My 5th-gen Honda City: 1 year/10,000 km service & ownership

I feel that at this price point, this car offers much more value than the pseudo-SUVs that are available in the market.

BHPian AutoConsultant recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Just a brief background about me:

• Born and brought up in Delhi.
• Crazy about cars since childhood, have attended each and every Auto Expo since 2000, also went to the Frankfurt Motor show in 2017.
• Have an Automotive Engineering degree as well.
• Have driven more than 30 vehicles via rentals across the world but this would be my first self-purchased car.

Background and Requirements

• I had been driving my Dad's cars (Alto till 2017, Baleno after that) for the past decade and decided to get my own car post my marriage in 2020.
• Always had an inclination towards the sedan body type and as it would be driven in City (Delhi NCR) 90% of the time, GC wouldn't be an issue.
• No minimum requirements as such, as the price point I was looking at, I would be getting most of the essential features.

Cars Considered

Rapid Rider

Just the sheer VFM proposition and the punchy engine made me consider this one. I would not have gone for anything beyond the Rider/Rider Plus variant. However, as I am planning to keep this one for a good 8-10 years, the horrible ASS stories as well as it being a 10-year-old design made me drop this one.

Verna

This car makes a lot of sense, has all the essential features along with a wide network of Hyundai and is considerably cheaper than City. However, the 2020 model's front look did not go well with me. Also, I would like to have decent space in the back seats if I am spending this much.

City

Had been waiting for the 5th gen since the beginning of 2020 and wasn't disappointed. The front chrome bar was a little off-putting but the overall package is simply superb. And I just kinda felt connected to it somehow. So after almost a year of research, finalized this one.

Booking and Delivery

• Went with Ring Road Honda Peeragarhi, booked the car on 27th Dec 2020 and got the delivery on 1st Jan 2021.
• Extremely smooth process, got discounts of around 45k and there were no hassles w.r.t. documentation.
• Was confused between a) VX or ZX and b) White or Golden Brown. Went with ZX for the LED lights and leather seat covers (given that it has seat airbags, didn't want to go with the hassle of getting the right seat covers done). W.r.t. the color, the car looked larger, longer and much more elegant in white (all the cuts and creases are clearly visible) than in golden brown.
• Variant booked - City ZX MT Petrol (Pearl White) - Rs 14.7 L on-road.
• Went with Honda Assure insurance, didn’t take the Basic Kit worth Rs 8,000. Just went for Window Chrome molding as part of the accessories.
• Shout out to RTO office - the dealer applied for registration on 31st, got the confirmation and by evening the HSRP number plate was installed on my car.

Initial Review

Exterior

• Makes heads turn on the road - anyone can easily mistake it for a class above, the overall silhouette is just beautiful.
• The LED headlights are simply gorgeous, amplify the looks of the car and the throw is great as well, auto headlamps is a handy function too - you can almost forget about ever operating it manually.
• Tail lights are sharp as well and make the rear look bigger.
• Only flaw I found was the interior of wheel arches - look very ungainly from certain angles, could have added some sound insulation material or just made it more aesthetic.

The wheel well

Interior

• Very simple and laid back dashboard design yet very ergonomic and crisp - something that would age very gracefully.
• The head unit is decent and I mostly use Android Auto/Apply Carplay whose interface is quite good.
• One minor flaw is that when you are using Maps and listening to the radio, there is no way for the front passenger to change the channel without stopping the navigation. They should have added physical buttons on the head unit for that also.
• The camera quality - both the rear and lane watch camera - is just pathetic. You get better cameras on a 5-7k smartphone. The lane watch camera is a handy tool but is almost useless at night.
• The HVAC controls are minimalistic and functional with a great tactile feel on the knobs and buttons.
• Sunroof adds to the roominess of the cabin and is great to enjoy the chilly Delhi weather.
• Leather seat covers are brilliant, feel like they will last a lifetime.
• Should have given height-adjustable seat belts at least in this segment, would have been very useful for shorter people.
• As it is a low car, the front headroom is limited and good enough for a 5’9-5’10 person, anyone taller than that might find their head touching the roof.
• No point commenting on the space on offer, it's just very roomy everywhere; Dashboard is huge but does not intrude in the front seating space.
• Road and Tire noise is audible when there’s absolute silence in the cabin but not a deal-breaker.

Engine and Transmission

• The transmission unit is just fantastic with such a wide band of speeds achievable in each gear.
• It feels as if you can drive on any gear at any speed and the transmission would be just as smooth as always.
• The engine is quite punchy for city driving and overtakes are simple.

Ride and Handling

• Glides over the usual small potholes you discover on city roads, you actually feel like you are floating when you are on a smooth road.
• The steering is light but weighs up when you reach triple-digit speeds.
• Haven't faced any GC issues yet and can't comment much on handling as have not driven on any proper curvy roads.

Additional Work Done on the Car

• Got a gear lock installed, the technician had to struggle a little bit as he said that the gear positioning has changed as compared to the previous-gen.
• Ordered 7D Mats from Coozo.com for Rs 3990.
• I got Ceramic coating done on the 3rd day itself so that the paint and shine are maintained for an initial couple of years, you can find the pictures below.

Overall Opinion

I feel at this price point, this car offers much more value than the pseudo-SUVs on offer, is a proven product and is easy to fall in love with.

The few misses (Head unit, Camera quality, etc.) are bearable if we compare them to the major mechanical failures other customers of the above-mentioned cars are facing.

Also, right now this car is very exclusive, especially on Delhi roads, which is a plus!

Continue reading AutoConsultant's service & ownership experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.