New  Honda City exterior

New Honda City Review (i-DTEC Diesel) Images, features, Price: Urban Legend

Ride and Handling

At 165mm, the ground clearance of the new City isn’t quite enough to tackle the atrocities offered by Indian roads. The previous gen City was notorious for having a liking for getting its belly scraped at every taller than usual speed breaker, which our streets are littered with. The suspension however is on the stiffer side this time around, and that should prevent the body from lowering to an extent, even when loaded. A little more ground clearance would have been desirable though.

New 2014 Honda City exterior (15)

The most glaring oddity about the new Honda city, as mentioned is its set of skinny tyres, which don’t appear sufficient to provide a confident drive. While we still assert that a wider set of tyres would most definitely have benefitted the City’s grip levels and confidence on the limit, surprisingly, even with the slim tyres, it doesn’t feel nervous at speed. The stiffening and tuning of the suspension along with a sturdier frame have a big role to play in the better dynamic ability of the new car, as compared with the model it replaces. The ride is not as squishy as the previous version, which is a good thing once you gather speeds above 50kmph. At slower speeds, some stiffness translates into the cabin over sharper bumps.

New 2014 Honda City exterior (35)

Even with its relatively newfound prowess as regards handling, the new City isn’t exactly a driver’s delight. The tyres though good for a wide range of driving conditions tended to give way the moment we shifted to extreme mode. The City would take a series of bends without worry at a fairly swift pace, but the moment you gear up to attack the corners with a vengeance, the limitations of the tyres and suspension become evident. There is a fair bit of body roll, and the 175/65 R 15 rubber wouldn’t hold on for too long if pushed to the limit. The Skoda Rapid is still the benchmark for the segment when it comes to dynamic ability. However, for all practical purposes, the Honda City comes as a hugely improved ride and handling package.

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7 thoughts on “New Honda City Review (i-DTEC Diesel) Images, features, Price: Urban Legend”

  1. Something that was already so good only got better especially now with the diesel avataar. A segment that was pretty much dominated by Hyundai , Skoda and Volkswagen.

    While some may see it pretty much looks the same, I happened to cast a deep glance on the street and began to appreciate what’s outside and how it looks inside.

    The brand “City” and its positioning has become all the more appealing and is for sure determined to gain the leadership slot . In the diesel segment too.

    The icing on the cake would be a cvt to the diesel variant which until now is only available in the verna which is a stonker of an engine. With the german giant coming up with the DSG the competition will only get stiffer.

    With some outrageous fuel efficiency in real world driving , I think Honda has hit its competitors where it would hurt most. That with unmatched reliability and after sales network, it is no surprise that it garnered over 7000 bookings within the 1st week of launch . At the same time the Rapide was breathing hard under its slew of advertisement campaigns.

    Honda am sure is looking forward to filling the gaps in the MUV, Compact SUV and a premium sedan space.

    I see that Honda has never been the first mover but I believe there is always a lull before the storm.

    Honda – we are waiting !

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