[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by freak1201

Excellent story buddy! Loved reading it!
Enjoy Silver Pegasus!

Thanks, mate. Glad you liked!

Originally Posted by arvi86

For us folks who loves cars, buying our first set of wheels will always be an experience to cherish for a lifetime.

I am sure both of us will stay true to our words, more so for the first reason that you stated rather than the latter.

That's a nice ICE unit. How much was the total cost including the fitment charges? As you said, the fitting is not up to the mark and will, over time, spoil the look of the interiors. Get it re-fitted by Honda A.S.S soon.

Yes, and I will remember the past 1 and half years fondly, everytime I reminiscence about the days of my decision-making process. Of course, Pegasus will remind me of these times more than once.

Cost was 22,590/- inclusive of bill & warranty, against a box price of 23,990/-. Fitment charges for the entire ICE setup (including front and rear speakers setup) was 600/-.

I am really disappointed with the installation, and I figured out why it was not a clean install. Will post the reason below.

Originally Posted by parsh

RavenAVI,

That fitting looks bad. Look at the fitting below of the Pio 2DIN in Innova.

Leaving aside the side fillers in above picture, the problem with your fitting is that they have not removed the faceplate ring. That is stopping from the HU assembly to go inside completely in the HU socket. Do that and it should be alrite. If there are gaps still left besides the HU, then the fillers like in this pic would help fit it properly. Any good ICE outlet should be able to do this properly.

Congrats on the fab ride. 18kpl is quite commendable for a P sedan when people are running for D.

The fitting is pathetic, my friend. The faceplate ring provided is of a JVC 2-DIN which was with my accessory guy. The Pioneer one was a really thin strip which broke when the player was taken out of the box!

I voiced my displeasure to my accessory guy but he just threw his hands up in despair. The major reason why they couldn't do a near-perfect install was because they couldn't source a 2-DIN installation kit (not even the 2-DIN socket!). Apparently, Pioneer doesn't provide a socket for their 2-DIN players (or maybe the local Pioneer dealer removed it before sending it over to my accessory guy), and they couldn't find a single 2-DIN socket in my city! Ergo, the HU has been set with 2 medium-sized screws fitted on either side, to prevent it from rolling inside the HU space.

A temporary stop-gap arrangement. I am really unhappy with this.

Order of things - first of all, to source the 2-DIN socket from somewhere. Then to get it installed cleanly. It is on top of my to-do list for the next 3-4 days.


Thanks. I think the "ECO" indicator has a lot to do with this fantastic FE I am getting. Even inside the city, it's a nice little feature to seek when driving in lower gears to achieve excellent FE.

Originally Posted by bala80

Dear RavenAvi - Fantastic review, full of passion,very well written and complimented with detailed photographs, appreciate your effort in penning this down. And thank you very much for your compliments, happy to be of some help, feels very good indeed.

Like the car, equally good choice of HU and components, I used the 3200BT for 4 years and have only good things to say about pioneer. When you do feel the need to add in some additional punch to your music, you can add a 4 channel amp and may be a subwoofer in the near future.

It's sad to note how many customer's VW has lost due to the dealer attitude, they didnt deserve your business anyways and you have taken the right decision to go for a tried and tested honda. You've got yourself a lovely car and I wish you have a very pleasant and memorable ownership experience.

Thank you so much, bala. After poring through you guys' threads on the Vento and that fantastic Shadow Blue shade (nileshch's & Rachit K Dogra's Ventos), I had almost finalised it by getting final quotations for the Petrol TL & HL. I was even ready to get the TL and add my own accessories to it. If only the VW fellows gave any sort of response (let alone proper response) to my repeated queries and demand for a TD/quick delivery. Oh well. Maybe I will get my Dad the Up!, if and when it's launched. Let's hope my local VW guys pull up their socks by then.

The Focals are surprisingly good, and deliver nice, clear and crispy punches to the lows. They are complimented nicely by the JBLs at the rear which are bright and boomy as well. I don't feel the need for an amp or sub just yet, but let's see.

Here are the speaker installation pics, as promised (apologies again for the picture quality) :-

Front door components - Focal Access 165 A1s.



Rear door co-axials - JBL GT5-S265s.



Head Unit - Pioneer AVH - P2490 BT.



Wiring - provided by Honda. Speaker wiring by Focal & JBL (provided in the boxes).

Tweeters - Focals (came with the Access A1s).



The Focal connectors.



Attaching the wooden spacer rings.





Pruning the spacer rings a bit so that the speakers are a perfect fit.



Original wiring by Honda inside the driver side door, peeking out.



The JBL in place.



