Best selling Top 3 premium luxury Sedans from Honda in India
If you are looking for luxury, comfort, style, safety, fuel efficiency and features then Honda will definitely tick all the boxes. Maximum Men Minimum Machine (4M) is the ideology that is kept in mind before manufacturing any Honda car. In this article we will review top selling Honda sedans and see what makes them special.
Honda Civic Review
Honda launched Civic in India way back in 2006 and it created quite a buzz. Honda City had already been ruling the market and Civic seemed a natural upgrade for City owners. The exterior design was seductive, laced with an interior that wouldn't look out of place even today, and a motor that promised to excite.
In the past 14 years, Civic seems similar but updated in sync with the times. Let's check in detail each feature as to how it has managed with times.
Honda's Civic has been priced from Rs 17.93 lakh to Rs 22.34 lakh. Some features that are its lowdown like the low seating position, the space at the back seat also won't cut with CVT. Also missing are memory seats, electric adjust for the co-driver, and front parking sensors, which one expects at such price.
Still, none of that matters when you drive and spend time with it. It's got the design to charm, and the interior feel is premium. It comes in diesel engine for covering miles and petrol engine for a smooth drive. Exterior
Civic looks are a head-turner. It looks swanky, and Honda Accord seems its immediate elder. Honda elements include the large grille dunked in chrome, fine honeycomb detailing in the vents and crisp character lines are there on the sedan.
Although sedan, Civic has a raised rump on the sides that very unconventional for a three-box sedan. As per its original looks, the Civic has retained a low-slung design, giving it a sporty ready-to-go stance. It has Full-LED headlamps and a set of 17-inch machine-finished alloy wheels that are brilliant to look at.
Honda's Civic isn't the tallest among its peers but certainly is the widest. The XL-sized triangular tail lamps onto the boot lid look great at night as the portion of the tail lamp on the boot lights up as well. Overall the Civic's design continues to impress and we feel that it will remain so in years to come.Interior
Civic is driver-focussed and this would be felt as soon as you get inside the cabin. The seating position is low and the dashboard wraps itself around you. The cool-blue and red lighting in the instrument cluster and the perfectly fitted central console gives it a rich look and feel. One thing that would be missed is the digital speedometer that was housed in the upper half of the split dashboard.
The steering wheel can be tilted and has telescopic adjust and the driver seat can be adjusted in 8 ways to get you the best seating position for driving. As this is a low-seating car, one will need a few drives to get in tune with the Civic for getting comfortable with its dimensions.
The front seats may feel narrow for healthy or broader occupants and a lack of support for their shoulders will be missed. The flat seat base takes away the comfort to your under-thigh support and one will need to sit in a 'knees-up' position. Here the seat height adjustment will do the trick and will mitigate the discomfort. Co-passenger is sure to feel the pinch, especially over a long journey.
Coming to rear row, the issue with the low seating position gets even odder as the door doesn't open too wide. To get in and to get out requires a bit of effort. So, those with elderly members in their family must keep this drawback in mind.
The rear seat of the Honda is just okay in terms of space. Also, the swanky width on the exterior does not accommodate for a room for three at the rear. Considering the central tunnel and the raised middle portion of the rear, the middle occupant is at the receiving end. The middle occupant is denied a headrest too. If you are a tall person over 6 feet, be prepared to get in close touch to the roof.
But with few ifs and buts, the Civic wins in terms of practicality. There is ample space in the front half of the cabin, and it gets good storage around the front armrest as well. At the rear, you get door bins and a pair of cupholders in the central armrest. The boot space at 430 litres is just enough, but lower when compared to other options in the segment. The 60:40 split of Camry is missing here which could have upped the game for Honda.
The Civic impresses on many other fronts, like quality. Most old car's cabin is made of hard plastic, the new Civic throws a surprise here. The dashboard is in a soft-touch material that feels pleasant to touch. Plush leather upholstery, with leather inserts on the door pad, give a nice experience. The materials used feel durable.Engine
With Honda Civic you get to choose between two drivetrain options - a petrol engine with 1.8-litre displacement paired with a CVT, or a diesel engine with 1.6-litre displacement paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox. What is out of the box is that the petrol isn't offered with a manual, and the diesel isn't offered with an automatic.Honda Civic Petrol Model
Honda's legendary petrol R18 model remains as robust and silent as ever. The engine is still decade old but with tweaked upgrades and for sure one will not feel it as outdated ever. Powered with 141PS and 174Nm, there is more than enough grunt to glide you through weekdays and weekend road trips.
Honda has taken due consideration and pangs of the daily commute and hence tuned the CVT aptly for everyday commutes. The engine is silent as a dove and driving it with a light foot is quite relaxing. The gearbox is also smooth and it is responsive, CVT does not seem to hurry up, unlike others. The Sports mode, does not inspire confidence although the gearbox holds on to higher revs for longer. Although you can take control over the 'gears' using the paddle shifters, that's an extra effort not worth.
