New Honda City Unveiled

Yes, this is the new Honda City, which will be based on the new Honda Jazz launched earlier on. Published by Autocar India, it is said to be adapting a different platform sharing direction with the previous City, which offers the same wheelbase as the previous Jazz.

This is largely due City's main rival - Toyota Vios which was earlier this year had a wheelbase of 2550mm, hence Honda would have to stretch the new City's wheelbase to at least match or if not larger than that of the Vios.

It is a very welcoming sight for the arrival of the new City after Toyota had again dissapoint the market with the new Vios carrying the signature of the previous Vios - EXTREMELY LOW EQUIPMENT LEVELS; whereas the previous generation City had tones of 'luxury' equipments such as:

• 7 Speed CVT gearbox (Vios 4 speed)
• Tiptronic gear shifts on steering wheel (Vios steering wheel only had one function - HORN)
• Nice retactable cup holders (Vios had a 'cup holder' for square cups)
  
• An undertray beneath the seats (Vios had carpets beneath the seats)
• Foldable rear bench - You can place a Mountain Bike in a City. (Vios had a fixed bench, and you cannot even place a tricycle in a Vios)
• 550 liter boot in the City, larger than that of a Rolls Royce (Vios had a boot thou)

As with the new Vios, nothing was improved except that the car was larger, same engine, same transmission, same equipment levels albeit uglier.

As for now, we know Honda will be dropping the i-DSI engine and will only offer a 1.5ltr engine. Let's all hope Honda would suprise the industry with more dynamic, intelligent packaging.

And yes, unlike the previous generation Vios and City, this time around the City looks much better than their underperform, overselling rival.



Source: PaulTan