The harness getting attached to the HU wiring inside dash.



Tweeters being set up inside door panel. (They wanted to cut through the rubber and I told them not to, will get it done at service center)



The HU matching up with the instrumentation at night. Blue meets blue.




Such a simple and no-fuss install, but trust these guys to bungle up even this. No wonder I keep saying that I am stuck in the middle of nowhere!

Anyway, the pricing break-up:

Pioneer AVH - P2490 BT - 22,590/-
Focal Access 165 A1s - 9,800/-
JBL GT5-S265s - 2900/-
4 x Spacer Rings - 280/-
Honda Harness - No charge
Fitment charges - 600/-

Total - 36,170/-

[vb-saan]

Congratulations Avinash! Excellent review indeed. Loved the opening bit with all the discussions and decision making process, and then a pictorial guide of the CE City. It was a great decision to get all the add-ons and changes done pre-delivery itself. Smart choice and the dark interiors look awesome. Very happy for you!

Drive safe, and a get childseat as well

[mkpiyengar]

Hey RavenAvi,
Congratulations on your new ride !! And kudos to the transformation from CE to V with black interiors

By the way during while doing PDI for our City, we had requested for Michlin's and were allotted accordingly. However, I just casually mentioned to them why not swap with other car which is not allocated.

To this they said that you cannot change the tires as they are linked to the car and there is a warranty clause which does not allow change of tires .

I'm not sure if this is true, Did you confirm with the showroom that there is no problem of that sort in case you put after market alloys and tires ?

All the best, Happy Driving!!

Cheers
MKPI

[W.A.G.7]

Hi RavenAvi,

Congrats on your car! You have written one of the best ownership reviews of the Honda City. Straight from your heart. It was really nice to read about the conversations and the journey from the Beat to the Honda city.

Looking at the pictures I feel like getting one myself. Even I had a tough time convincing my dad to swap our Old Honda City (Type 2) with the 2012 edition. The car still brings a wide grin on your face when you floor the accelerator; and my dad still refuses to part with it!

The corporate edition is a good move by Honda I feel; they have not compromised on the safety features but at the same time they have given the customer the full option of customising the car to their individual taste.

Congrats once again and drive safe.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations Avinash! Excellent review indeed. Loved the opening bit with all the discussions and decision making process, and then a pictorial guide of the CE City. It was a great decision to get all the add-ons and changes done pre-delivery itself. Smart choice and the dark interiors look awesome. Very happy for you!

Drive safe, and a get childseat as well

Hey vb my friend! I knew I was forgetting someone very important and dear to me, in my thanked list. Sent a request accordingly.

Thanks a lot, matey.

Definitely getting the childseat as soon as the "pari" grows up a bit more.

Originally Posted by mkpiyengar

Hey RavenAvi,
Congratulations on your new ride !! And kudos to the transformation from CE to V with black interiors

By the way during while doing PDI for our City, we had requested for Michlin's and were allotted accordingly. However, I just casually mentioned to them why not swap with other car which is not allocated.

To this they said that you cannot change the tires as they are linked to the car and there is a warranty clause which does not allow change of tires .

I'm not sure if this is true, Did you confirm with the showroom that there is no problem of that sort in case you put after market alloys and tires ?

All the best, Happy Driving!!

Cheers
MKPI

Almost there, my friend. The alloys and exhaust pipe finisher should complete the remaining looks.

Yes, even I asked them to swap the tyres for Michelins if they were available, or even with the MRFs, and was given the same reason as well. Each of Honda's VIN coded cars are marked and listed with all the stuff fitted in it, and the first one to go into the books are the tyre profiles. If I swap them within the warranty period and go for a higher profile tyre, I risk of voiding the suspension warranty!

But they also cleared up one important point as well - I can swap tyres with another company's tyres having the same profile, width and rim size and my warranty will remain intact. Ergo, swapping a 175/65/R15 for a similar 175/65/R15 tyre of another company will not void the suspension warranty.

Ergo, no aftermarket alloys for me. I went for OEM Honda alloys (the new 10-spoke ones on the 2012 V MT model), and those will cost me 31,250/- for a set of 5 (6,250/- per alloy). Think I ll retain the tyres for now, and not do any mods till the warranty period peacefully expires. Of course, that means I have to live with the Goodyear GT3s for the next 4 years! Impossible!

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Hi RavenAvi,

Congrats on your car! You have written one of the best ownership reviews of the Honda City. Straight from your heart. It was really nice to read about the conversations and the journey from the Beat to the Honda city.

