Honda City- economy, style, and comfort on a common car

From a first appearance way back in the 1980s, the Honda City name has seen some radical changes with time. In India, the journey mainly started from 2001, when the worldwide popular 3rd Generation 4-door sedan landed on the shores of India, and has been in the reckoning of the Indian public since then. Now the latest edition, the 6th generation Honda City was introduced in November 2013, and has gone on sale since January 2014. From the feedback on the market, Honda City is expected to be the hottest pick of its segment, which has bought in handy tweaks like the diesel driven engine, which currently clocks the highest mileage in the segment and has resulted in high volume sale since the launch.

Exterior

In comparison to the earliest editions, the latest Honda City seems like a totally transformed machine, but the changes over the last 2 editions have been gradual, and more futuristic in design appeal. The most radical changes seem to have taken place on the front of the car. The extended headlamps are double barrel editions, along with new slanting chrome plated front grille, with the Honda logo at its center. The new air intakes helps consume more air, but these air intakes too have seen a change behind the new front grille, along with the ones placed on the lower end of the bumper. The honeycomb design surrounds with the circular fog lamps make for a different appearance this time around.

The bonnet of the car has also seen a change with the new creases, which is targeted at channelizing the air which is circulated within the engine. This idea seems to have been followed for the overall design of the car, as the creases on the side make for lesser aerodynamic drag, and a sportier look as well. The wheel-caps seen on the lower model seems more inspired from sports cars, where as the top end model gets similarly designed alloy wheels for the extra effect.

The tail end seems to be a major attraction point of the car. Even with the slightly wider wheel-base there is little which stands out, due to the intelligent designing. The tail lamps are wider, with tapered ends towards the sides, whereas the other end rests on the boot lid of the car.

The interior

The interior of the car has changed too, but it definitely is a reminder of the previous models. The plastic components spread across the horizon is of a better quality this time around, and also comes with a dual tone black and beige color scheme. For the top end variant of the vehicle, one would have black leather trimming, whereas the lower end gets a fabric trimming across areas like the hand rest and steering wheel.

The steering wheel sees a slight change in size, and seems to be a techier version than the last editions. This time the multimedia control buttons have been placed within driver’s easy reach beside the horn (with the chrome plated Honda logo). The instrument cluster also reminds us of the traditional design before, but it seems to be a bit techier like the entire new model. The 2 silver rimmed circles house the speedometer at the center, the tachometer on the left, and the fuel gauge on the right. Apart from measuring the fuel quantity, there is the consumption rate and the trip meter to give out accurate information about the car. The extra feature is the speedometer which sports a unique blue-green light signaling the efficiency of use. During the most efficient use, the green light comes on signaling the highest fuel efficiency.

The central control panel is quite an engaging part of the interior. Apart from the 5-inch LCD touchscreen control for temperature control and built-in navigation, one will have phone charging ports, USB and iPod connectivity, and the aux-in port for entertainment. There are a couple of power outlets in the front console, apart from the ones placed at the rear end below the extra A/C vents.

The engine

The 2014 Honda City has been in the news for good reason, its engine. Currently dubbed as the most efficient in its class, the new City engine is finding customers with renewed vigor. The diesel engine is the 1.5-liter iDTEC, which gives out 98 BHP of output, and clocks around 26 kmpl of mileage. The petrol option is a bit higher on numbers with the 1.5-liter iVTEC which gives out 119 BHP of output, and delivers around 18 kmpl of mileage. The diesel engine has been mated with a 6-speed manual gearing, while the petrol has the additional option of the 5-speed manual CVT gearing.

Color variations: 6 options (Golden Brown Metallic, Carnelian Red Pearl, Urban Titanium Metallic, Tapetta White, Alabaster Silver Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl).

Model variants: Manual transmission petrol (E,S,SV,V,VX), Auto transmission petrol (SV, VX), Diesel Manual transmission (E,S,SV,V,VX).

Transmission options: 5-speed CVT manual, Auto-transmission, 6-speed manual