[bblost]

Honda City celebrates twenty years in India. Launched in 1998, its sales have crossed 7 lakh units and they keep piling up. According to Honda, most of the sales for their sedan are now from the young "under-35 professional" demography.




First Generation (1998-2003) : Only in Petrol, with sales of 59,378 units.

Honda launched this car in 1998 with two petrol engines. There was a 1.5-liter D-Series engine, which everyone loved. The other option was a 1.3-liter engine, which was the more economical sibling. In the year 2000, the Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) made its debut.



Second Generation (2003-2008) : Only in Petrol with sales of 1,77,742 units

This model is called "The Dolphin". I don't think it's meant as a compliment. It was initially launched with an underpowered 1.5-liter i-DSI churning out a paltry 78PS. In 2005, a variant with the 1.5-liter VTEC putting out 100PS was launched. It never really measured up to the older First Generation Honda City in terms of driving pleasure. But this car had more practicality, the Honda stamp of reliability and the interiors looked pretty good. While it did not burn the roads, it burned through the sales charts. Over its 5 years, it sold almost 3 times as many cars as the First generation Honda City.

A close friend of mine owns one of these and despite buying a new Fourth generation City, he refuses to sell it. Its now doing duty as his family's beater car.


Third Generation (2008-2013) : 1,92,939 : Petrol

Honda launched this Arrow with an engine worthy of the First Generation City. The new 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine developed 117 BHP. This car is not radically different from the new Fourth Generation City.




Fourth Generation (2014-present) : 2,76,095 : Petrol/Diesel

The best power to weight ratio of 110 BHP / Ton (Petrol). You can read all about this car in our detailed Official Review:

[yogesh.8984]

City was my teenage dream and I remember instantly turning my neck every time I saw it on roads.

Dream came true when I bought my first car in January 2016 and it was 4th Gen iVtec. Though I haven't driven the older generations, this iVtec sure brings smiles on face when you press the pedal. So my vote goes to 4th gen (although a biased one )

[varunsangal]

The Honda City has offered great value for money over the years, delivering affordable luxury for the Indian buyers. More importantly it has stood the test of time, matching consumer tastes year after year.

We have owned 3 of the 4 generations of Honda City and currently own the last 2 generations. Each of them has been an absolute pleasure to drive.

That said the City has become expensive! IMO the next generation will be >20 Lakhs. Not sure if I will spend that kind of money. Honda is in the danger of landing the same issue as 20 years ago with 1st gen City, it was just too expensive for its time.

Also, the next 10 years will be telling on Honda and the larger auto industry given the dual shift towards bigger (read SUVish) cars and clean energy. Will Honda continue to invest in City or make it a/cross-City?

[fordfreak]

I've had the privilege of owning all 4 generations of the City. All of them have been the pre-facelift versions of that respective generation. For me, the City stands for practicality, performance and reliability. This has mostly held true for all 4 generations that we have owned. I hope Honda don't change the formula too much as it clearly works well.

Summarizing my thoughts about each City that we have owned below.

1st Gen (Silver 1.3 Exi): Got her in 1998. Sold in 2004 after racking up approximately 89K on the ODO. I never got to drive this one as I wasn't 18.

2nd Gen (Ruby Red 1.5 Gxi Manual): Got her in December of 2003. Sold in 2010 after racking up 82K on the ODO. This was the first Honda I got to drive. I remember it being very easy to maneuver but not the most fun to drive. Overall quality was good though rust had started to show on a couple of body panels.

3rd Gen (Beige 1.5 VMT): Got her in September of 2010. Still have her today with around 60K on the ODO. Engine and Transmission still as good as new. Minor rust has appeared on a couple of the doors and the suspension has started rattling. This is by far the most fun to drive generation of the City IMHO. Ground clearance is a major issue in this generation as it always scrapes speed bumps.

4th Gen (Silver 1.5 VX-MT): Got her in February of 2016. This is mostly self-driven by me and has a little under 11K on the ODO. Didn't opt for the diesel as I found the petrol way better to drive. This generation comes loaded with features, but build quality has taken a slight dip compared to the previous versions. Still a very comfortable and practical car to own. Fun to drive, but not as much as the 3rd gen.