Looking at the pictures I feel like getting one myself. Even I had a tough time convincing my dad to swap our Old Honda City (Type 2) with the 2012 edition. The car still brings a wide grin on your face when you floor the accelerator; and my dad still refuses to part with it!

The corporate edition is a good move by Honda I feel; they have not compromised on the safety features but at the same time they have given the customer the full option of customising the car to their individual taste.

Congrats once again and drive safe.

Thanks for the kind words, my friend. I can't mention this to Dad or he will take all the credit!

I don't blame your Dad. The Type 2 City was a fantastic looker (I remember it looked very similar to the Esteem and had that Baleno-sized rear) and it had a gem of an engine. If he still feels comfy in it then don't press him. Old Citys were more sturdy, had tougher bodywork and excellent imported engines/chassis. It should last the distance.

Yes the City Corporate is one of the best choices one has in the entire C-segment range today. Splurge on customisation as your budget permits, and there is always scope for additional stuff. Plus you get the huge advantage of full safety features, which is a big, big motivator for this particular variant's sales. Notwithstanding the fact that it is a petrol, the bulletproof i-VTEC combined with mind-boggling FE figures and stonking performance should bring in the numbers for the City in the next few years. Let's see where Honda goes from here on.

-----------

I have a couple of questions, my friends.

- Given a choice between Garware Sun Control and Llumar, which one would you pick to combat summer days of around 35-40 °C?

I am thinking of going for 70% for the front windshield, and 50% for the windows and rear windshield. Got a quote of 3500/- for the front, and 4100/- for the rest from Llumar. Prices good or negotiable?

- I have with me a pre-ordered Art Leather seat cover set from Autoform. Dual-toned (Silver/Black) U-Impress. Should I get it fitted on the OEM all-black seats?

Because I love the fabric Honda has provided in the Corporate, and it feels pretty smooth and ribby, giving me nice grip on the seat as well. But I am thinking of dust, plus I might get it ripped accidentally and regret not fitting the covers later.

Will Art Leather soak more heat than fabric? Pegasus usually gets parked in indirect sunlight (no shade) in my office, and in diverted shade in our parked garage at home. It is getting hot inside Pegasus. (that's why I am getting sun film work done)


Still have 3-4 days till I take a decision on both so all inputs are welcome.

[bala80]

Its the facia adaptor/dash trim kit that is needed here. Its not sent across with the HU, but the installer needs to source it seperately. It wouldnt be much of a challenge, you just need to go to a good installer to get it done. You can get it done when you have some time left.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The major reason why they couldn't do a near-perfect install was because they couldn't source a 2-DIN installation kit (not even the 2-DIN socket!).

[mkpiyengar]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Yes, even I asked them to swap the tyres for Michelins if they were available, or even with the MRFs, and was given the same reason as well. Each of Honda's VIN coded cars are marked and listed with all the stuff fitted in it, and the first one to go into the books are the tyre profiles. If I swap them within the warranty period and go for a higher profile tyre, I risk of voiding the suspension warranty!

But they also cleared up one important point as well - I can swap tyres with another company's tyres having the same profile, width and rim size and my warranty will remain intact. Ergo, swapping a 175/65/R15 for a similar 175/65/R15 tyre of another company will not void the suspension warranty.

Exactly they told me the same words, but since we got Michelin's as requested did not probe further. Recently went to the tyre shop and the guy recommended 195/65 R15 as the right upsize for better handling and grip.
But will continue with stock michelin's for now as he said if you change tyres then do within few hundred kms else no resale value.

- I have with me a pre-ordered Art Leather seat cover set from Autoform. Dual-toned (Silver/Black) U-Impress. Should I get it fitted on the OEM all-black seats?

Still have 3-4 days till I take a decision on both so all inputs are welcome.

Would like to suggest you to go for original leather seats since
1. You want to keep the car for long
2. You've been very particular about getting the right things fitted till now.

So I would reckon to go for Original leather seat covers, If I may take liberty of suggesting Stanley or equivalent Black leather with Silver lined piping.

Will look Cool..

Cheers
MKPI

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I have with me a pre-ordered Art Leather seat cover set from Autoform. Dual-toned (Silver/Black) U-Impress. Should I get it fitted on the OEM all-black seats?
Because I love the fabric Honda has provided in the Corporate, and it feels pretty smooth and ribby, giving me nice grip on the seat as well. But I am thinking of dust, plus I might get it ripped accidentally and regret not fitting the covers later.
Will Art Leather soak more heat than fabric? Pegasus usually gets parked in indirect sunlight (no shade) in my office, and in diverted shade in our parked garage at home. It is getting hot inside Pegasus. (that's why I am getting sun film work done)

If you liked the current fabric seats, suggest keeping that for now, and when it loose its sheen, probably change to leather seats. In my experience, art leather does get a bit heatier than the fabric seats.

