Team-BHP - 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

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Quote:

Originally Posted by for_cars1 (Post 3976346)

The purpose of the plastic sheet below with the aluminium in the center portion is NOT to protect the engine sump from hits from heavy objects like boulders.

It is actually the engine bay splash protector and its purpose is to prevent/block debris and water and other foreign objects from entering the engine bay. Removing this part is not be a good idea and could result in expensive repairs later on.

The splash guard, if you call it that, is not sealed from it edges. It cant keep water or dirt away! I assume your car has the guard. Just pop the hood and see. Is the engine bay clean? No.

This will be my this monsoon season without that thing. I have driven on plenty of waterlogged streets and beds of dirt and gravel passing off as roads. If removal of that guard was to lead to any problem, trust me, it would have happened by now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaviprem (Post 3976348)

Is this replacement a DIY or we need to get it done by ASS or the outside accessories guy ?

Its not a DIY. Any accessory shop would be able to do it though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa (Post 3975206)

Guys - some bad news - met with an accident on the way to Bangalore from Mysore on Mysore Road couple of weeks back. Vehicle is damaged badly - I have escaped unhurt with God's grace. My mother and wife have some suffered some minor injuries and recovering.

In short I hit the divider trying to avoid a cow and the car toppled and landed upside down on Mysore road.

Vehicle Repair was evaulated at Inspire Honda Mysore and it is at 3.86L. The IDV of the vehicle is at 7.2L. So, Honda Assure called me and they are saying the Insurance can cover only upto 50% of IDV value which is 3.6L. Is there such a clause? Please advice.

The choice he is giving me is to either take this offer and pay rest of the repair on my own or to salvage the car at IDV.

Sad to hear about the accident, But good to know that you and your family are safe.

How do you think the vehicle performed during the accident, because we constantly hear some complaints about the think metal sheet used in City's construction. You are the best person to judge how the car held up, because you experienced it first hand.

Also other gurus looking at the pictures shared on the accident, considering the fact that the vehicle overturned. do you think that the passenger cabin held up well?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihkhan (Post 3977947)

I think the cabin has held up really well. I got an airborne feeling after hitting the divider and then the car landed upside down and moved forward due to the momentum scratching the top and bonnet on the road for some feet before stopping.

Both me and wife were in the front and belted. My parents at the back were not belted. My Dad was fortunate like me and did not suffer any injury while my Mom suffered a fracture.

One thought I got after this incident was, would the SunRoof model prove to be more risky in such accidents?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain (Post 3976166)

Its a Minda horn. It is mounted at the stock location behind the right fog lamp. Note that the space there is very limited and you cannot install bigger units like the VW style windtone horns. For that, you will have to mount them inside the engine bay(very loud inside the cabin) or in front of the condenser/radiator(potential cooling issues)

Any particular model no.? and approx price range?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa (Post 3978398)

Just reading about the accident is sending chills down my spine!!:Shockked:

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa (Post 3978398)

One thought I got after this incident was, would the SunRoof model prove to be more risky in such accidents?

I do not think so. If any car has a sunroof fitted from factory, the roof is designed in such a way that the structural integrity is not compromised. Yes there is a possibility of the glass shattering at an impact, such as yours but that can happen to any glass in the car.

Yes, it would have been fatal if someone was standing through the sunroof (as seen many times), that is more dangerous. Imagine a rollover where the person's head would be between tonnes of steel and the asphault, slim chances of survival.

Experts please correct me if wrong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shivs2003 (Post 3978412)

Any particular model no.? and approx price range?

Its been more than two years now, I don't remember the exact specs. You go to any accessory shop and ask them for a horn that can be mounted at the stock location. You should be able to get a decent pair for a thousand bucks or so. Don't forget to get it wired through a relay.

Hi Friends,

I have booked a Honda City iDtech VMT, Golden Brown at Whitefield Honda and am expecting the car to be delivered in about a week's time. However, i saw the page on Honda 4th Gen Niggles and that had me very worried. Doubts started creeping in whether I am taking the right decision on buying the City. (A car which I liked since childhood especially the 1st Gen and the 3rd gen).

Today however i landed on VW Vento test drive review page and there I read some of the horror stories. Trust me the problems listed there were far more severe (especially the frequent failure on injectors) and feedback on VW service and parts charges scared the hell out of me.

That page made me realize that I am better off with a City than a Vento...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihkhan (Post 3980754)

I am in the same situation as yours down to choice of colour except that i am looking for a petrol car with very limited usage.
Homed down to these cars with me inclined towards vento and my better half inclined towards city.
What is pushing me to go with her choice is the long list of people who have suffered at the hands of famed VW A.S.S.
I am likely to take a call in next one week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nik hill (Post 3982971)

Your choice is pretty clear for a Petrol car. Honda City!

Had you been looking for a diesel, Verna or Vento or Ciaz would be much better bets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tejas08 (Post 3983673)

Your choice is pretty clear for a Petrol car. Honda City!

Had you been looking for a diesel, Verna or Vento or Ciaz would be much better bets.

