Ultimate in Middle Segment. Review on Honda City 2012 1.5 S AT

I will not repeat the specifications as it is available in numerous web sites rather I will explain my experience of this vehicle after driving around 100 Kms in Hyderabad City. The technical quality about this vehicle is yet to be tested.

Driving Automatic is a real fun and SAFE in city driving. It do not have any Clutch and Gears(manual lever gears). This vehicle is having a conventional 5 gears(unlike CVT which is a belt drive and a Gearless Vehicle) but with automatic gear change without the clutch. It has 5 slots in the driving mode selector. P R N D S(CVT is having one more slot as L) here are the definitions of these:

P: Parking – you need to change in this mode while parking the vehicle. To move in press lever on the selector and to start driving you need to press the lever and brake as well

R: Reverse – to change in to this mode it is require to press the lever on selector.

N: Neutral – it can be achieved anytime without pressing the lever while changing the mode

D: Drive mode – At this mode most of the time people drives their vehicle and it is fully automatic. To reach this mode lever pressing is necessary when changing the mode from neutral but not necessary when changing from S mode.

S: Manual mode – in this mode it is semi automatic with a provision of changing gears manually. By default the selected gears in this mode shall be either gear 1 or gear 2. After rolling of the vehicle the gears can be changed to higher or lower by the pressing the two PADDLE SHIFT levers attached with the steering; Right side(+) for shifting to upper gear and left side(-) for shifting to lower gear. During the drive in manual mode if gear is selected for higher and car computer feels it is not necessary than it will not change the gear to higher or lower ratio. But in case the car is in higher gear and computer feels that gear should be lower, it automatically selects the lower gear.

The car has crawling system that means in the event of releasing brake the car crawls(forward or reverse depending on the mode selector) . though people may find it annoyed but I found it is an excellent system while inching in the crowd or stop and crawl situation. I just need to release the break slightly depending on inching.

Shockers and suspension is better than previous Zxi model, cabin is near sound proof from outside noise. AC is ok as it has duct for rear seat people from the underneath of front seats but these works only when the AC fan selector mode is changed into “face and leg”

The in-built music system is excellent and I do not need to add any amplifier or sub woofer. Speakers the excellent and mounted in for doors. The audio system do not have facility of inserting CDs. It may be bit difficult for non-technical people as it accepts only either Pen Drive or iPods but I feel now days every house is having computer and they use USB Pen Drives.

Seating is comfortable though the thickness of the seat has been reduced from previous but the contour of the seat is comfortable. The driver seat is having facility to raise and lower with lever in right side.

Visibility is better over outgoing ZXi but since the bonnet is longer than the previous model it takes some time to adjust. Outer Rear View Mirror(ORVM) is button controlled(but not electric re-tractable) and is much better than previous model due to wider and bigger in size. Though specification says that it is only 5 mm wider and longer than previous model but I felt it is wider may be due to its body contour or more space inside. Between the front seats an elbow rest has been provided and underneath this elbow rest a small storage space has been provided. The boot is of 506 liters but I found the ZXi was better as it was having wider entry point.

Wheels are of steel rim, had it been alloy wheels ride would have been more fun. The EBD(Electronic Break Distribution) responds good as breaking varies depending on the un-even load distribution in car. ABS and ARS not tested but good for safety. Tyres are of MRF ZVTV tubeless.

Driving in “D” mode is a great fun but it does feel a momentarily drag and shoot due to auto transmission of the gears(CVT was real smooth) tested for mileage(through the available display avg km/l) in automatic “D” mode I got 10.8 kmpl and driving is “S” mode I got 11.3 kmpl of driving distance of 15 kms.

Engine i-Vtec is excellent and I found it very responsive it just like an arrow moving out when accelerator paddle is pressed a inch further. Sound of engine is excellent seating in cabin but totally silent from outside the vehicle. It is totally noiseless vehicle for outside people. Horns are dual horn and slightly shrill.

I am yet to put accessories but doubt if I buy them from Honda. The total cost of rubber accessories costs(as told by dealer) is Rs. 50, 000/-(only four corner protectors are of costing Rs. 7, 000/-). Hence with in a day or two I will visit car grooming centers.

I am not going to put any accessories including the solar film as the glass is already slight green tinted and solar film will spoil the elegancy of the car.

At the end, I must admit it is an excellent car in the middle segment with high end comfy, techie and safety.