[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by UD17

5. The Honda petrols are far far superior so if one test drives both ....

Having driven the Diesel version for 8+ years and petrol versions as well, I would like to differ here.

If the driver intends to redline constantly and extract performance, then the petrol will feel good but the petrol clearly lacks the low end grunt and performance of the diesel.

The petrol delivers its peak torque of 145 Nm at a high 4300 rpm, whereas the diesel delivers its 200 Nm peak torque at just 1750 rpm with about 75% (about 160Nm) of the torque coming in just at 1100 rpm. It results in fantastic drivability with very less need to change gears or need to rev the engine.

Also in gear acceleration, 20kmph to 80kmph in 3rd gear takes about 8.6 seconds in Diesel and 11.5 seconds in the petrol. Petrol is a whole 3 seconds slower and 30 to 100 kmph in the Diesel takes about 14 seconds and the petrol is again about 3 seconds slower at 17 seconds. This is what matters on highways and makes the Diesel a much more effortless car to drive compared to the Petrol.
Practically speaking at speeds upto 120kmph which is our legal upper limit, the Diesel fares much better than petrol and is a real mile muncher, petrol due to its revving nature offers more bhp and you can appreciate the petrol only on revving hard and extracting more power at higher speeds.

Honda has offered an excellent Diesel engine by the way it delivers power and torque and efficiency.

[Durango Dude]

For those who are cat on the wall regards diesel: those with low running and wanting to choose between almost same cost products with diesel and petrol like the Hyundai Alcazar, this must be a warning of things to come. Diesel is going to be a 'pariah' in the days to come and it's days as a passenger vehicle powerplant are numbered. As we go ahead it's going to be prohibitively expensive to keep the diesel's clean. This may be a writing on the wall for our homegrown automakers like Tata and Mahindra to not expend precious resources on new diesel engine development: good to see both especially Tata to have taken the leap to EV's and becoming the largest EV seller in India. If you buy a new diesel car now, chances of you scrapping the car in 10 years is closer than you think.

[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by Mustang_Boss

Delhi is just one place on earth, which has some geographical issues.

Delhi always enjoyed much cheaper fuel and much higher wages.

Once you move south and see different cities, the prices of petrol are not affordable for many. There is a valid reason for people opting for diesel over petrol.

Even as we speak, the price of diesel is higher in my city than the cost of Petrol in Delhi.

Just making such policies not going to help anyone. Just because of this move, if the consumption of crude spikes, the government ends up with a higher import bill.

In the pecking order you and me don't really matter. The decision by Honda to not pursue diesel is a financial decision by them at the global level, and likewise the policy by government is governed by larger factors. All that I am saying is that the pending decision may turn out to be favourable for Delhi folks who suffer from pollution, but not as favourable for other parts of the country.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

If you buy a new diesel car now, chances of you scrapping the car in 10 years is closer than you think.

Sounds so prescient.

[Narendranath]

Originally Posted by harry10

I had the City diesel which was driven for 135000 km. Never had any oil leakage. The only issue I had with that engine was it's noise due to aluminum build. Otherwise FE was absolutely fantastic and drive was smooth. Shame this engine is being discontinued by Honda.

Yes, I too had a diesel Honda City that was purchased in late December 2014 and I held on to it till a few months ago when I upgraded to Innova Crysta.The drivability of the Honda City was great and its fuel economy phenomenal fetching a mileage of 22,23 kmpl inspite of spirited highway driving.The maintenance too was by and large trouble free during all the many years the car was with me.Looks like Honda has been baffled by the Indian consumer though the Koreans have been able to crack his puzzling mindset.

[NarediAni7518]

Well I drove the city diesel 4th Gen for four years and I liked the car so wouldn’t say anything on that. But on the other side this is a true opportunity for Honda to bring in their amazing hybrid tech that they have abroad. The phase two that’s going to start will give a great push to Honda if they bring in the right vehicle with hybrid powertrain and price, they’ll be bang on with amazing fuel efficiency ! But Honda being Honda, god knows what’s going to happen.

[trinity0114]

Having driven a relative's City with this engine for around 1500 KM's in a mix of highway and city I would say it's a good riddance. This was one of the most forgettable engines i have driven, despite being a Common Rail modern unit it sounded and felt like an old rickety IDI unit. It didn't like to be pushed at all and there was no power to speak of, yes driveability was great as all the torque came in early but that was it, it sounded and felt utterly crude and also because all the torque was made early in the rev range there was no point in pushing it. The good point of this engine is its fuel efficiency and so I guess it appealed to FE conscious buyers.

Also in my experience this isn't a very reliable engine, i have seen a lot of engines with their heads gone bad presumably due to excess heat, now this isn't the engine's fault but even a minor problem with the cooling system going unnoticed results in engine damage which my trusted FNG says was due to heat(he got atleast 3 such cases) Also oil leaks around the head is a common problem.

