Honda City i-DTEC

We drove the Honda City i-DTEC and boy was it a joy to get behind this wheel. The engine unlike most diesel mills is very responsive; it just does not feel sluggish. The 1.5 litre i-DTEC will pull cleanly from 1500rpm – 3900rpm after which it begins to tail off. For a car the size of the City one could demand a bigger engine but Honda is more sensible than us, a breed of babbling petrol-heads. The car is named City because it is made for the city. For which the 1.5 litre diesel mill is perfect, there are only a few roads on which you can really tear up the asphalt, the rest of the while you will be busy honking in the never ending traffic snarls of a metropolitan like ours. For city driving the car is one of the best choices available in the market, it has everything you would want. If you want a bigger engine or feel the City is underpowered go and buy the Honda Highway! 

The i-DTEC engine has an all aluminum cylinder head which is joined to an open deck engine block. The open deck configuration of the i-DTEC has made it one of the lightest engines among those with a similar capacity and output. The i-DTEC has an exceptionally lighter crankshaft and uses some of the latest friction reducing technologies. The result is a highly efficient diesel motor which not only performs well but also has reduced carbon and green house gas emissions. The whole Earth Dreams Technology has been conceptualised to develop such an engine which will perform well at the same time not compromise the environment.

The Honda City is the first model in India to use Honda’s new and exciting H Design. The H Design will be applied to all of Honda’s global models. The H design has been conceptualised around a sleeker looking car with a low front face and symmetrical linings that run along the car to a raised rear end. The headlamps are designed to look sharper and house a total of four lamp slots. The front face of the car has a very edgy look with the Honda badge centered between the bold chrome wings. The sides of the car have a powerful design and have been shaped to look more aggressive and muscular discarding the old Honda styling of smoothness and straight lines. The rear end gets wider wrap around tail lamps fitting perfectly with the overall design philosophy of the car. The Honda City has 175/ 65 R15 tyres and newly designed 15 inch alloys. 

The previous versions of the Honda City lacked a few features which major competitors like Hyundai and Nissan were offering. This has all been compensated for in the new version which covers a wide array of features. Some of the highlights of what is offered inside are  one push engine start/ stop button, automatic air-conditioning with a touch screen panel, rear ac vents, rear parking camera with different view selections (wide, normal and top-down view), cruise control, paddle shifts (only in the top model), electrically retractable and adjustable ORVMs, LED turn indicators on the ORVMs, sunroof with a tilt function, sound insulation for the diesel variant, rear reading light, advanced integrated audio with a 5 inch screen and 8 speakers. The car has a host of safety features such as driver and passenger SRS airbags, ABS, EBD, engine immobilizer, auto door locking and a rear windshield defogger.

The new Honda City i-DTEC is a thriller of a sedan and just something that will keep you wanting more and more and more. Everything about this car is simply beautiful it has all the features and functions an Indian buyer would ask for. No wonder it’s a city champ!   

Honda City i-DTEC specifications