Anyways, if you are getting the seats done soon, one suggestion – go for all black instead of dual tone. Looks classier with the silver exterior.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by bala80

Its the facia adaptor/dash trim kit that is needed here. Its not sent across with the HU, but the installer needs to source it seperately. It wouldnt be much of a challenge, you just need to go to a good installer to get it done. You can get it done when you have some time left.

Thanks, bala. I'll see about sourcing it from here. If not, then Pegasus's first service.

Originally Posted by mkpiyengar

Exactly they told me the same words, but since we got Michelin's as requested did not probe further. Recently went to the tyre shop and the guy recommended 195/65 R15 as the right upsize for better handling and grip.
But will continue with stock michelin's for now as he said if you change tyres then do within few hundred kms else no resale value.

Would like to suggest you to go for original leather seats since
1. You want to keep the car for long
2. You've been very particular about getting the right things fitted till now.

So I would reckon to go for Original leather seat covers, If I may take liberty of suggesting Stanley or equivalent Black leather with Silver lined piping.

Will look Cool..

Cheers
MKPI

Actually, the right upgrade would be 195/60/R15 rather than the 65s. But I have heard good things about the 65s as well, not sure about the FE drop though. The 60s shouldn't affect FE that much, and the speedometer correction is also minimal (difference in circumference being just over 1%). But yes, don't change your Michelins for the warranty period. They are good tyres themselves and will last the distance if the roads are smooth enough.

Stanley isn't readily available either in my city or at the state capital. Have to travel out of state to get that done. That's why I got the Art Leather set. They look great as well, but yes there's nothing like pure Leather. I am thinking of getting this done temporarily, till I go for a trip to either Pune or Mumbai. There I can get Stanley work done.

Thanks, mate.

Originally Posted by vb-san

If you liked the current fabric seats, suggest keeping that for now, and when it loose its sheen, probably change to leather seats. In my experience, art leather does get a bit heatier than the fabric seats.

Anyways, if you are getting the seats done soon, one suggestion – go for all black instead of dual tone. Looks classier with the silver exterior.

Is there any chance of ripping the seat's fabric, even accidentally? That is what I am apprehensive of.

You are right, vb, I have seen Art Leathers soak up quite a bit of heat and the seats become uncomfortably warm if the car is standing in sunlight for a considerable length of time.

All-blacks look super classy! That's why I don't want my original black interiors covered. It makes Pegasus stand out from the crowd when it is parked alongside other cars. All-black pure Leather should make the interiors look awesome.

Originally Posted by kryptonite

Congratulations RavenAvi! Very well written report. Rated it 5 stars.
Wish you a decade of happy motoring on your Honda.

Thank you so much, kryptonite! Your super ownership thread on the Rapid was one of the last ones I went through thoroughly, when I had apprehensions about my City's delivery dates. But the iffy Skoda A.S.S. in my state made me think otherwise. The Rapid is such a nice little option as well, and your mods must have made it a stonker by now.

[kryptonite]

Congratulations RavenAvi! Very well written report. Rated it 5 stars.
Wish you a decade of happy motoring on your Honda.

[sunster]

Dear RavenAvi

What an amazing write up. Reading your post actually made my decision stronger to go in for a 2012 CE. Just one question. On the drivers seat is there height adjustment or not. As per manual it says absent for lever type height adjustment for drivers seat. Could you please clarify this.

Thanks and wish you many happy miles with the new Pegasus.

Sunny

[_raVan_]

What an excellent writeup RavenAvi! Really well written, and I really loved reading your vehicle buying decision note. Congratulations on your City and may you have very lengthy happy miles on it.

Do post updates on your first servicing.

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by sunster

Just one question. On the drivers seat is there height adjustment or not.

CE don't have driver seat height adjustment. It comes with S and V variants.

[arup.misra]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

- Given a choice between Garware Sun Control and Llumar

I would pick Llumar as Garware is a extremely basic and doesn't last long. Can look at 3M too.

I am thinking of going for 70% for the front windshield, and 50% for the windows and rear windshield. - Be careful with the rear ones it should not mess up the defogger.

- I have with me a pre-ordered Art Leather seat cover set from Autoform. Dual-toned (Silver/Black) U-Impress. Should I get it fitted on the OEM all-black seats?