The city drive is charming but not the spirited driving. Manual transmission would have made the difference but it is surprisingly missing in Civic.Honda Civic Diesel Model
Civic with a diesel engine is a fairly new, but it has been already seen in the CR-V. Here in Civic, it gets a manual gearbox instead of the slick 9-speed automatic. With diesel what instantly comes to mind is the noise and vibration. When started, the 1.6-litre motor does make quite a noise if you're standing outside the car. But as you get inside the car, to your utter surprise the noise vanishes, except for a small thrum. Some noise cannot be cut out being a diesel engine and a negligible amount of vibration on the pedals is all that is there barring else.
Thanks to Honda light clutch the drive is easy going on Civic. Even bumper to bumper traffic doesn't bother much. Within the city the drive is easy and enough power from low revs. Mostly the second or third gear will be in use which gives brisk acceleration especially over 1800rpm.
Boost to fuel efficiency is at the core of Honda engineers. So, if you are driving in 6th gear at 80kmph speed and you need to overtake, you just can't simply accelerate and get ahead, you will need to come down to 5th gear to do so. If you are on a highway and wish to cruise at 100 to 120kmph then this engine will happily assist you all day long.
The diesel engine does provide a stellar mileage and the ARAI-certified efficiency stands at a mind-boggling 23.9kmpl, that speaks a ton. The real test on roads and traffic condition on road will bring down the claimed mileage but still will be impressive. Safety
Honda is also one of the focus points of Honda Civic, it is offering a total of six airbags as standard. ABS, EBD as well as vehicle stability management (ESC), and hill start assist are also included. One more salient safety feature which Honda calls 'Agile Handling Assist'. This function helps steer the car without a fuss at higher speeds in corners.
Engine
Petrol: Type 4 Cylinder, SOHC i-VTEC
Diesel: 4 Cylinder, DOHC i-DTEC
Displacement(cc)
Petrol: 1799
Diesel: 1597
No. of Valves
Petrol: 16
Diesel: 16
Power (ps @rpm)
Petrol: 104 [141] @ 6 500
Diesel: 88 [120] @ 4 000
Torque (Nm @rpm)
Petrol: 174 @ 4300
Diesel: 300 @ 2000
Fuel Efficiency (km/l)
Petrol: 16.5
Diesel: 23.9
Price
Petrol: Rs 10.89 to Rs 14.45 lakh Honda City 5th Gen
Unmatchable style in its segment
Honda City has upgraded and updated itself with time and the new stylish City is an example to refer to. The new styling of a slab of chrome stretching across the width and over the headlights is unmissable. The headlights are LED lights that enhance the bling quotient, also there is full-width eyebrow DRLs. These DRL run on the diamond-cut 16-inch rims. The tyres have been kept narrower than its rivals.
The design will give a feel of European cars that are crispier and sharper. The tightly pinched shoulder line stretching from the front fender and going all the way to the tail lamp is a fit example. There is a crease at the bottom of the doors to cut visual bulk. The prominent spoiler integrated into the boot lid looks good. Honda has nearly wiped out their grille and narrowed the air dam to give it better aerodynamics.Interiors
The detailing on the Honda City undeniably noticeable. To begin with, the wing mirrors, are mounted on the door to reduce the blind spots. There's also a blind spot camera in the instrument cluster, it turns on when you flip the left indicator. Visibility is great with the bonnet, also the rear parcel shelf and boot lid re-designed to improve the view out. There is a sunroof and plenty of cubby holes and trays. Mobile phone tray lags in space and tech with no wireless charger feature. The 7-inch digital cockpit is very well designed too. The steering wheel itself has a rich feel and is also good to look at.Completely reworked cabin
Honda engineers have got a very well refined cabin; the only flip is the 8-inch touchscreen that's ever so slightly canted towards the passenger. Although the touchscreen is very well lit as it can be read even in harsh sunlight. It is connected to a 180W 8-speaker sound system and has CarPlay app, Android Auto, and WebLink plus Alexa integration. The Honda Connect app loads around 32 connected car features including tracking, remote start-up, geofencing and more.Spaciousness – few come close
Honda works promise of 4Ms i.e. Maximum Men Minimum Machine and has time again kept its promise. The City has been top of the segment as far as the boot space goes (506 litres) and spaciousness of the back seat. If the claims are to be believed, then Honda claims that the shoulder room and rear knee room is increased up by to 15mm. This is the only car that is truly 5 seaters. The seatback has been reclined comfortably but the headroom is just fine. In comparison, the height is down by 6mm, but the headroom is up by 5mm, as claimed by Honda. The front seats are the wide, plush and comfortable in this segment with the best ergonomics and visibility. Honda has come up with a term for the City's cabin — Ambitious Beauty. Engine
Honda continues with the same i-VTEC petrol engine that is carried over from the Gen 4 City. The City engine is Powered up by 2bhp to 119.3 bhp while torque peaks at an identical 145Nm. It revs at nearly 7000rpm which is rather a lot and seems more of a turbo engine considering we are now getting used to turbo-charged engines that peak at just over 5000rpm.
i-VTEC is performance and refinement together. The i-VTEC is eerily silent at idle and even while cruising. The engine is smooth and completely noiseless unless you wish to hear the noise by deliberately rev it hard. You may get a little surprised that even after your effort to test it to its limit it remains vibration-free and you will not feel the engine. This is why Honda is called the 'Best Engine Maker' in the World. Though the engine is noiseless the tyre and wind noise is quite audible in the City, despite the spray foam sound insulator in the body and double sealing for the doors.
