Good fuel economy, decent pick-up, great engine power for its size, charming exteriors.Awful interiors for Honda's class, No rear AC vents, Average head lamps

Exterior

One of the good looking Japanese sedans. The positive additions are alloy wheels, fog lamps and improved plastics.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Great space for all the passengers. Rear passengers also get (sort of) foot rest, due to the presence of fuel tank under the front seats. Very good comfortable driving position. Reversing is not easy, as one needs a good judgment or reverse parking sensors.  It lacks several features which are available in modern cars as simple as auto AC, leather seats, electric folding mirrors, etc. 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

Performance is great and silky smooth engine. Pickup from any speed is very good and controlling the car is excellent while driving (I didn't try more than 100kmph) and braking. Fuel economy is also very good (Average 17 kmpL). The gear box is very sleek. 

Ride Quality & Handling

I like the ride quality and the handling is superb. It is very easy to drive, esp. in 3rd gear the minimum speed I could go is 20 kmph and maximum (recommended) is 60 kmph. Hence, in city traffic (not bumper to bumper) the gear changes are minimal. Although several people have mentioned issues regarding ground clearance, I did not face any. This might be due to I go slow on the speed brakes. I cannot comment in pot holes since I did not come across many. Even if I did, there was no problem for GC.

Final Words

It is a very good sedan, powerful engine with great performance and a good braking efficiency. Although, it is expensive compared to other cars in this segment, the extra money partly can be recovered saving on fuel (high mileage).  

Areas of improvement  

It needs lots of comfort features (within this price) like European cars (esp. Linea) such as Telescopic steering wheel (only tilt is present), electric heated and folding mirrors, key-less remote with trunk opening, auto AC.

 

Good Pickup, Great control, Fuel efficient engineNo ACC, No Leather seats, No bluetooth