We drive the 2014 Honda City diesel and petrol mid-size sedan on Indian roads to see if its sets a new benchmark.
Meanwhile, Honda is trying to wow the people in the front seat too, which feels perfectly cushioned. Honda engineers have played around with the foam density to make long stints in the cabin fatigue free.
The company has been getting some flak for the interiors of its cars and things have changed significantly on the new City. The design looks richer with a silver ‘T’ running across the dash, and the glossy piano black trim adds to the appeal too.
There’s plenty of equipment on offer as well. The instruments for the driver are big and easy to read, rings around the dials glow blue or green (depending on your driving style), and the chunky steering wheel is a high point, with well damped switches for the music and telephony. After much criticism for its omission in the previous City, the music system brings back a CD player (along with DVD support) as well as the now mandatory Bluetooth and Aux-in. A five-inch screen is the interface for the music system, while the air-conditioning system is operated via a touch panel. And let’s not forget, the City also offers a sunroof.
But while the cabin is well equipped and well specced, it’s not a very cohesive design, and has lots of different elements. The LCD display for the music system looks lost in the vast piano black surface of the centre console. The touchscreen panel for the air-conditioning is fantastic to use and answers City critics who panned the clunky HVAC controls in the previous car. However, the touch-screen display looks a bit fogged up and richer plastics for the dash would have really hit the spot. But there’s no doubt that this cabin indulges its occupants much more than any City before it, and by a long shot.