Honda has done it again. heads turning, competition burning the next-gen Honda City is here. The futuristic snout in the front with asymmetrical red lamps is just the beginning of the European look. The radical styling with the arrow shot form as Honda terms it is a mix picked from both the Civic and the new Accord. The Honda City has evolved in sync with global markets and the clean, lean looks will be a big draw. With two manual and one auto transmission models it has been priced high in the 8-10L on road bracket, taking out the gap between the city and the civic. With the price it would be a delight to throw in a sunroof. The biggest competition at the moment the Maruti SX4 with its 16inch alloys and classic lines and curves have been put in the past. Placing both the city and SX4 side by side, the later does dwarf the city a little bit with its bulging and towering stature, but the city with its sleeker silhouette look is definitely much more attractive since its about 30mm lower and about the same length.
INTERIOR
The interior are again inspired by the Civic and Accord with two tone upholstery and wedges on the dashboard. At night the interior turn totally different with LED strip on the dashboard and glowing instrument console in orange. The steering wheel is impressive and sports loaded with the now becoming common audio controls. Though Honda has completely done away with CD’s, so one has to invest in pen drives to hook into the sound system. The interiors do complain a little of feeling all plasticy while having metallic finish. The rear seats are comfortable keeping in mind the chauffer driven population of the metros, though one has to stoop to enter the car which is not the case with the high ride seats of the SX4.
POWERTRAIN, DYNAMICS & SAFETY
The city sports the VTEC with 118PS from a 1.5 litre petrol engine. Amazingly this is the most powerful engine in the segment. It offers great performance and less gear shifting and is noise free under 4000rpm. VTEC uses advanced form of variable valve technology to open four valves per cylinder by a single overhead camshaft. The peak power is available at 6600 rpm which helps get everything out of the engine since the red line is at 6800rpm. Wondering why is Honda hesitant to venture into the diesel segment, the city is a pleasure for those who don’t mind paying extra by the litre. Same ground clearance as the old city of 160mm, increased wheel base 100mm and larger 15inch wheels, though I feel it could use wider tires as the 175/65 seem skinnyThe steering is well balanced to handle both higher and lower speeds though the SX4 just feel more stable even with a higher taller design. The city does 0-60 in 5.07 seconds and being lighter and less wide tires gives it the extra margin. The new city offers standard airbags and ABS and it has also improved its already efficient brakes making it more sharper.
THE BOTTOM LINE
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The Japanese have another marvel in terms of engineering, with all safety features great design, an overall fuel efficiency of 14kmpl that the company claims. With the extra cost and the new launch of the fiat Linea already reputed SX4, it’s a tough choice, But if you like to ride with the high rollers the Honda is not a bad investment considering the low maintenance cost and excellent resale price. In time of recession Honda does provide fresh breeze and a sparkle on the street.