[Romeo_Mike]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

This is a risky statement to make. As a Gen4 owner, let me tell you that the car was absolutely fine for the 12-18 months...

I am worried about this too especially after seeing this video and the comments on it -

https://youtu.be/4YhWHZWra5s

Suspension noise and rattles all around in the cockpit just 4 months into ownership and if comments are to be believed, not an one-off case either.

To make my position clear, I am neither a Honda fanboy nor a hater. Just so happens that the City currently tops my list for a possible upgrade.

[AutoConsultant]

Originally Posted by Romeo_Mike

I am worried about this too especially after seeing this video and the comments on it -

https://Youtu.be/4YhWHZWra5s

Suspension noise and rattles all around in the cockpit just 4 months into ownership and if comments are to be believed, not an one-off case either.

To make my position clear, I am neither a Honda fanboy nor a hater. Just so happens that the City currently tops my list for a possible upgrade.

Yup, this video did get me worried also. But he posted a follow-up video where the interior noises were fixed and Honda are still looking into the suspension noise.

I was okay with NVH levels but suspension noise was a little concerning. But I also found a lot of people commenting (on FB group as well) that they haven't faced this issue. Also, I feel this is a type of issue that can be fixed. So I went ahead and took the plunge.

However, such kind of niggles are unacceptable in a 14-15 lac car. Hope they fix it ASAP.

[nickatnite]

Save for the engine the current City is an average looking, nondescript sedan with mediocre build quality. Only the price is rich and sadly there seem to be enough buyers who wish to be made fools of by Honda India. I would buy an used late model Altis or Octavia instead and keep the change. The new Verna too is overpriced but i would recommend it over this current lumpen iteration of the City.

[fhdowntheline]

The Verna cant seat 4 medium size adults with luggage in as much comfort as the City. This is true ever since the Verna was launched. I dont think the City is as mediocre as you point out. Yes, in the current trend of more powerful and heavier crossovers it may appear so, but for the regular middle- upper middle class person who still cares to drive the most spacious, consistently reliable sedan in India , the City remains the only choice.

[GTO]

If the sedans ever needed a representative to fight the crossovers, this one is it . I loved the City 1.5L Petrol and its definitely the top choice in the segment for an average Deepak or an enthusiast alike (although the vintage Rapid 1.0 TSI is also darn tempting). As a sedan lover, am happy to see Honda continuing to invest in sedans - the Amaze & City make up ~90% of the brand's sales in India. That said, the company does desperately need a wide lineup of crossovers.

[sreerknair]

Originally Posted by GTO

If the sedans ever needed a representative to fight the crossovers, this one is it

Hi GTO, may we know if there will be a detailed official review of Gen 5 City? Or the summary you provided in another thread will be the only official update? Many in the forum, including myself, has this query. So thought of cheking this with you. Thanks.

[MCR]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

This is a risky statement to make. As a Gen4 owner, let me tell you that the car was absolutely fine for the 12-18 months. It was only after a couple of years or about 30k km that the drastic drop in quality and longevity because obvious as things started to wear out or rattle or fade or sag or come off. Replacements were eye wateringly expensive. It is too early to comment on improved quality levels for the Gen5, if any at all. The picture will be clear in another couple of year, by when the sedan segment will become more or less irrelevant.

I was a Gen4 Honda City owner too.
Hated the car to the core. It was rattling like a tractor. Could not bear the issues as well. Too many to count!
Sold it after 30K kms.

I had a chance to TD a 10K kms run Gen5 City recently and the Test drive car held up pretty well! The cabin was silent and there were no rattling noises anywhere. Also the interior fit and finish and the build quality felt far better. Hence I made the statement, that things looked improved.

[vlkn0]

As others have mentioned, the V (CVT) variant is a great buy and I'm a very, very happy owner. I was initially planning to buy a Polo Highline+ AT. Then, I ended up booking a Skoda Rapid Ambition AT and finally cancelled it to buy the City instead.

We couldn't be happier about the decision. The car feels a segment or two above the Rapid / Polo in terms of interiors and comfort. Even the V variant offers more in terms of features & safety than the more expensive Rapid / Polo variants.

Yes, my Rapid variant was more silent and cheaper (by about 1.6L) but I had a very poor booking experience with Skoda when compared to Honda. Viva Honda (Chandivali) delivered the car in 7-8 days (inlcuding RTO and everything else) during the busy Christmas period so it has been our best sales experience by far.

The City is a solid buy because it's a great looking, reliable car that also has solid after sales support. I would recommend it (especially in Pearl White!) to anyone looking for a sedan at 10+ lakhs and FWIW, I've had none of the issues mentioned in the above reports during my first 500km with the car.

[a4anurag]

Total sales of the Honda City Y-o-Y from 2011 till 2020 if tallied also helps Honda City maintain the No.1 position in its C2 segment.



Hyundai Verna and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz are fighting it out for position 2 and 3. The City is a bit far and will need a lot of catching up to do for Hyundai and Maruti to gain the No.1 position.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by vlkn0

As others have mentioned, the V (CVT) variant is a great buy and I'm a very, very happy owner.

Congrats on the buy! Glad that you went with the City especially since you were not happy with the dealings at Skoda! A great choice when peace of mind is important.

Please write a review of the car with pictures of the interiors and exteriors. Will educate people who are on the fence trying to decide between the V and VX variants!

