Honda City A new leader of the C segment cars
Honda has just unveiled the latest 4th generation of the Honda City, with the same platform model as the Honda Jazz. For fans of the last iteration of the model there are marked surface similarities to this latest version. Although the styling is fresh, dynamic and modern, the length, width and door handles are very similar to the 3rd generation model. The similarities are only external though as the interior is dramatically different.
The cabin is fresh, spacious and up to date with a dashboard finished with a high gloss and a touch screen panel to control air conditioning and stereo functions, with Bluetooth connectivity. The instrument cluster is logically laid out and very well featured. The instrumentation is easy to read although the visibility through the windscreen hasn’t changed significantly from the out-going model. The outside rear view mirrors are electrically operated and fold away when not in use. A push button key-less start is standard equipment along with a sunroof, ABS, driver and front passenger air bags, and a rear parking camera. There are some other nice touches for rear seat passengers with an armrest, bottle holders and air conditioning vents fitted.
The Honda City will be available with a choice of two different 1.5 litre engines in petrol or diesel. According to Honda both of these engines will be class leaders in fuel economy and performance. The petrol engine is similar to the previous model with a few new tweaks to improve performance. Low tension oil seals have been fitted to minimise friction and the valve timing has been adjusted to provide better fuel economy. Other engine improvements include a precision pattern for piston coating and a new plastic engine intake to reduce weight. Although official figures are not available yet, it’s expected that power will be increased and fuel consumption will be reduced. The diesel engine is a lightweight all Aluminium unit borrowed from the Honda Amaze. Economy in this case is improved by using a high swirl port, offset crank and low viscosity oil.
The diesel powered Honda City will come equipped with a five speed manual gearbox. The petrol model however will have two different gearboxes to choose from, a Constant Variable Transmission or a five speed manual transmission. If past experiences of the five speed manual transmissions in previous Honda cars are anything to go by the gear changes will be exact and effortless. Both of these engines should be easy to drive around town.
Honda claims that the new Honda City will be a leader in its class and with the improvements made to this latest model it’s easy to understand why.
