Honda City Corporate Edition

Synopsis

The new Honda City has taken the cars in the C segment by storm and appears to be the best-selling car in the said segment. The Honda City is a beautiful sedan car which has overrun other cars in its segment for more than 10 years. It was first launched in India in 1998 and since then a lot of innovations have been made to continuously grab the Indian market. The 2012 Honda City is the newest model available in India. Honda grabs a majority of Indian sales because of its vision of producing cars that fully satisfy their customers, with speed, cost-effectiveness and environmentally-friendly appeal. With its innovation and increased market sales, the Honda City has been given the recognition as the “Car of the Year” in 2009. Its instant success has been dominative as it has been ranked No. 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Survey in its segment for a record of 11 times. The sedan is indeed exceptional and has left its competitors far behind. Because of its fabulous style, elegant design and adaptability, spectators are at awe when they behold the car. When you are riding in this car, you will definitely be proud of yourself because the Honda City will let you feel that way.

Exterior

The Honda City was given a new front end and an entire change of appearance which makes it very attractive. The Honda City is no way the second best when it comes to style and design. It has its top-notch electric sunroof option which is not only looking more enticing but also lets sunshine and fresh air to fill the interior of the car. The added practicality of its outside rear view mirrors with turn indicators are very elegant looking. The grille on the car is in a radiator style and has a premium look, thanks to its chrome finish that adds to the City’s exquisite looks. The ample chrome gives a magnificent feeling and wears the Honda emblem with pride. The car’s top-notch 165 mm ground clearance adds even more to its aesthetic appeal giving it the perfect outlook of the sedan. The commendable 10 spoke alloy wheels are very alluring and mesmerizing while the vehicle moves. The rear of the Honda City is quite identical with that of the last generation BMW 3-series. Its new set of rear tail lamps has added jaw-dropping style. The new front and rear bumpers are fully transformed giving a very masculine look with an arrow shoot design. The rear reflectors are positioned cleverly below the bumpers. True to its dynamic styling, the Honda City uses reflector lenses on its headlamps rather than the high-priced projector headlamps that minimize the total manufacturing cost of the car. Its front design is much like the Civic and FCX. Its chrome door handles, new sporty exhaust finisher and front & rear mud guards add style to the City. Its elegant front fog lamps are also ergonomically designed for better visibility.

Interior

Honda City’s rich beige interiors are incorporated with a sophisticated and stylish design with superb fabric seats and an enhanced chrome finished neo centre control panel. The instrument cluster is placed in the most suitable position for easy access and also gives the car an upmarket look. The City is designed with a soft lit ‘Blue Meter Graphic’ which offers even more superiority to the sedan. It also comes with all new black interiors that are very appealing for car enthusiasts who are looking for a cost-effective but premium car. The new design Honda steering wheel is now adjustable for reach as well as height, which is certainly an exceptional feature for the sedan. The all new Honda City interiors are made to satisfy the customer’s needs by providing stylish, spacious and comfortable room. It features decent leg space, exceptional front visibility and sufficient head space for a 6-footer. Even if it reaches to its ground clearance, it still has enough headroom. It features an ergonomically designed seat rail with a cushion that has been reduced in thickness yet still maintaining the comfort to lessen by 15 mm the seating position of the driver.

Comfort and Convenience

Everything is laid out nicely in the new Honda City with its quality controls. The cruise control function is a good addition for the sedan wherein it automatically controls the speed of the car in top end variants. Its rear seats are placed a bit higher than the front seats for better visibility of rear seat passengers. All seats are comfortable enough to accommodate 5 people. The chrome door handles, silver lining on the door and fabric inserted door armrest looks very neat and gives upmarket looks to the car. The air conditioning with heater is strong enough to keep driver and passengers cool. The steering can be easily tilted due to its clever design which provides convenience for the driver and also has audio controls incorporated into it for more convenience. A powerful blower with distinct and modern compressor and seat ducts are placed below the rear passenger seats to provide a perfect and comfortable experience for the rear passengers. Even if the plastics of the interiors of the City are hard and solid, comfort is still maintained. However, one of the missing features of the Honda City is the climate control system which is surprising since many of the premium hatchbacks have this feature. Other comfort features offered by the Honda City are power door mirrors, power windows, power door lock, fuel consumption display with warning, rear and front seat centre armrests, accessory sockets , headlight alarm, day/night mirror, key alarm, headlight adjuster, foot rest, driver side pull pocket, front seat back pocket, keyless entry, coat hanger and passenger vanity mirror.

Dashboard and Storage

The Honda City’s interiors are very stylish with its dual tone dashboard. It is designed to meet the needs of every customer with its convenient and multifunctional storage places. The rear seats provide storage space underneath where you can store even your umbrella. The driver seat adjustments, cup holders, chrome finished hand brake knob, floor mats and tweeters are added on the dashboard of the interiors to make your every driving experience worthwhile.

