New Honda City Launched in India

Honda has launched what everyone has been waiting for – the new City. The third-gen Honda City is surely going to intensify the battle in the already mad upper C segment. In addition, we feel, this car will also force people to wear their thinking-hat back those who are contemplating to put their money down on an entry-level D segment car. To give a standpoint, would you rather go in for a Chevrolet Optra Magnum (which officially falls in the D segment) or this new Honda City? ‘Nuff said, I rest my case…

The pictures speak volumes about the style statement of the new City. The front end has a grille section that is reminiscent of Honda FCX Clarity and, overall, the fore has Civic written all over it, those sharp, tapering headlamps being a striking fashion item. The rear is edgy and bold. A very in-yer-face characteristic is managed by the back side of the City owing primarily to the very BMW 3-Series-ish tail lamps. The side profile of the new Honda City is again much like its elder sibling, Civic, such a smart stance the City is endowed with. Dimensionally, the new Honda City is 4,420mm long, 1,695mm wide and 1,480mm tall.

The interior is also quite appealing and the materials used appear to be top rate. The centre console is garnished with a brushed aluminium look and the instrument cluster lights up in tastefully done soothing red shade. The door pockets are big enough to hold a regular water bottle and there is also some storage space under the rear seats. The steering wheel has been taken from the Civic. The rev counter is red lined at 6,800 rpm and the speedo is marked to a 220kmph top whack. The space inside seems adequate and should offer good legroom to the passengers. You would also get dedicated cup holders upfront and at the rear and that small storage compartment on the dash, on the driver’s side can be quite handy. The boot looks like it has decent capacity but the suspension mounts can be obstructive when storing luggage. And then there is an advanced audio system which supports all forms of digital playback including iPOD and your MP3 cell phone! There are some unique features like distance-to-empty which will inform you about the driving-range you can get from the fuel remaining in the tank, which has a capacity of 42 litres.

The engine that we are looking at is not i-DSI, one that has been raved for its fuel efficiency figures always. The new Honda City is powered by an in-line, SOHC, 4-cylinder aluminium alloy, 1.5L i-VTEC engine that can also be found under the hood of Honda Fit/Jazz and will be good for 116.4BHP and 145.14Nm. The numbers make for music to us as this will make the new City the most powerful in its segment. Handling of the existing City is already quite high up the ladder and if anything is to be predicted, we are sure the new City will be even better. The marriage of i-VTEC badged engine and improved handling, along with the girl friend in form of a beefed up H-type, torso beam suspension at rear will excite things to a different level altogether!

The new Honda City is being offered in three trim levels; City 1.5 E MT, City 1.5 S MT and City 1.5 S AT. Like the Honda Civic, the automatic City sports paddle shift mechanism. The third-gen Honda City retails for Rs 8,15,000 (ex-showroom, Mumbai) for the base 1.5 E MT version wile the top end version comes loaded with all the bells and whistles and safety features like ABS with brake assist and airbags at Rs 9,42,000 (ex-showroom, Mumbai). In New Delhi, the price of the new Honda City ranges from Rs 7,70,000 to 8,90,000. With a style quotient of Keira Knightley and promised stonking performance of the i-VTEC badge along with the brand image of Honda, the City is surely going to make life difficult for the SX4s and Fiestas running around. Now, if only Honda could have manage to beat Maruti on price….

Third-Generation Honda City Basic Specs:

Dimension

Length: 4420mm

Width: 1695mm

Height: 1480mm

Wheelbase: 2250mm

Ground Clearance: 160mm

Kerb Weight: 1100kg

Engine

Type: 1.5L, SOHC, 4-Cylinder, i-VTEC

Displacement: 1497cc

Power: 116.4bhp

Torque: 145Nm

Suspension

Front: McPherson Strut with stabilizer bar, Coil Spring

Rear: H Type torso beam suspension with stabilizer bar, Coil Spring

Brakes

Front: Ventilated Discs

Rear: Drum