Honda City

In the niche compact sedan segment where the Hyundai Verna offers the best space and features, and the Virtus-Slavia duo offer the best driving dynamics, Honda City sits as a safe option with no singular personality trait. It relies on its premium design, upmarket cabin quality, time-tested reliability and a decent features list to win you over. 

But with the rivals offering better deals in key departments, the City gets singled out due to its simpler approach. I’ve driven Honda City along with its rivals, and the difference became clearer to me. Does the Honda City still have enough to make an impact or has it faded with time? Let’s find out.

Design & Build Quality

As I mentioned above, the Honda City is a safe option, and that applies to its design. While some of its rivals look too sporty and others look too modern, the City’s design is simple, sober, and elegant.

Up front you get a pronounced honeycomb grille and a slim chrome strip which looks distinctive. The chiselled front bumper looks sporty and you also get a faux carbon-fibre finish on the chin which although not genuine, doesn’t look tacky. It gets LED headlamps, slim DRLs which merge with the chrome strip on the grille, and the fog lamps are placed lower on the bumper. 

The side profile has a typical sedan shape where the chrome door handles add some contrast to the otherwise plain design. It sits on 16-inch alloy wheels which have a pretty neat looking design, and the lower variants get 15-inch alloy and steel wheels.

The rear design has a body-coloured boot lid spoiler and the rear slim bumper looks sporty. Just like in the front, here too you will find faux carbon-fibre elements. The LED tail lamps have a wraparound design which adds some premiumness to this simple design.

Honda offers the City in 6 monotone shades: Obsidian Blue Pearl, Radiant Red Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Golden Brown Metallic, Meteoroid Grey Metallic, and Lunar Silver Metallic. Out of all these colours, the Red and Blue catch the most attention.

The City’s overall design is simple, and nothing stands out save for some exterior colours. But, there is also nothing to hate. The design might not be the most attention grabbing, but it is premium and graceful, which a lot of people will like.

Design & Build Quality

Ingress and egress in the City are no hassle. The doors open wide and the roof is tall enough for you to get in and out with ease. The elderly, on the other hand, will have to make additional efforts and for them getting in and out can be tiring because of the general body style.

The interior of the updated Honda City is just as clean as its exterior, but you do get the premiumness you expect from this segment. The dashboard has a dual-tone black and off-white theme, but the overall cabin is predominantly white. The dash gets some chrome elements around the AC vents and steering wheel for contrast, and you get some gloss black elements in the centre console. You’ll also notice the cabin’s layout is towards the front passenger (touchscreen and AC controls), instead of the driver, which is not so common.

This cabin’s quality is also one of the best in the segment, if not the best. All the touch points are finished in high quality soft-touch materials and the way the rotary knobs for the climate controls click and the control stalks function is of very high quality.

Front Seat

With the City, you get a height adjustable driver seat along with both tilt and telescopic steering adjustment from the base variant, which makes it very easy to find your ideal driving position.

The front seats are also pretty wide which provide good space even for people of larger frames. The headroom here is good enough for users up to 6ft tall, and the bolsters offer good side support. Any taller and you will find headroom lacking and wish for more seat travel as well. The footwell has decent space for your feet.

There are no major blind spots and the wide windows and big windshield provide good visibility. But the smaller rear windshield does limit your rear view.

Rear Seats

The rear seat of the Honda City is great when it comes to space and comfort. You get loads of space on the inside with ample kneeroom, and shoulder room is decent enough for three passengers to sit comfortably. Headroom, however, is not that generous and tall people will find it to be a bit tight. 

You do get a centre armrest for more convenience during long drives, but the height of the armrest does not match the door armrest, which will not give you a very comfortable seating position.

Due to the light cabin theme and large enough windows, your overall visibility from the rear seat is uncompromised.

Storage Options

In terms of storage options you get four different spaces to keep your phone under the centre console, you also get two well-designed cup holders, large door pockets and some space under the front armrest. Rear passengers get cupholders in the centre armrest, and seatback pockets with dedicated phone slots.

Charging Options

To charge your phone, you get a wireless phone charger plugged into a 12V socket, and two USB Type-A ports. Since the wireless phone charger is plugged into the 12V socket, you can’t use both at the same time. Rear passengers only get a 12V socket.

To sum up, the City’s cabin offers great space for a family along with the premiumness you expect from this segment. But, compared to the competitors, it lacks some finesse, and it is not the most practical.

Features

With the City, you get all the basic amenities you need for your daily commutes, along with some additional features.

It also gets an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system which has good resolution and it is bright enough to work well in harsh light conditions. The user interface is easy to understand and it supports wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, both of which work seamlessly. 

However, the user interface feels dated and the screen size feels too small for the segment, as its rivals offer 10-inch displays in their top-spec variants.

The 7-inch semi-digital driver’s display is extremely easy to use and with the help of the steering-mounted controls you can go through various functions with ease. It also displays ADAS functionality.

There is a rear parking camera as well which works well in low light conditions but due to the small screen size, spotting small items becomes difficult. Honda also offers a lane watch camera which shows the view of the left blind spot on the touchscreen while indicating.

Standard safety features of the City include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), hill start assist, rear parking sensors, ISOFIX child seat anchors, tyre pressure monitoring system, and a rearview camera.

