Introduction

The most preferred C-Segment sedan in India till we became a diesel obsessed country back in 2011. It has made a successful comeback in the current form with an oil burner, but there were these couple of years when the City was completely ignored. So now that sanity has returned, the third generation City seems like a viable option in the used car market.

Why I’d buy it

To start with, it is still a good looking car and as a Honda sedan gets respect on the roads. Like most other Hondas, it was it a little expensive compared to the competition. The top-spec car would cost around Rs 11 lakh, but now with the arrival of the new model, a two to three year old car is available for less than half the price.

The 1.5-litre i-VTEC is a very brilliant engine, it feels powerful and the refinement levels are exceptionally high. Both these factors reflect positively on the overall experience. The ride quality is great, the suspension set up is soft, so on the city roads where the petrol cars are mainly used, it is pleasant despite the number of potholes and speed breakers.

The beige interior with black top feels nice and the boot is larger than that of the current car. Also if youare an enthusiast, the sound of this engine close to the red line is amazing. Then there is also the fact that Honda cars command decent resale value and one major price correction that happened after the launch of the next generation model. So, one will not lose much money on picking a used car and selling it in a couple of years.

Why I’d avoid it

There is not much space for the rear passengers, so it does not make for a very good chauffer-driven car or in cases where more than two adults commute in the car regularly. The pre-2012 cars don’t even have a decent features list, the 1-DIN music system sounds great, but there is no CD player, Bluetooth audio or telephony.

The built quality of the cabin isn’t the best either, a few things will start rattling within the first couple of years. Also the difference in real world efficiency in the city and on the highway is quite alarming. It returns around 13kmpl to 15kmpl on the highways, but drops straight to 9kmpl in slow moving city traffic.

My favourite version

Back when it was launched, this was the only car in the segment with a half decent automatic transmission and the only one to offer paddle shifters. If manual is what you have on mind, everything starting with the S variant has an ABS, pick this and you can upgrade features as per convenience.

Quick facts

Price: Rs 3.5 lakh – Rs 6 lakh

Engine 1.5-litre inline four-cylinder, petrol

Gearbox: five-speed manual / five-speed automatic with paddle shifters

FE: 9kmpl to 14kmpl