Attaching pictures of our cars (2nd, 3rd & 4th gen). Can't find a picture of the first City we had.

[dip27in]

I still own a 2000 VTEC. The car is still rock solid on all possible corners. It does everything without any fuss. There are very few cars, which are as reliable as First Gen honda. I did everything I could with my limited capacity, still these cars never disappointed.

However, in contrary, I hear a lot of friends with bad experience of new Gen honda city. The company who was a symbol of class and reliability, seems to give up their quest to retain their market position.

Sharing two of my vtecs. I had other first gen honda's also, which are still doing good with current owners. I wish Honda changed or revamped their policy or philosophy and came with such magnificent cars!

[Thermodynamics]

The very first generation of Honda city was infact a hatchback

Year 1981

reminds something else, doesn't it?

[iVtec]

My 3rd gen City which I bought in 2011 has 75K on the odo. I bought it in Chennai and after using it for 5 years in Chennai, I got the registration changed in Hyderabad after paying the life tax in Telangana. The 3rd gen City is a solid performer and I intend to keep it for at least 3 more years. It is in its final year of extended warranty and I got the EPS changed under warranty last year, as it started making noise. That is the only repair it needed. The only issue I have with this car is that the bottom scrapes almost every speed breaker. Other than that, it's a very reliable vehicle and a great highway cruiser.

[Aaron:)]

There's no doubt that the Honda City brand holds a certain aspirational value in India, even after so many years. Get this, out of the City, Ciaz and Verna, the current gen City is the oldest one but it's still right up there in sales.

Back in 2009 when we bought our 3rd gen City, the other cars we considered were the Maruti SX4 and Fiat Linea. We ignored it's shortcomings (missing equipment, high price) for the sheer all-roundedness. Now in 2018, the SX4 and Linea have faded into oblivion while the City soldiers on. The City is, and always will be a car you can't go wrong with.

My City has covered close to 50k kilometres and has performed flawlessly all through. Not a single rattle, squeak or unscheduled visit to the service centre. The maintenance cost has been as low as our old Alto. And it's a car that can put a smile on everyone's face, be it the driver, the rear seat passenger or the accountant.

However, I feel that the 4th gen isn't as much of a leap over it's predecessor. The previous generations were significantly better than the competition in key areas (1st gen reliability, performance; 2nd gen efficiency, quality; 3rd gen performance, all roundedness). The 4th gen is a great car, but the compromise in quality makes it harder to love.

Also, the next decade is going to be a challenging one, with the shift towards SUVs and cleaner fuels. But Honda very well knows that the City is their bread and butter model, and they will make sure that it continues its dominance.

Here's hoping that Honda gets its mojo back and pushes the envelope with the 5th gen City!

[narayan]

I have owned the 1st gen - clearly that car was quite a looker in the context of the market at that time and even today. Of course, when you compare with today's sedans, space is at a premium in the OHC with its low floor pan and roof. But they key positives were

1. Solid linear acceleration all the way to 6.5-7k RPM
2. Superb visibility at the front with that low bonnet
3. Good FE - I recall this model weighed just about 875Kg
4. Gear shift quality was good for that age ( vaguely recall it being better than the Lancer )
5. Driver seating position - perfect ( without any steering or seat adjustment )
6. Interior plastics were good for that time - The door pad top and arm rest portion had a soft touch panel. I don't recall the dash though. The center panel and the a/c vent outline panel were of superb quality and looked new even in my 95k + 2001 OHC 1.5Exi when I finally sold it in 2011. The Lancer ( its closest competition ) clearly had poor plastics if I recall right.
7. Seat fabric was of excellent quality
8. Parts were cheap and overall quality was good. My car was on the stock clutch when I sold it. This was despite the car running on an aftermarket exhaust for around 40k of its latter life which involved hard accelerations on pretty much every traffic signal.

