| Honda recently introduced the new HONDA CITY 1.5V.
Exteriors:
The City’s looks need not much talking. This urbane roadster speaks for itself as it silently conquers the roads. Err … *clears throat*... Well calling a sedan, a roadster is far sell, but damn have you checked out how massively hot this one is! A cursory glance at the new ‘arrow look’ and one may mistake this to be a Futuristic Zone Raider from one those Anime thingamajigs the kids love to watch nowadays. Needless to say we love the looks courtesy, the inherent Aerodynamics, the City boldly sports.
The most significant change in the new look is the new stylish grill or the arrow nose as we like to call it. Then comes the brilliantly intense eyes i.e. front headlamps which have been modified to add sharpness to an already sharp car. Following which one notices the expulsion of A pillars in the front, which is a refreshing new change this time on, adding both to style as well as visibility.
But the moment one starts falling in love with the car comes the kick in the nuts - No alloys! What adds insult to njury is the lack of even an optional accessorizing option. Although the disappointment doesn’t last too long. As soon as one reaches the rear, damage control begins - It is the stylish C Pillars that takes away the bitter after taste. The rear headlamps or the arrow tail adds nicely to the cars overall sharpness.
The boot is a good 506 liters, though the opening is a tad narrow, the carrying capacity is reasonably good.
Interiors:
The seating both the front and the rear is quite comfortable for its segment. It definitely isn’t a lot but it works. What bites though is head room. Yes it bothers us so much that I would like to delve into this first and foremost. The head room is abysmally low. Period. For a six foot plus man it is hell, yes literally hell! If you are a man or woman who is less than six feet tall proceed to read this further or give up the thought of buying this otherwise great vehicle.
Assuming you are below the threshold height and meet the aforementioned criterion I suggest we move on. The meter gauges include the regular: trip meter, tachometer, mileage and range meters. The driver seat is four-way adjustable and the steering wheel is two-way adjustable. For its segment the city has kept up the usual features - The steering mounted controls, arm rests and adequate holding space for front and rear passengers, electronically adjustable mirrors. Going with the overall design, the three spoke steering wheel is also been devised aesthetically. Once again just things began to look up, our sights landed on the music system. Shockingly Honda ignored to put the CD player in this Audio Deck! The otherwise good music system which comes with 4 speakers and FM/ USB input mode accepts no disks! There is an AUX port that is supposedly supposed to compensate though.
Nevertheless, the thing that makes all bad, good; what we positively loved, was a feature we hadn’t witnessed in this segment before - Rear AC vents! The City comes with two rear AC Vents underneath the front seats. Ten hours of direct Delhi sun exposure, cross the threshold into a Honda City … Ah, cooler for the crotch, what a blessing!
Ride:
The engine being relatively silent to the slightest touch of the accelerator paddle. Light as a feather, yes this car is in actuality the lightest car in this segment which is why the engine despite being only 1.5 L generates 118 PS of power. And this is also why we see an excellent power-to-weight ratio of 107.27PS/ton.
The overall ride is quite typical of the 1.5 L intelligent V-Tec engine which in one word can be summed up as smooth. The car whizzes in straight lines and I mean literally whizzes away to glory. Its also quite comfortable assuming you aren’t above the six feet threshold, in which case my friend, you shall squirm inexcusably. The A and B pillars are placed strategically providing the adequate vision. The C pillar, which although adds to the looks, is not as well crafted as the rest when it comes to visibility and can be obtrusive.
Honda engineering is quite evident in the maneuvering and the handling lives up to the Honda standards. Although at 160 mm the ground clearance of this Honda is not what we bargained for and we hit quite a many potholes on our adventures. As compared to other sedans available in this segment, this is quite less but lower ground clearance means a better grip and thus more stability, where the city wins hands down. What needs improvement is the City’s soft suspensions and narrow tires which despite its lower clearance resulted in more than normal body roll.
Engine and Transmission:
The new Honda City is driven by a 4 cylinder, 16 Valve ‘intelligent V-Tec’ engine with 1497 cc displacement. The transmission is synchronized 5 Speed forward and 1 reverse. It generates a max power of 118 PS on 6600 rpm and a max torque of 146 Nm at 4800 rpm. Coming back to the current description there is something worth noting here. The City has been designed such to leave ample space around the engine. This space is advantageous as firstly it helps the engine cool quicker and secondly in case of accidents the engine is safer from direct impacts.
And oh in case you’re interested to know more about the iV-Tec engine and how it manages to generate so much power at a mere 1.5l follow Honda iV-Tec.
Suspensions:
Speaking of the suspensions, I would personally rate those 3.0 on a scale of 5. Equipped with coil springs both in front and rear the City drives smooth even through the bumps on the road. The front suspension is a Mc Pherson Strut with Stabilizer, Coil Spring and the rear suspension a Torsion Beam Axle with Stabilizer, Coil Spring. But like we mentioned earlier tighter suspensions would be a god sent for this vehicle.
Brakes and Safety:
The brakes are regular front disk rear drum combination here but the difference is the standard ABS (EBD BA) provision. The ABS or the Anti Braking System is a better braking technology providing better braking while maneuvering the vehicle at high speeds and is very common in SUVs nowadays. Honda bringing it standard in its sedan is ensuring not just better braking but stability on road and safety too.
Apart from ABS the City is equipped with airbags for both the front passengers.
Verdict:
Pros: Great looks. Good drive quality. Rear AC Vents.
Cons: Very little head room. No Disc Changer. No provisions for alloys.
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