Art leather soaks a lot of heat especially if exposed to sunlight. If humidity is a problem then art leather would be worse. Would suggest keeping the OEM fabric

From the ICE installation pics I see a vital piece missing - its called Fascia think it should be priced around 1500-2000. Fitting the pioneer inside would then be a breeze and the installation would look like pro. Let me know and I could send you some pics of fascia post installation. By the way I too got Pioneer ICE

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by sunster

Dear RavenAvi

What an amazing write up. Reading your post actually made my decision stronger to go in for a 2012 CE. Just one question. On the drivers seat is there height adjustment or not. As per manual it says absent for lever type height adjustment for drivers seat. Could you please clarify this.

Thanks and wish you many happy miles with the new Pegasus.

Sunny

Originally Posted by bluevolt

CE don't have driver seat height adjustment. It comes with S and V variants.

Thank you, mate. Just went through your dilemma thread in "Sedans". If you don't feel any real need for the City AT, I would like to recommend the Corporate wholeheartedly. All the important safety features are provided, it has superb quality black interiors, plus you can customise it as you wish.

Like my friend BV pointed out, the driver seat-height adjustment is absent.

Refer to the pic I posted in the first page :-



But if you are a tall guy like me, you won't feel the need for it.

I am 6'0" and there's a gap of 3 fingers between the top of my head and the roof of Pegasus (in normal seating position). I can see ahead perfectly, and have an exact idea of where my front wheels/bumper are. No problem when cutting through traffic or turning around from parked places.

All the best with your decision. Awaiting your ownership thread, buddy.

Originally Posted by _raVan_

What an excellent writeup RavenAvi! Really well written, and I really loved reading your vehicle buying decision note. Congratulations on your City and may you have very lengthy happy miles on it.

Do post updates on your first servicing.

Thanks a lot, _raVan_ my friend. I will definitely keep updating my thread with all the happenings in Pegasus's life. Glad you liked!

Originally Posted by arup.misra

From the ICE installation pics I see a vital piece missing - its called Fascia think it should be priced around 1500-2000. Fitting the pioneer inside would then be a breeze and the installation would look like pro. Let me know and I could send you some pics of fascia post installation. By the way I too got Pioneer ICE

Do send me the pics of the Pioneer Fascia, Arup. It will be very helpful for me. I will get my accessory guy to see it and source it from somewhere, or find it myself.

I went through your ICE thread before zeroing in on the Pioneer (it was a toss-up between Pioneer and JVC). You have the P4390, which I tried to source but Pioneer revamped it's lineup then. The 3350 BT was easily available, but the 4390 was nowhere to be found. The replacement to the 4390 is the 4490 now; I think most functions are the same between both players so don't worry. You have one of the best touchscreen HUs available right now.

Your City must be one of the most envious-looking cars in Mumbai right now! I can imagine that fantastic disco-lighted boot and all the rocking "dhoom-dhoom" music flowing from your City when you drive it around town. It deserves a long photoshoot actually! What a tremendous job by Ramie! (you got it done by him, right?)


------------------


Well folks, judging by the number of PMs I am getting, looks like a lot of you are interested in the City Corporate.

Let me reiterate that the City Corporate is the perfect choice for you, if you are looking for a petrol sedan with a budget of 8L. Hassle-free ownership, superb Honda A.S.S., excellent looker, the "Kohinoor" equivalent i-VTEC engine, quality all-black fabrics and interiors, humongous interior space and boot, and fantastic FE. All this complimented by FULL safety features. Add to it, you can customise it as you wish. What more can one want?

As per demands from members, here are a few more shots as clarifications to clear all your doubts:-

12V power outlet provided under the dashboard area, just below the AC buttons and in front of the front storage space.



Space in the glove box. Look how much spare space is left on top!



Interior door handles are shiny black and don't look as cheap as the outer door handles, which I got painted.



Warning to not attach child seat given on the front passenger sun visor.



The rear seat. Height is about perfect, and not too low as like in the fluidic Verna. Integrated headrests ensure no intrusion into driver's rearward visibility



Rear seat when you open the door. Note the passenger armrest neatly folded and merged in the center. Doesn't protrude at all.



Rear passenger armrest open. Plain. No cup-holders provided.



Rear floor hump. Minimal, and not a bother for the 3rd passenger.



Outside view from driver's seat through the rear windshield. Large glass area + integrated headrests is helpful for reversing view but taller passengers would demand either a reverse camera and/or sensors.



Duly stamped and certified by "pujari ji".



I don't think anyone will spot me in this semi-rural wilderness of a city so I am doing the spotting myself!



Indeed, I Live to Drive!



Mud flaps added by me after paint job. No mud flaps provided in the Corporate.



Front passenger side door handle also gets a central locking keyhole.