The i-VTEC is available with the CVT automatic and had seven steps (electronically) engineered into it to simulate the operation of a conventional automatic. The gearbox-engine calibration makes it the most refined combination. It can deliver an efficient 18.4kmpl, which is better than the manual's 17.8kmpl. The i-DTEC diesel
Honda steals your heart with its petrol version but diesel is what it had to work for efficient mileage. The i-DTEC delivers 99bhp and 200Nm that isn't the most powerful & torquey. Even before it even gets to 4000rpm the engine runs out of breath. City i-DTEC comes with a 6-speed manual and it doesn't suit the City's effortless nature.
Honda has worked on the refinement of the engine and has cut down on noise considerably. The fuel efficiency is 24.1kmpl.Safety
Honda City has received a 5-star safety rating at ASEAN NCAP. The City handles in a safe, balanced and composed manner on the hills. It has a predictable response and precise steering that lets you position the car accurately into bends. Summary
Engine
Petrol: Type 4 Cylinder, SOHC i-VTEC
Diesel: 4 Cylinder, DOHC i-DTEC
Displacement(cc)
Petrol: 1799
Diesel: 1597
No. of Valves
Petrol: 16
Diesel: 16
Power (ps @rpm)
Petrol: 104 [141] @ 6 500
Diesel: 88 [120] @ 4 000
Torque (Nm @rpm)
Petrol: 174 @ 4300
Diesel: 300 @ 2000
Fuel Efficiency (km/l)
Petrol: 16.5
Diesel: 23.9
Price
Petrol: Rs 10.89 to Rs 14.45 lakh Concluding review
Every feature comes for a price and sure the New Honda City 5th Gen will be pricier as the 4th Gen will also continue to be sold parallelly. The new City is more spacious, better equipped, more sophisticated, more comfortable and with a far better cabin. It can comfortably be said to be the best in its segment. This new City has built on the strengths and set a benchmark in this class for others to emulate and cross.Honda City 4th Gen
We have already reviewed the New Honda 5th Gen and specified that it is an upgraded model of the 4th Gen Honda City. Although the 5Th Gen is very much different the engine and brand remain the same, so we will quickly jump into the good and not so good features of Honda 4th Gen to save on your time.
The good features
Interiors
- The interior space of the City is good and also the build quality. It is comparable with even some D-segment sedans.
- The City has a one-touch electric sunroof, which is not available in most cars falling in this segment.
- The City has amazing boot space i.e. 510 litres. This is among the most spacious in the segment. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has also the same boot size.
Safety
The top-spec ZX variant of the Honda City has six airbags. This safety feature is missing in many cars in this segment.
Fuel efficiency
In this segment, petrol City is the most fuel-efficient automatic cars. At 18kmpl, it is about 2kmpl more efficient than the Verna petrol automatic. Hyundai Verna claims a fuel efficiency of 15.92kmpl.Things We Don't Like
Price
The City is costlier than any of its rivals in this segment. The City's top-spec ZX variant is costlier by almost Rs 1 lakh than the Verna's SX(O) variant, City's closest rival in terms of features and performance.
Infotainment System
The City's 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system is an underperformer and lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Infotainment is like a necessity in every car and laggy infotainment kills the entertainment quotient, which every other car in this segment is offering.
NVH levels
NVH levels could have been handled better and had been taken care of in the 5th Gen but the 4th Gen lags in this. Diesel engine's vibrations and noise can felt even inside the car, which is a huge turndown.
Automatic transmission
The City does not come in an automatic transmission with its diesel engine which may of its rival sedans like the Vento, Rapid and the Verna are providing.
AC Control buttons not good
The Honda City gets touch-based AC controls even in its top variant, which is not easy to use while driving. One has to take his eyes off the road to use the buttons or ask the co-passenger to switch on the AC.Summary
Engine: Water cooled 4 stroke SOHC i-VTEC Inline 4 Cylinder
Displacement(cc) 1497
No. of Valves 16
Power (ps @rpm) 87 [119] @ 6600
Torque (Nm @rpm)145 @ 4600
Fuel Efficiency (km/l) 17.4
Price SV variant Rs 9.30 and V variant Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Honda has slashed the price of 4th Gen after the launch of 5th Gen City and also rejigged its variants. Now the Honda City variant sedan will be available only in two variants: SV and V.
