Honda City S M/T

Superb comfort and space, impressive fuel economy and a huge boot make the new City every bit as practical as the previous model

Published on Dec 10, 2009 08:00:00 AM

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In line with the car’s more aggressive stance and character is the uprated 116bhp 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine. It has the same block as the i-DSi and subsequent V-TEC engines that powered the previous City but now gets a full-fledged VTEC system that controls intake valve lift instead of simply deactivating it as earlier. Peak power is now delivered at 6600rpm as against 5800. The new car with widely spread ratios sprints to 100kph in a rapid 10.2 seconds, around half a second faster than the previous car. Acceleration to 150kph is faster by two seconds than the older car. In-gear acceleration is pretty good but the tall third gear doesn’t make significantly quicker than before.In the real world, the new City is very responsive and scoots away with a mere touch of the throttle and this makes it a great car for tackling traffic. The mid-range, however, feels flat which calls for extra gearshifts when overtaking slow-movingtraffic.. But though the concentration of power is at the top end, this long-stroking engine is not as rev-happy as the first-gen City’s shorter-stroke Hyper-16 engine.
For normal driving, the Honda motor is very refined and goes about its work quietly and with little fuss. It is only when you rev it hard that it takes on a slightly coarse and strained edge. The gearbox is terrific with a light and snappy throw and the wide gearing takes advantage of the flexible nature of the engine.

The new city is equally efficient and even marginally better. This is a phenomenal achievement from a car that is heavier and more powerful than the previous City and a tribute to Honda’s engineering wizardry. It travels 10.5kpl in the city and 16.5kpl on the highway.