Honda’s popular City Saloon has seen three full model changes in the past 10 years. Based on the Jazz platform, the styling of the new City is stunning. Dubbed as its ‘Arrowshot Design’, the nose is its focal point in which the slated grille with its warped effect, straddled by tapering headlamps form an arrowhead of sorts. The design is carried on to the rest of the car as well, with the pillars, beltline and nose representing a drawn bow and arrow and the tail-lights as the feathered end of the arrow.
Aggressive detailing, cuts and myriad surfaces on the frame, work well and the 3-D effect of the tail-light is another terrific design element that gets noticed says AutoCar testers. The front quarter glass has been removed and the new model’s boot is now seamlessly integrated with the rest of the body. The new chassis is much more rigid, suspension towers have been beefed up, ABS is standard and Honda has provided rear drum brakes and an enlarged 14-inch disc in the front as well. Strangely alloys are not available even as an option. The City’s shapely design is carried forward to the interiors as well. The door-pads are well sculpted, and so is the multi-layered dash, replete with ridges and curves which flow into the silver-finished central console. The steering wheel is similar to the Civic’s and the real-time fuel consumption display and audio controls on the wheel are nice touches.
For practicality, there’s lots of storage space with generous door pockets, cubby-holes and cup-holders. Width and legroom are better than before plus forward visibility is much better..
The star piece of the kit is the audio system which runs off a memory stick or iPod with MP3. The sound quality is fantastic thanks to a good amp and speakers but there is no CD player which AutoCar (Nov.’08) feels is a huge omission as most owners are not going to be download savvy.
A serious letdown however is the quality of plastics, fabrics and finish which feel a peg down from the previous City. Plus there are no leather seats, no adjustable lumbar support and no climate control which is now standard fare for a car in this price bracket.
| At A Glance |
Price: Rs. 9.66 lakh (On-road, Mumbai, on sale now.)
Warranty: 24 months/40,000km
Fuel: Petrol
Acceleration: 0-60kph - 4.58sec, 0-100kph -10.28sec, Top Speed -190kph, Kpl (overall) -13.5kpl
Economy: City – 10-11kpl, Highway – 16-17kpl, Tank size – 42 litres
Positives: Stunning design, blend of performance and comfort
Negatives: Average interior quality, stingy equipment list |
In line with the car’s more aggressive stance and character is the upgraded 116bhp 1.5litre i-VTEC engine. Peak power is now delivered at 6600rpm as against 5800 and there are new bits incorporated like the exhaust manifold in the cylinder head and better electronics to improve handling. The ride quality with the India-spec suspension (10mm higher than the Thai model) is superb. There is a suppleness in the suspension that was never present in the earlier cars and this makes riding over rough patches and really bad roads much easier now.
It has a terrific gearbox with a light and snappy throw and the wide gearing takes advantage of the flexible nature of the engine. The brakes are pretty good too with a consistent pedal feel and decent stopping power. But the limiting factor here are the skinny 175/65 R15 tyres that are insufficient for the pace of this car.
Actually with a better power-to-weight ratio, the new City was expected to be quicker than the previous VTEC but the widely-spaced ratios selected in the interests of fuel economy have blunted performance a bit. Still in the real world, the new City is very responsive and scoots away with a mere touch of the throttle and this makes it a great car for tackling traffic.
The mid-range feels flat which call for extra gearshifts when overtaking slow traffic and its only once you pass 4000rpm that you can feel the extra horses distinctly kick in to take you briskly to the 7000rpm redline.
But all in all, Honda has worked hard to transform the City’s ride and handling and the results are truly impressive. Sums up AuotCar (Nov. ’08), though the new City is more expensive than the previous car, the overall package is so captivating that its likely to sweep customers off their feet.
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