My brother owned ( and still has ) the face lifted version of the gen 2. While this gen is quite hated in this forum for its odd ball looks and that anemic 1.5 IDSI engine, I would say that this gen was the most practical of the lot. It had amazing interior space, was not too low slung - hence was a bit more comfortable getting in and out. The engine - despite ~ 77bhp power - was extremely tractable in the city and was not so out of breath in the highways too. Gear shift quality is amazing as well.

Have never driven the gen 3 or 4. Have traveled in a gen 4 in Singapore recently ( its called a Honda grace here ! ). I found the dash board to be quite pleasing.

[SJM1214]

Found this interesting piece of information about Honda City from an old(FEB 1999) Automobile magazine. Tried to google Honda Siel(??) Cars India Ltd (HSCI) but didn't find many details. All it talks about Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL).

[Prathiiik]

Originally Posted by SJM1214

Found this interesting piece of information about Honda City from an old(FEB 1999) Automobile magazine. Tried to google Honda Siel(??) Cars India Ltd (HSCI) but didn't find many details. All it talks about Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL).



Attachment 1731803

Honda Siel refers to the the Brand Honda Cars.

I think this news is about Honda adding new features to the City 1.3 EXI.

It talks about few add - ons like a tachometer, a new colour and a wiring harness for the rear speaker.


A google search also shows up Honda Siel Power Products Company.

[Madhu_Bengaluru]

Voted for the 1st generation honda city. Around 9 years back when I had saved enough for my first car, the one to go after in the used car market was the 1st generation Vtec. May be due to my bad luck I was not able to find any well maintained ones and went ahead and settled down for the Baleno, which was next on my list. Now when i am planning to return back to India, I am once again searching for a Honda .

[metropolis]

Honda city has been very near to my heart particularly the 3rd generation: 2012-13 which has been a mark of quality in every sphere.

Honda stands out in the league without a doubt until the 4th generation series wherein there has been significant decrease in the quality standards, light body and more towards its current shape IMO; no offence to the 4th generation owners though.

The 3rd generation is still and will be a “Head Turner”. The countenance spells amazing aggressive and majestic stance to the car. The drawing power is such that no other current line-ups ever induce me to lay hands on.

The city beams every time I turn back towards her calling me for an endless drive!

[Aaron:)]

I've been pondering over this question for some time now - Which is my favourite generation of the City?

I think I'm going to take a slightly unpopular stance here - I'll go with the 2nd gen. Yes, the 1st and 3rd gen appeal to the heart, and the 4th gen to the masses. But there's something about the 2nd gen that's hard to ignore.

That car is completely unapologetic about its practical nature. Back in 2003, not everyone loved its styling, but it made every single midsize sedan from the Lancer to the Optra feel dated and stale in comparison. It truly was a sight on Indian roads, amongst outdated models. The efficiency, user friendly nature, and top notch quality that it offered was unheard of at the time. This gen was instrumental in building Honda's image as a brand that offers futuristic, high quality products.

I love the 1st gen for its sportiness, the 3rd gen for its completeness and like the 4th gen for its mass appeal. But strangely, its the 2nd gen that I'm the most fond of.

[greendream]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

I've had the privilege of owning all 4 generations of the City.

3rd Gen (Beige 1.5 VMT): Got her in September of 2010. Still have her today with around 60K on the ODO. Engine and Transmission still as good as new. Minor rust has appeared on a couple of the doors and the suspension has started rattling. This is by far the most fun to drive generation of the City IMHO. Ground clearance is a major issue in this generation as it always scrapes speed bumps.

4th Gen (Silver 1.5 VX-MT): Got her in February of 2016. This is mostly self-driven by me and has a little under 11K on the ODO. Didn't opt for the diesel as I found the petrol way better to drive. This generation comes loaded with features, but build quality has taken a slight dip compared to the previous versions. Still a very comfortable and practical car to own. Fun to drive, but not as much as the 3rd gen.

Nice to see that you have first hand experience with the CITY.
I was an owner of the 1st gen vtec. Brilliant car.
Off late I find this comment about degradation in quality of the CITY especially comparing the 3rd and 4th gen. I see that you too opined so. Where all do you see Honda has cut corners?
Other BHPians too can throw some light on these areas where Honda has compromised.