Infotainment and Music System

The Honda City has an excellent integrated audio system. The displace section of the system is linked revealing a short USB cable that is compatible with your iPod cable. The modern integrated audio panel has USB/AUX/MP3/AM/FM features with front and rear speakers. Its wireless audio remote enables one to conveniently control your audio output while keeping the driver’s eyes on the road. Also, the iPod compatible USB connector can be controlled through your car’s audio system. Since Honda does not have a CD player, the iPod compatibility feature and compatible MP3 player lets you play your songs on the go. The AVN models of Honda City features a touch screen audio system with DVD, USB/Bluetooth and navigation system.

Engine and Gearbox

All Honda City variants have the same 1.5 litre i-VTEC, (SOHC) engine that enables the engine in providing the highest performance you would expect. The 1497cc power house can generate a maximum power of 116.38 bhp at 6600 rpm and a maximum torque of 146 Nm at 4800 rpm. The engine is equipped with 4 cylinders that feature 4-valves per cylinder, with big 28 mm diameter intake valves by Electronic fuel injection. The valve area can be increased by 4% and it decreases the total pumping losses which making the engine generate maximum output. All variants also have the same transmission. They are all equipped with a synchronized 5 speed manual transmission. An automatic transmission option is featured in the high end “S” and "V" variants. The engine is environmentally friendly with E10 compliance and Euro IV emission levels.

Acceleration and Performance

The advanced i-VTEC with EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) technology used by the car can generate a high engine performance with increased fuel efficiency. The Honda City’s 1497 cc engine can generate excellent acceleration of about 0 – 100 kmph in just 10 seconds and delivers a maximum speed mark of 170 kmph.

Mileage

Honda City claims to deliver a class-leading 16.8 kmpl mileage for manual transmission variants and 15.6 kmpl for the automatic transmission variants. Car experts say that it can deliver a 14 kmpl mileage on city roads and a 17 kmpl mileage on the highway which makes it quite fuel efficient for cars in its segment.

Safety Features

The new Honda City definitely does not take for granted when it comes to safety not only for its passengers and the driver but for pedestrians as well. It offers safety features such as front fenders, engine hood hinges, front windshield support structure and front grille to easily absorb the energy and twist out easily for better safety during collisions involving pedestrians. Other safety features include its dual front SRS air-bags, pre-tensioner seat belts, ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), active headrests to prevent whiplash injuries for the front passenger and driver, EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) and BA (Brake Assist). The rear windshield defogger is very useful during the winter season while the G-Force Control Technology body with a crush-proof survival zone adds protection around the passengers thus minimizing any damages during collisions. The crush-proof survival zone is an added safety feature not only for the passengers but for pedestrians as well. The superb pre-tensioner seat belts and restraining force-control strap arrangement helps maintain the position of the passengers after a collision. These safety features are now a standard offering in the range of Honda vehicles in India.

Suspension and Brakes

The Honda City uses McPherson Struts with coil spring suspension and Stabilizer for the front and torsion beam axle with coil spring suspension and stabilizer for the rear. Compared to the previous version of the Honda City, the New City has disc brakes that are larger in diameter at the front wheel with a longer new brake master cylinder that is smaller in diameter. The drum brakes are attached at the rear wheels. The Honda City claims a stronger brake booster function with its ABS (Anti- lock Brake System) with EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) providing excellent safety during instant braking. The lower pedal ratio offers a more linear brake pedal quality.

Ride and Handling

The rack and pinion steering system with power assist offers a smooth driving experience. Like the other versions of the Honda City, the wheelbase of the sedan is 2550 mm while the total ground clearance is 165 mm. However the kerb weight of the new City varies accordingly. The paddle shifts provides more convenience in handling the Honda City. Its unique Paddle Shift gear transmission function enables you to make gear switching without using the clutch pedal. The sedan’s rack and pinion steering system has a minimum turning radius of 5.3 m with front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.

Variants

Honda City is available in seven eight models: Corporate, E, S, S AT, V MT, V MT CNG, V AT, V AVN MT, V AVN AT, V Exclusive MT and V Exclusive AT.

Shades Available

Honda City is available in six attractive shades: Carnelian Red Pearl, Sparkling Brown Metallic, Urban Titanium Metallic, Bold Beige Metallic, Albaster Silver Metallic and Taffeta White.

Verdict

The New Honda City does not only offer striking new looks but there are many value added features as well that make the car truly superb. Its comfort features are also excellent with an unbeatable price range. Overall, it is spacious, comfortable and fuel efficient. However, the sales are declining day by day because Honda City is still not available in diesel and many prospective buyers are preferring Hyundai Verna, Nissan Sunny, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid.