High maintenance cost, poor fuel efficiency, otherwise a great car

High maintenance cost, poor fuel efficiency, otherwise a great car

Look and Style: The car looks OK - definitely not ordinary, but definitely not a Lexus or a BMW either. Comfort: The car has quite some decent alternatives that make riding in it a good experience. The centre armrest for the back seat is something people don't really consider till they use it (I don't want to ride in a car without one now). Pickup: Excellent pickup, with a great engine. Mine is the automatic version, which is perfect for city driving, where you would otherwise be upshifting and downshifting every couple of minute! Mileage: The mileage on the automatic petrol version inside the city is a joke - I am lucky if I get 7 km to the litre. However, when I'm driving out of the city, say to Pune, I use the cruise control and I can easily expect upwards of 18 Kms to the litre - now that's a decent number to talk about. Needs to improve: The service costs on this car are beyond a doubt high. An ordinary service trip sets me back by at least INR 4-5 K while a major service (10K, 40K, etc.) set me back by at least INR 12-14K. That is not a number which is mentioned on any website including this one (they incorrectly state the 40K service cost as INR 6K, check it out here: https://www.cardekho.com/honda-city/service-cost.htm) I just had my car serviced today for its 40K servicing and I can assure you, this will hit your pocket hard, if you're not prepared for it. Overall Experience: The car is not a tremendously fabulous car - yes, it handles quite well, yes, it has a decent air-conditioning system and its audio options make for a good listening experience. However, the cost of servicing easily runs to about INR 20K a year without a major servicing. At the end of 3 years, a major service alone sets you back by INR 13K (Linkway Honda) - this is way too high for a scheduled servicing of the car. Even the fuel efficiency of the petrol automatic version is something that deserves tremendous improvement. As it stands (under 7 km per litre of petrol) it's criminal!