My review on Team-BHP - https://team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/95840-honda-cit
y-i-vtec-ownership-report-story-so-far.htm pls visit - https://anmolksharma.blogspot.com I started out with a budget of upto 10 lakhs. Fuel efficiency, after sales service, inside space, drivability and resale value were my prime concerns. I needed a car with atleast 100+ BHP and basic features like power windows, ABS, keyless entry etc. I short listed four cars maruti sx4, fiat linea, all new Honda city. I took out linea due to a few reasons. Linea: Very good car. Has got everything I wanted. Scored high on 80% of my parameters(Except Power). However, I doubted about Tata’s service and also feels insecure after reading past fiat behaviors in India( I mean what happened to fiat sienna, palio, Uno?) . Tata has always been criticized for their lack of after sales support
Now, I have two options – Maruti SX4 and Honda City. No Discounts have been taken into consideration(Honda city won’t give you much discounts unlike SX4). If you take discounts, SX4 CNG will be even more attractive.
After dropping linea, I finally had to decide between SX4 and Honda city. I took a test ride for 30 mins on Maruti SX4 ZXi. I drive my friend’s Honda City SMT. So, the following is a result of my own judgment.
Engine: Both cars have very comparable engines. In terms of engine sizes and BHP(Brake Horse Power), there is nothing really to choose from. Honda City has 118 PS power, whereas SX4 has 105 PS. Initially I thought more the power lesser the fuel economy, though I was wrong.
Gear Box: City’s gearbox is smoother and the gears are pretty close to
each other, which means lesser effort compared to SX4(as I felt)
Suspension: City’s suspension is smooth. SX4 is smoother. The
engine performs better for City at decent speeds(upto 120 Km/Hour).
But, at higher speeds SX4 suspension seems to be much better.
The GC of SX4 is a masive 180, now that even makes an Scorpio to feel shame.
While the Honda city GC is only 160 which is its major negative point.
Dashboard: Quality of Plastics seemed better/sturdier in SX4 while
in City, fit and finish of upholstery and butons/switches seemed not that elegant.
Drivability: Both cars are good in this area, though there is more confidence in sx4 because of the higher GC.
Maneuverability: city is better to maneuver in city traffic and it is
“Zippy”, compared to SX4 which is more huge/solid and hence
Difficult to maneuver, reversing an SX4 is a difficult task
Cabin Space: City has more cabin space(though overall dimension is
Less than SX4). This is because City’s engine is smaller and takes
Less space at the front.
Seating: City has the advantage of driver’s seat adjuster which the sx4 doesn’t.(or it has?)
Smoothness: City has a smoother ride, Rajeev_Vermacially for people at the
back.
Cabin Noise: City’s motor feels dead when it starts, its absolutely
quit and noise during drive is negligible.
Rear-Seat Comfort: Much better in City. SX4’s ride is bumpy and
the seating positions for back seat are very uncomfortable, even for a
short ride.
Mileage: City has been shown to give higher mileage. But the new
SX4 VVT claims to give more. Expect 10-14 Km on an average and
Nothing much to choose from here.
AC: SX4 has auto climate control, city has manual but the city AC cools much faster than SX4.Utilities: City has provision for four speakers, same for sx4 But the sound quality of sx4 music system is very standard and nothing remarkable. City integrated audio system’s sound quality is very excellent. The bas and treble are heard crystal clear.Boot Space: again nothing to compare much but looks better in city. Looks: SX4 is a huge car and looks majestic. Honda city’s got killer looks which is just unbeatable IMO. After Sale Service/Spares: SX4 will be better entirely due to Maruti’s wide extensive network Resale: Will be better for Honda CityI had almost made my mind to buy the SX4 but following things put me off.
- Very uncomfortable back-seat ride(Important because I need to
drive with 4/5 people consistently)
Overall Bumpy Ride
looks doesn’t inspire
Noisy Engine & Cabin as compared to city
Less Effective AC as compared to city
SX4 dimensions are larger than city, now that’s the problem for me as the colony’s entrance is narrower, so the xtra 5 cm wider and 10-15 cm longer thing was putting my mind off.
I got City at a discount of 30, 000(Due to a special Honda’s Promotion – the great Honda fest)
also I want to comment on the car dealer, I bought this car from Ring Road Honda, peeragarhi and their
service was just excellent, everything was in smooth and friendly manner
I made“Smart” decision thinking about the long-term. The car fulfills
my entire criterion I noted down at the beginning.
pls mail at - anmolksharma@gmail.com or anmolsharma@bol.net.in for any queries.