[AutoConsultant]

Originally Posted by nickatnite

Save for the engine the current City is an average looking, nondescript sedan with mediocre build quality. Only the price is rich and sadly there seem to be enough buyers who wish to be made fools of by Honda India. I would buy an used late model Altis or Octavia instead and keep the change. The new Verna too is overpriced but i would recommend it over this current lumpen iteration of the City.

A. Looks - Although looks is a subjective matter, the new City is easily the best looking product in its segment (Verna is just over-styled imo) and looks much better that the new (again overly done) Creta

B. Build quality - The fit and finish of the cabin and the plastics used are much better than Verna or Creta (have personally test driven all these cars), the head unit is much inferior in comparison but is livable for someone who is using a touchscreen for the first time. Agreed, NVH levels are bad in comparison and Honda should have done better in this department

C. Brand - The trust that the City brand has build over the years is the reason for its relatively higher sales numbers. Based on past performance, it is expected to have lesser major mechanical failures than the Koreans

Buying new or used is a personal choice and for people who wish to keep their car for a longer period (8-10 years), buying a new City makes a lot more sense than a used Altis or Octavia

Being an owner of the 5th Gen City, I know my opinion would be slightly biased but I feel you are being too harsh and critical by saying that we are fools to make this decision. Hope you have done your share of research and test drives before arriving at this conclusion.

[Axe77]

To me, the City is still a materially flawed offering that could really be so much better - great in some aspects and then underwhelming in many other key places. It’s current success is more a case of “andhon mein kaana raja” than sheer well rounded and overall brilliance. I am a big fan of erstwhile Hondas - heck we owned a 2009 city A/T for close to 8 years and 106,000 kms. The Vento and Rapid are highly aging models and the Yaris also never really picked up sufficiently. The old Verna wasn’t that hot either but not sure how the current gen will be received. Honestly it stumps me why the current gen might not give it a better fight.

My key wish list from the Honda City:

1. Better build quality
2. Better suspension
3. More variant options, including more fun to drive petrol as well as diesel automatics

Sort the above and they could also take the fight to the many crossovers and poach some of those numbers as well.

To me, a final BIG differentiator would be if they offered a full blown (like Camry) petrol hybrid variant in the City. That would really set the cat amongst the pigeons in this price bracket assuming its fun to drive as well.

[vsrivatsa]

There is no perfect car that exists - most cars ticks some boxes and the City ticks a lot of boxes which makes it a balanced choice. None of the C2 Sedans carry a GNCAP Safety rating so no point calling some cars as "better built" as called out by some. We all know now how the Seltos has fared based on the assumptions that people had and the recent anger that has been expressed over its failure to meet the expectations that people had.

The Creta/Seltos twins have set the sales chart on fire ever since they released and they continue to sell well. For those who do not want to spend the additional 2-3 lakhs to buy the top end of Creta/Seltos, the City forms a very good alternative. Ciaz sales have flattened completely after the exit of the legendary Fiat Engine - maybe the new Generation Ciaz when released should renew its attractiveness. Verna lost the game when Hyundai could not fix the rear seat space issue. So, the City will continue to sell decent numbers.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

The Verna cant seat 4 medium size adults with luggage in as much comfort as the City. This is true ever since the Verna was launched.

Yes this is the one big issue which Hyundai has not been able to overcome for a long time.

Originally Posted by Axe77

The old Verna wasn’t that hot either but not sure how the current gen will be received. Honestly it stumps me why the current gen might not give it a better fight.

As called out by fhdowntheline , the major chink in the armor for Verna is the rear seat space - one of the key items on the checklist for people buying sedans is the rear seat and the Verna fails that test badly.

Originally Posted by Axe77

To me, a final BIG differentiator would be if they offered a full blown (like Camry) petrol hybrid variant in the City.

That seems to be on the roadmap for 2022 based on rumors that we are hearing - but Honda is slow and it may take them another year as well.

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

What's the point of this thread? We are discussing the king of a (small) hill, and a hill that is rapidly eroding away into irrelevance. More than 10 times as many SUV/Crossover/MUV are sold in the same price range.

Your statement about City being the King of a small hill is very true as things stand today but then the trends come and go and we will continue to see shifts.

Who knows by the time Honda wakes up and brings in their H-RV or 'Some"-RV, the SUV trend itself maybe gone too - just like how it happened when Honda finally launched a Diesel Engine.

[vlkn0]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Congrats on the buy! Glad that you went with the City especially since you were not happy with the dealings at Skoda! A great choice when peace of mind is important.

Please write a review of the car with pictures of the interiors and exteriors. Will educate people who are on the fence trying to decide between the V and VX variants!

Thanks, will do. In the meantime, here's a side profile of the V and the ZX!



IMO, the Pearl White looks supreme and the alloys aren't bad at all. I also prefer the body colored accents on the V when compared to the excessive chrome on the ZX

[arindambasu13]

Really happy to see Honda coming up with a good solid product and sticking through with its efforts for the Indian market. Yes, plenty of views still abound that the build quality is still not up there with the Germans, but I would prefer the City any day over the temperamental Germans or Koreans given that it ticks the holy trinity of performance, practicality and reliability, which for me have always been the top 3 considerations when picking up a car. Does not hurt that it is quite snazzy looking as well with well laid out and good quality interiors.

The 1.5 iVTEC alone would clinch the deal for me. Clocked around 15000 kms on my 4th gen City and the responsiveness of the engine never fails to please me.

Bring out a couple of good crossovers, and together with the new City and Amaze, Honda will have a solid and well rounded lineup of products.