Honda City has remained one of the favorite cars of the Indian market since its launch. The current generation of Honda City was launched in 2014. Giving it a mid-life update, Honda started the 2017 City with minor changes to the vehicle. Here is everything that you should know about the new City.
Looks
The Honda City is a handsome looking vehicle. The facelift model becomes even more sporty and aggressive. The car gets an all-new honeycomb mesh below the grille. The bumper has been redesigned too and looks very aggressive. The new City also gets LED DRLs as standard across all the variants. The top-end models also get LED headlamps, something very rare in the affordable car segment, and it also makes the City look much sharper. The fog lamps are also LED, making it first in the segment.
The car also gets 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, but the side profile remains the same. At the rear, the City gets LED tail lamps with boot lip spoiler and integrated brake light. The small changes make the City fresher, and the features like LED lamps make it stand out in the segment.
Interiors
On the inside, the new City receives minor changes as well. The infotainment system has been updated with a larger 17.7cm screen. The system comes with navigation, phone apps, WiFi connection and MirrorLink. The car itself is very spacious from inside. The large windows make for a feel good factor. The top-end variant also gets sun-roof.
The rear seats of the City are given proper attention. The rear passengers get dedicated AC vent and charging points. The rear seats also get armrest with two cupholders. The car also gets a keyless entry with a start-stop button. Safety net includes six airbags, ABS, and EBD. Dual airbags are standard across the range.
Engine and drive
There have been no changes in the car mechanically. The City continues to be powered by two engine options – 1.5-litre petrol engine that generates a maximum of 118 bhp and 145 Nm and a 1.5-litre diesel engine that generates 99 Bhp and 200 Nm. The petrol engine comes with a 5-speed manual or a 7-speed CVT while the diesel engine only comes with a 6-speed manual only.
The petrol engine from Honda are famous for their impeccable smoothness, and this one is no different. The car is quiet and does the job very well. The CVT unit is very sophisticated and gives you seamless shifts until and unless you are driving with the pedal to the metal.
The diesel engine suffers from turbo lag, but once you get used to the turbo delay, you will start enjoying the 200 Nm torque, especially while accelerating. The diesel engine is still very noisy and a lot of noise filters to the cabin.
Should you buy it?
With the update, City now starts from Rs. 8.5 lakh for petrol manual, Rs. 11.54 lakh for the petrol automatic and Rs. 10.76 lakh for the diesel manual. The price makes it seem very expensive than the Ciaz, its main competitor but the Ciaz misses out on a lot of features like LED headlamps, six airbags, sunroof, etc. The Ciaz comes only with the driver side airbag for the lower variants, while the City comes with standard dual airbags.
If you are going for a petrol model, there is no replacement for City’s smooth engine and the features, but if you want to go for the diesel model, the Ciaz hybrid from Maruti makes a lot more sense is much cheaper too!
