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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
The fourth generation Honda City is vastly improved thereby appealing to a wider set of buyers, writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com.
The Honda City is one of the most popular cars in India and has remained the king of its segment for a long long time.
However diesel engine demand led to the City losing its number one position to the Hyundai Verna but Honda is all ready to sprint back to the top spot of the C-segment with the all new City.
The fourth generation City now gets a diesel engine and is updated thoroughly to woo back buyers to this popular brand.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
The new Honda City is an evolution of the old model and that is immediately visible once you see the car's exteriors.
The length and width of the new City is identical to its predecessor but the height has increased by 10 mm.
Although the exteriors look similar, Honda has made changes to the body panels which are all new.
Also the lights on the City have been changed completely and the tail lights are very striking as they are long units extending into the boot.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
The 2014 Honda City gets an all new interior which is drastically transformed. The cabin is similar to the new Jazz which is India bound later this year.
The centre console tilts towards the driver while the 3-spoke steering wheel is fabulous to hold.
Quality levels are good and a ton of features are included on the car including a touch panel for the AC, 5-inch infotainment system with USB, AUX, CD and Bluetooth connectivity, push button start, sunroof, cruise control, reverse camera, etc.
The attractive dashboard has gloss black finish along with silver touches for that premium feel.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
While the length of the car remains the same as before, the wheelbase has been increased by 50 mm to yield improved interior room.
The new City has very comfortable seats and the rear seat is among the best in the segment, offering ample amount of space to stretch out in total comfort.
The top-end variant also gets leather seats and the 8-speaker audio system offers good sound output.
Honda has given the City four power outlets in the car, a unique feature in this digital age where we run out of power on our devices all the time. Boot space has increased and the trunk can swallow 510-litres.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
The Honda City gets the diesel engine from the Amaze, in the same set of tune, producing 100 PS of power at 3600 RPM and 200 Nm of torque at 1750 RPM.
The big change is the gearbox, which is a 6-speed unit. The City diesel has good all round performance and there is very little lag at low speeds, making city driving quite swift.
The mid-range packs a good punch but redline comes in early at just 4100 RPM. The City's top speed isn't limited like the Amaze and thus the diesel version tops out at 190 km/hr.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
Where the City diesel lacks is the NVH. In spite of better insulation than the Amaze, the diesel motor is quite audible inside although vibrations are well contained.
The 6-speed gearbox isn't as smooth shifting as the 5-speed unit on the Amaze. 0-100 km/hr takes around 12.5 seconds and Honda has made improvements to the mileage of the car.
The City diesel is the most fuel efficient car in the country, returning an ARAI certified mileage of 26 km/l.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
The petrol engine has been carried over from before and is the same 1.5-litre i-VTEC mill which sees an increase in output of 1 PS. Thus the petrolCity produces 119 PS of power and 145 Nm of torque.
Performance from this motor needs no introduction. This is without doubt the best petrol engine in its segment. Throttle response is instant and power is fed in a smooth manner.
The best part of course is the top-end of this motor, it just loves the redline. You can hit 7000 RPM easily with the exhaust emitting a vocal snarl which is very pleasant to the ears.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
The petrol City is mated to a 5-speed gearbox and a CVT automatic as well. The 5-speed manual is smooth and the clutch is light.
The CVT is a new unit which is even more efficient than its manual counterpart, returning 18 km/l against the manual's 17.8 km/l.
The 7-step CVTCity gets an ECON mode along with steering mounted paddles. The CVT unit is hassle free and makes driving so much easy but it lacks the punch found in other non-CVT automatics in the segment.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
The 2014 Honda City is more rigid and gets a new H-shaped torsion beam rear suspension. Handling has always been a forte of the City and the new car is no different.
The steering is light at low speeds but weighs decently as speeds increase, lacking when it comes to high speed feedback.
The suspension is on the stiffer side but the City rides well (the petrol rides better than the diesel), absorbing bad roads in its path.
The car remains stable at high speeds and the brakes are strong. However the puny 175 mm width tyres lack grip and easily start screeching.
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The new Honda City to soon get its crown back
The City is one of the most important cars for Honda in India and their approach towards it shows.
The company has taken the City a whole notch up with the vast changes and the vehicle is not only more appealing but also better equipped with improved mileage.
With a diesel engine now under its belly, the new Honda City is sure to regain its top selling tag soon.