Compare thie IDTEC with the Hyundai U2 1.6 or the Fiat MultiJet and things like Performance, NVH are vastly superior in the latter two while they're fuel efficient also. Diesel isn't Honda's cup of tea for sure and it's good that they're letting it go

[Kln]

RIP

1.5 IDTEC was a workhorse city beater. Personally I'm all for diesels going extinct for a more breathable air IF AND ONLY IF there is a low cost, fuel efficient alternative to it. Diesels make our lives easier by keeping the cost of living down.

[Aventus]

I purchased first gen Honda Amaze 1.5 diesel in 2014, I was very satisfied with the power and fuel economy that it was delivering. I remember once I was travelling from Chandigarh to Delhi and my car delivered a staggering 34 km per litre. Air conditioning was on for half of that drive. It was at a constant 70-80 km/h speed. But I was always unhappy with the vibrations and sound that my diesel engine was producing. Overall NVH was plain bad. I almost regretted purchasing the diesel engine.

But now in the era of unreliable BS6 diesel engines, I have started loving it more and more with each passing day. Now I have started appreciating its reliability, drivability and its low-cost maintenance. Overall I have not spent a single penny on my car except for fused bulbs wiper blades and tyres. All this after having this bad habit of starting the car in the morning and just moving on without waiting for the engine to warm up.

It's really sad news that such a reliable workhorse is about to die, at least in India.

[Abby92]

I have always felt that honda idtec had some inherent flaws despite being touted as their India specific engine. Having driven both City and amaze(1st gen), here are my 2 cents on experience with this engine.

With honda city 4th gen, engine was very torquey indeed & had a charm of a 2L engine but then simply put it was not align with the character of a Honda City. Blame it on it being noisy and poor nvh.

I expected worse with amaze which was rented from zoom car, having clocked some 40k but it turned out a little better. I loved driving that one to manali (high seating perhaps).

A detuned and reworked version of this engine could’ve worked wonders for honda if they had brought in decent mini/compact-suv.

[pqr]

Honda i-DTEC engine

• Honda has sold 4,09,601 cars with a 1,498cc/16 valves/inline 4 cylinder/DOHC diesel engine in India, branded as i-DTEC
• The Amaze was the first Honda product in India to receive a diesel engine in 2013

• The highest diesel engine car sales were achieved in 2014, when the Honda City was also introduced with a diesel engine

• Honda’s diesel product mix reached its peak in 2014 and has lost track ever since BS6 emission standard implementation in 2020

• The Amaze has been the best-selling Honda product with a diesel engine, followed by the City

• The diesel mix % was on the higher side in Honda’s UV product range

[gururajrv]

So this leaves with Hyundai, Kia, Tata & Mahindra who are the only players with 1.5L diesels now. I believe Tata and Mahindra are doing fairly good with their diesel engines as I recall only few owners highlighting issues with their diesels DPF matter.

Honda certainly should look to exit now with not good offerings. Ford was way better in terms of their offerings but still had to exit owing to poor sales. Quite surprising to see Honda sustaining against the tide with ever-sleepy Management.

[W16rocks]

Not to point fingers, but what’s with all the hatred against Honda, people writing they should leave India and all. This is unfair to them I feel, they are one of the few international automakers still offering quality products and latest technology like the latest hybrid.

Honda has taken a conscious decision of cutting down losses by making diesels compliant to latest norms, they are also introducing much better, cleaner, refined, fuel efficient, Hybrid Engines.

Also this is a decision by the global management at Honda as they were never known for their Diesel Engines, but for their hybrid and I-vtec Engines

These are much better compared to the diesels which will barely serve for 10 years and are filled with issues like DPF and others. Also hybrid will bridge the gap between gasoline and electric.

Being a Honda car owner I feel that some people want them to leave India, whenever any news comes like this, some people start posting,”Honda should leave India”.

Honda has clearly stated they are here to stay and also they have a new CSUV coming I guess so let’s stay positive.

Cheers
W16Rocks

[Mafia]

Honda diesel 1.5 is such a nice engine! I will surely miss it. It delivered a good amount of power and amazing fuel efficiency.

I wonder what Hondas plan for India is now. They have phased out so much of their portfolio and now the diesel engine. Are they leaving or coming back with a bang?

It would be embarrassing for them to quit the Car market when they rule the 2-wheeler market.

[DriveOnceMore]

My current car is 4 year old and in a year or two I had City Diesel on my wish list.
It's the only car in its segment which looks nice, drives nice and is efficient too - jack of all trades type.
But Honda doesn't want me to have one, it seems.

[SuperSuri]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

As a Delhite who has grown up on breathing diesel fumes, I am thankful to policy makers for such measures related to diesels and fossil fuels.

Being a Delhite, I second you. However, I strongly believe that the major causes of pollution in Delhi are industries and crop-burning in the nearby states. The policy makers should take a strong step against the REAL causes rather than putting the blame on diesel cars.

A well tuned and timely serviced diesel car will definitely produce less pollution than an abused petrol car or even for that matter a two-wheelers.

My opinion, no offence meant!