Want 2 loose peace of mind? Go 4 it ... Review on Honda City 1.5L i-VTEC

Hi all. Honda city ivtec vmt is my third car after Maruti 800 and Wagon R. After two months of driving and first service done,  I am writing this review. Technical data and other specifications of this car are easily available on the net. Hence, I want to share just my experiences here and I hope it will help the people who r willing to buy this car but r in doubt about its performance. In my personal view, this is an overpriced and overhyped car. I dont know what will be my opinion about this car after some time(till now I have done 4500 km only; I will keep writing my future experinces in the comment section of this review), but right now, I cant  recommend it to anyone.  Coming straight to the point:

I like this car because

1. Honda has its brand image and people admire it. u feel proud on road. Also, I have heared that its resale value is good.

   
   




2. Fuel efficiency is good. In Greater Noida (here, we have good wide roads, nominal traffic, no red lights and thus good average speed) get around 16.5 km/l regularly with normal petrol.

   
   




3. Car runs smoothly and on good road u can do 140km/hr easily(but body doesn't complement the engine at this speed and it is dangerous as although breaking system is ok for this class, I once felt almost gone at 130km/hr while avoiding an erratic truck driver who jumped in my lane from nowhere. So a good breaking system at 80 doesn't assure u control at 130!).

   
   




4. Attractive and Spacious interier(except back headroom).

   
   

5. I like its curves but this is specific and depends on the viewer.

1. Service network is good. First service was a good experience (but I have yet to approach them with some serious problem, only then the real picture will be clear).

   
   




2. Car comes with 4 yrs warranty so overpriced spares should not be a matter of concern(i understand this statement is immature after just 2-3 months of driving)

   
   

But there are many things I dislike about it

1. Paint work is totally a disappointment. After returning home, U can notice new scratches here and there without any noticeable scratch making incidence in the day. On the road if a flying object of even 1 mm size hit the car, expect the damaged paint work on that spot. Even my previous maruti 800(4 times cheaper) had better paint. My neighbor's older wagon r(no teflon coating, only daily dusting) has better shine than mine honda city even after my weekly waxing. Seeing my dream car changing slowly into an ugly baby so early is really disheartening and depressing.

   
   




2. Metal sheet used in the body is shamefully thin and can easily be pressed by a single thumb(Maybe this is helpful in good fuel effeciency). No need to explain that there are tiny dents on my new car due to flying debries(like concrete pieces bounced by other cars) while running on the road!

   
   




3. Ground clearance is really a great concern. I felt difficulties even in Greater Noida and Noida where we have good roads.

   
   




4. Many false things/claims in the car. For example 118 bhp(claimed) engine never feels as powerful as that of a Scorpio mhawk engine which is also of 118 bhp and pulls a heavier body. Digital fuel efficiency meter also tells you an enhanced reading. More than 2 km/l than actual. Distance to travel reading is also not trustworthy.

   
   




5. I dont know if its the fault of arrow shape design, but the head room in the back seat is quite poor.

   
   




6. Boot volume is good but the boot opening is small so putting a large bag is always a tough exercise.

   
   




7. Car vibrates through a speed band of 85-95 km/hr. Also when the car is cold, second gear is difficult to engage and engine also show some hesitation for quite some time even after the temperature indicator show a warm position of engine. But I think these are not general problems with this model and i hope these will be rectified in next service. But u can learn from this point that Honda cars are not state of the art products(as hyped) and u can face such strange problems.

   
   




8. Car's rear right side is tilted downwards. Service adviser told me that it is common and is due to heavy silencer. I have to accept it only reminding myself the UP roadways buses which are never balanced on their axle.

   
   




9. "Car is super silent, road noise and engine noise is totally filtered out from the cabin" is totally bakwas. U can always hear engine noise at low speeds specially at low rpm and when engine is cold and u can feel roads at times through pedals. Only marginally better than my old Wagon R!

   
   




10. Music system is although good but some heavy bass tracks(observed while listening title track of'blue') will make your door fittings rattle. This irritates when u think u have spent almost 10 lac for this kind of pleasure.

    
    




11. Spare parts and accessories are over over priced. Can u belive that the cost of front fog lights is 22k!

    
    




12. Some of my friends console me that even after some problems, I am enjoying a good engine and quality ride. But belive me(i am driving 4 wheelers from last 14 years), if I compare it with my last car(wagon r vxi, done 65000 km), city is almost 250% costly but the smoothness of its engine and ride quality at around 90 km/hr(normal/ permissible cruise speed in india) is merely 10% better. it sounds funny to compare these two cars but this observation is a hard truth.

    
    




13. show it the uneven, partially damaged roads(real roads of india, I am mentioning my drive of noida to Aligarh to Mathura, 4 adults in car), this car starts screaming. through shock absorvers, dashboard etc. it felt disappointing that cars like indica were cruising ahead of me on that road and I have to limit my speed just to take care of my screaming suspension and dashboard!

    
    




14. Quality of horn, head light intensity, width of tyres etc. are proof of unnecessary cost cutting. Considering the cost of the car, these parts are really disappointment.

    
    

I hope I have cleared many things honestly for prospective buyers. Concerning the 9.5 lac rs I spent, I dont feel I got a quality product. May be some of the problems are only with my car but overall city is an overpriced, overhyped product and is a victim of shameful costcutting at manufacturing level.  These are the facts which u will learn only after buying this car. I only hope someone had told me all these things before I entered the honda showroom! Perhaps this is the reason I wrote my first ever review for others. Or may be to show my frustration as Rs 10 lac is a big amount for me and I could have spent it more wisely.

One line summery from deep of my heart: IF THIS IS THE BEST CAR IN IT'S SEGMENT, THEN BETTER AVOID THIS SEGMENT.

Anyways I will be highly obliged if readers can suggest me the solutions of my problems.

REGARDS AND HAPPY DRIVING .

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