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Honday City gets top marks for the huge boot (more space than a Commodore) which is deep and long. Photo Gallery
The Honda City can raise seven reasons ? with some provisos ? why you should add it to your shopping list.
Honda's latest lightweight but pricey addition to its Australian line up (popular in Asia but new to our shores) is a sedan version of Honda's Jazz hatch.
Think of it as a small car with big car aspirations. But does it live up to them? Let’s count the reasons down from seven to one.
Seven
That's the average fuel consumption the sedan returned after a week's rural and stop-start urban driving — and without any regard to driving with efficiency in mind. That certainly got my attention in these days of watching your household budget.
Six
That's what you can achieve in fuel consumption if you drive the City smoothly on the highway, so the fuel story gets even better.
Honda's own claimed fuel figures are 5.3l/100 on country runs but you probably won't achieve that in real-world driving conditions. Honda boasts a combined city/highway consumption of 6.3l/100km (manual) or 6.6l/100km (automatic). The downside: the tank only holds a meagre 42 litres.
Five
The manual and auto gearboxes both get five ratios and five is better than four but not as good as six. The gearing is aimed for fuel economy not performance so don't buy the City if you are looking for spirited motoring; on the hills it borders on disappointing.
Four
Honda has done a fine job with the four-door sedan's baby Accord styling and a modern airy cabin which comes dressed in the obligatory polished alloy and black trim. Some of the design elements, like the red instrument dials are a bit over the top, but the City stands out from the small car pack.
The cabin itself is reasonably comfortable but the front seats could do with even more support and front headroom can be tight if you are tall, thanks to the seats being mounted above the fuel tank.
It is overall well executed, the controls fairly simple to understand and operate. One wonders why a five seater needs seven cupholders though.
Top marks for the huge boot (more space than a Commodore) which is deep and long.
Three (well two and a half)
Honda gets two but not all three of the expected safety features. It offers smart anti-lock brakes, front and side airbags and curtain air bags. But Honda shoots itself in the foot by not offering electronic stability control. Honda promises it will be available next year.
Two
A choice of specification levels and while the City commands a premium price there's not a bad value for money story here. The Vti comes standard with big ticket items: keyless entry, power windows and mirrors, air conditioning, cruise control, a good single CD sound system with steering wheel controls, iPod integration and USB compatibility (but you only get four speakers).
The Vti-L adds more in the way of bling like better quality seat upholstery, fog lamps, reach adjustment for the steering wheel and larger alloy wheels. Missing: No remote release for the boot which is standard fare on most new cars nowdays and shows where Honda has penny pinched, as does the lack of boot liner in the base model.
One (OK, I cheated, it’s 1.5)
The capacity of the in-line four-cylinder engine. Honda has been a master at building fuel-injected motors and this one is typical but peak power and torque come high on the rev band so its all rather busy under the bonnet. Borrowed from the Jazz, it's good for 88kW and 145Nm of torque. The figures don't mean much on paper but they translate to mixed performance on road. The gearing is the engine's main handicap. Pity about that.
Suspension, also pinched from the Jazz, is a conventional MacPherson system up front with torsion beam axle in the rear which is common in the light car market. Despite some tyre noise, the ride is smooth and comfortable, but don't expect anything outstanding. Same goes for the power steering which is light and lifeless but for most owners will be just fine.
Overall, it’s City by name and city by nature. An expensive, but easy-to-drive car if you keep the revs up for urban living.
Pricing: Vti from $20,490, VtiL from $22,990. Auto adds $2300 to the equation.
Engine: 1.6l 4 cylinder fuel injected, 88kW @ 66000rpm, 145Nm torque @4800rpm.
Economy: 6.3l/100km combined (manual) claimed.
Transmission: Five speed manual or five-speed automatic.