Higher variants get a lane-watch camera, auto-dimming IRVM, and Level 2 ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, high beam assist, and auto emergency braking. The City’s ADAS system uses both camera and radar, which helps it work well in low light conditions.

When it comes to boot space, the Honda City has a large 506-litre boot which is deep and very well shaped. This allows you to keep a full suitcase set, two small soft bags, and an office bag. You can also stack one suitcase over the other which allows better placement.

The Honda City gets a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally-aspirated (NA) petrol engine which can be had either with a 6-speed manual or a CVT (continuously variable automatic transmission). The City Hybrid comes with a 1.5-litre strong hybrid petrol engine which is available only with a CVT.

This is a responsive engine with good drivability. The vibrations are kept to a minimum and you can get a relaxed drive experience.

City Performance

In the city, you can cruise at low speeds in third or even fourth gear and even when you want quick acceleration, the engine responds without any hesitation. As a result, its performance is effortless as gear shifts are kept to a minimum. The gear shifts too are slick and the light and progressive clutch makes driving in the city a comfortable affair. This engine is also a good option for chauffeur-driven owners, as the power delivery is progressive and smooth, resulting in controlled head-nod.

In terms of fuel efficiency, you can get around 13-14kmpl in the city.

Highway Performance

On the highway, this engine does get noisy when worked hard and it also lacks the outright punch that is offered by the turbo-petrol rival cars like the VW Virtus and Skoda Slavia. So high-speed overtakes will warrant a downshift or two and you will have to rev the engine up as well. It may not have the immediate punch of a turbo-petrol but the engine is rev happy and sounds good too. . You can easily enjoy inter-city cruises and sitting at triple digit speeds won’t be a hassle.

You also get a CVT option with the engine. It will prove to be a great option for people who mainly drive in the city but in terms of fun on the highway, it won’t really excite you.  

On the highway, you can get a fuel efficiency of around 18kmpl.

Ride Comfort

When it comes to ride quality, the Honda City impresses. At low speeds the suspension feels pliant and refined. Small imperfections are taken with ease and even hard-edged potholes are dealt with confidence as the suspension goes about doing its job silently. 

At higher speeds too the Honda City feels rock solid and very stable in a straight line. Ride quality too is comfortable as it doesn't get unsettled by bumps or undulations at higher speeds. 

Handling

In terms of handling, the City feels involved to drive. It turns eagerly into corners as it feels agile and willing. Even the steering has just the right amount of weight because of which you can actually have some fun behind the wheel while also enjoying easy maneuverability in traffic.

The Honda City can be had in 5 variants: SV, V, Sport, VX, and ZX. The automatic transmission is available from the one-above-base V variant.

SV

• Gets halogen headlamps, LED DRLs, LED tail lamps, and 15-inch steel wheels with covers.

• The cabin gets fabric upholstery, dual-tone interiors, and a height adjustable driver seat.

• Features include automatic climate control, all power windows, and electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs

• It gets an infotainment package with an 8-inch touchscreen, wired Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, and a 4-speaker sound system.

• Safety kit includes 6 airbags, ESC, TPMS, rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera.

V

• Base variant for the automatic transmission

• Exterior gets halogen fog lamps and 15-inch alloy wheels.

• Cabin gets chrome inserts on inside door handles, AC vents, and hand brake knob.

• Additional features include remote engine start (CVT only), paddle shifters, and wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay.

• Safety kit gets auto headlamps and Level 2 ADAS features.

Sport

• Gets black treatment on the exterior with grey 15-inch alloy wheels.

• Comes with an all-black cabin that offers black leatherette seats with red inserts and stitching.

VX

• No major changes to the exterior or interior save for rear sun shades.

• Feature additions include a wireless phone charger, a single-pane sunroof, and an 8-speaker sound system.

• Safety kit gets a lane watch camera.

ZX

• Gets LED headlamps, LED fog lamps, and 16-inch alloy wheels along with faux carbon-fibre inserts.

• Cabin gets beige leatherette seats and one touch up/down for all windows.

• Feature additions include ambient lighting in the footwell and door handles, a 7-inch semi-digital driver’s display, and auto folding ORVMs.

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• If you’re on a budget, you can go for the base SV variant as it covers all the basics and comes with a good infotainment package. Go for the V trim if you want an automatic transmission.

• The VX variant is the most value for money as it gets a good looking exterior, and almost all features you will need. Go for the top-spec ZX variant for a more premium cabin.

The Honda City is nowhere close to its rivals when it comes to features and performance, and this design is also not as eye-catching as its competition. But, the package it offers is more than enough to suit most people’s needs. The premium cabin will give you the feeling of being in an expensive car and the space will be good for your entire family.

But if your requirements are more towards flashy features and performance, there are other models in the segment which will suit your needs better.

Other Options To Consider

Hyundai Verna

Reasons To Consider

• Best features in the segment

• Gets most powerful turbo-petrol engine in the segment

Reasons To Ignore

• Polarising design can split opinions

• Engines are not so fuel efficient

Volkswagen Virtus/Skoda Slavia

Reasons To Consider

• Better driving dynamics

• More sporty looking models

Reasons To Ignore

• Less rear seat space for 3 passengers

• Cabin doesn’t feel as premium