Yes it was easier once upon a time.
With the performance of VW TSI DSG being no less than ivtec and the quality issues with Honda also surfacing frequently, the waters have been muddied.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nik hill (Post 3982971)

Unless it is the automatic, City would be the better choice. For the DSG, you can probably take the risk with the VW service but for a manual, I would say City is the better car (expensive though!!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by arvind71181 (Post 3983676)

Unless it is the automatic, City would be the better choice. For the DSG, you can probably take the risk with the VW service but for a manual, I would say City is the better car (expensive though!!)

I am actually veering towards the auto transmission. That's why TSI DSG option was exciting to look at but in spite of the clear advantage it has over Honda cvt, the VW ASS and cost is forcing me to go for Honda.

Last week was my City's 2nd anniversay. So I just thought of dropping by and thanking you wonderful guys for all your support and guidance over these years. It was my first car so I learnt a lot from reading discussions here on this thread clap: . The below points summarize my experience with my car over the past two years:

Car : Honda City SV iVTEC
KMs done: 30940 in 730 das (Average ~ 40 KMs daily)
City mostly driven: Bangalore
Major Incidents: None
Breakdowns / Technical Problem: None
Failed to start : None
Parts falling off: Once, on the very first day the license plate light cover fell off. I complained about it on this forum as well. Just recently while cleaning my car I realized that it was most probably done by my showroom technicians while fitting the rear view camera. Sorry Honda I was wrong stupid:

Summary:
1. Car (overall) : Extremely reliable and very easy to manoeuvre through the city.

2. Engine : Reliable, smooth and very powerful once you get to know it better. The surge and the soundtrack above 3000 RPM is just awesome.

3. Suspension & handling: Very stiff for Bangalore's bumpy roads at times. But also not a single incident of scraping the speed breakers even with a full load. Keeps it composure even in the triple digit speeds.

4. Transmission: Smooth as silk 98% of times. The rest 2% of times are some of those cold starts when the car is just not in a mood to get up like me on some monday mornings. On such occasions the gear lever feels as if it has got stuck somewhere. There were also few ocassions when the reverse gear did not engage properly. But this is already mentioned in the manual and simple solution is to try again by lifting your foor off the clutch once.

5. OEM Headlamps (Philips?): Mediocre for people who do a lot of travel during the night.

6. OEM Tyres: Mine are stock 175mm R15 Bridgestone B250. Just one tyre puncture. Inspite of a lot of people here suggesting an upsize/upgrade. I stuck to them and never felt any loss of grip or need for an upgrade. May be after these one are gone, I will go for an upgrade. But not an absolute necessity.

7. AC: More than adequate for Bangalore. Gives out musty smell every once in a while. Needs regular preventive measures like once in a while I run the A/C in the blower mode.

8. Comfort: Seats are comfortable. Initially i used to get tired easily with some back pain. But I think it had more to do with me than with the seats. Once I started paying attention to my own fitness (running 7-10KMs a day), the back pain disappeared.

9. Space: HUGE. Both the boot and the cabin. Love the surprise on the face of my friends and relatives whom I pick from the airport. They usually say "I don't think this suitcase will fit" and the boot just swallows whatever you throw at it.

10 Braking and ABS : Life savers in two seperate incidents on highway while travelling in three digit speeds. The brakes are bit funny I guess, they are bit soft at low speeds but when you are doing quite fast the bite is just perfect.

11. Honda Service: Excellent inspite of slight attempts by the SAs for upselling. I think this is where a good forum like this comes to your rescue. You become aware of all the scams and tricks they can pull on you. One good thing is that I get a call from JP Power after every car service enquiring about the service feedback. These calls are very thorough and can easily last 10 mins. Really appreciate an emphasis on quality control here by Honda.

Things I wish were better:
1. DASHBOARD RATTLES. DASHBOARD RATTLES. DASHBOARD RATTLES. They come and go but never disappear.
2. A toolbox for the tools. I mean come on Honda. You don't wrap the tools in a cloth and place it in a 10+ Lakh car. These things rattle with every bump.
3. Puddle lamps for our muddy roads and streets.
4. Better Bluetooth in the SV variant. This needs no introduction on this forum.

Am I satisfied, yes. Will I Suggest it to my friend, yes. Will I buy another one, no. Mainly because our roads are just a joke and it pains me while driving our delicate sedans over these nasty pothole riddled roads. Next time, I will buy something like a Toyota Fortuner or Pajero Sport or even a Bolero. I am so done dodging the potholes.

Hello Cook :)

Glad to hear that the City has been performing well. I am a fellow City Owner ( almost 1 year now - 10k ) and I adore the car. I totally agree with your comments on the "Things I wish were better". On some days I find that my City is almost as silent as a D-segment sedan ( of course on lower RPMs), on days I find the noise comparable to an old taxi.

However, I do have a few questions about the engine performance ( especially around your 2nd point in the summary ):

1) I felt that the power delivery is good upto 2500 RPM. If I push the car beyond that in a lower gear sometimes for overtaking, I feel the car making more noise but not providing any major push.
( It could very well might be because of my driving style but I wanted to get more opinions on this ).
2) Do you feel any difference in the pick up with AC ON or OFF
3) I find the iVTEC quite noisy above 2000 RPM - I do love the engine note but does everyone feel that ???
4) Around 2000-25000 RPM I sometimes feel a surge in the power ( I am under the impression that it is the AC condensor switching OFF ). I have known cars to have electronics controlling AC condensor depending on the RPM ( My old Beat did ) - Can anyone comment on that ?