How much of a leap forward has Honda taken with the all-new City? Here's our comprehensive road-test review.
Every generation of the Honda City has been a winner. One of the ingredients of its success has been, in no small measure, Honda’s out-of-the-box approach when conceiving this mid-size saloon. The pattern has been fairly predictable. Once every five or six years, Honda introduces a drastically new City that bears little or no resemblance to its predecessor, and it inevitably goes on to become the mid-sizer to beat. Hence, the new, fourth-generation City’s design, which is evolutionary rather than radical, is a bit disappointing, although the car is, in essence, completely new.
Honda has played it safe and probably didn’t want to take a risk with another extreme design in today’s tough market. It’s clear then that the company has focussed on pleasing the masses rather than sticking to the petrol-headedness that enthusiasts love it for. But it’s the common consumer – the type who wants to be pampered in every possible way – that will eventually let Honda meet the lofty sales targets it has set for the City.
As a result, sixteen years and three generations later, Honda has finally given in to the country’s demand for a diesel engine. It’s also packed this latest iteration with a tonne of features – something we Indians love. The diesel City may have missed the sweet spot when it comes to timing, but it definitely beats not turning up at all. So how good is the new ‘consumer-oriented’ City? We thoroughly tested both, the petrol and the diesel manuals, to see if it sets new benchmarks yet again.