Complete Guide to Buying a Honda City

The Honda City has always been the preferred choice for car enthusiasts, owing to its impeccable combination of comfort, looks, and reliability. Over the years, it has established itself as one of the most trusted mid-size sedans in the market as it combines Honda’s reliability, strong resale, refined performance, safety, and comfort. If you are planning to buy a Honda City, it is essential to understand the various features, models, and costs associated with the car, along with the real ownership experience, which will help you make a subtle purchase decision. 

Where does the Honda City stand out

The Honda City has always been in the limelight for its roomy interiors, smooth engine performance, and luxurious feel in the mid-size sedan category. The car comes with generous rear legroom space of 870 mm (maximum) for front and 960 mm (maximum) for rear, a refined petrol engine, and a comfortable ride, which makes it an ideal choice for daily commutes and family driving. Although the diesel variants were discontinued in 2020 to align production with BS6 norms, the petrol and hybrid variants of the car are well-equipped, with sufficient fuel efficiency and modern features. Another reason why the Honda City is a preferred choice among car buyers is its excellent resale value, due to its consistent demand and reputation.

Honda City Specifications

Honda City Variants

The Honda City is offered in 4 major trims, namely the SV, V, VX, and ZX. The trim lineup is spread across 8 variants to pick from different engine-transmission combinations. The cheapest variant of the Honda City is the base SV trim, which has a price tag of ₹11.95 (ex-showroom) Lakh, while the most expensive variant of the City is the top-end, ZX CVT Hybrid, which commands a price of ₹ 19.99 Lakh (ex-showroom). Here’s the complete variant lineup of the Sedan: 

Which Variant Suits You Best?

Honda City SV

With a wide 8-variant range, the Honda City provides well-balanced options across trims, ensuring each version delivers a solid overall package. For buyers focused on affordability and comfortable with a manual gearbox, the base SV variant stands out as excellent value. It offers a strong safety suite as standard, including six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, TPMS, rear parking sensors, and a rear camera.

Feature-wise, the City makes a strong impression right from the entry-level trim. The SV comes equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a premium audio system, steering-mounted controls, push-button start, keyless entry, automatic climate control, follow-me-home headlamps, and more.

Priced between ₹11.95 lakh and ₹13.90 lakh (ex-showroom), the SV variant delivers a surprisingly impressive price-to-features ratio.

Honda City V

For buyers willing to stretch their budget beyond the SV trim and additional features, the V trim is the smart upgrade. It starts with everything in the SV trim and adds Honda’s Level 2 ADAS system, which includes systems like auto emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW), auto high beam and other Honda Sensing functions along with the external features like, connected car technology, wireless smartphone connectivity, paddle shifters in CVT, and much more.

Priced between ₹12.69 lakh and ₹14.93 lakh(ex-showroom), the V trim provides access to one of the most affordable ADAS-enabled sedans in the Indian market.

Honda City VX

Moving further up, the VX trim is priced around ₹13.72 lakh and ₹14.93 lakh (ex-showroom). It upgrades the package with additions such as the electric sunroof, upgraded audio system, and other premium elements that further enhance comfort and convenience.

Honda City ZX

At the top end of the petrol line is the ZX variant, which is perfect for those buyers who are looking for the most feature-packed variant of the Honda City. It adds desirable elements such as a digital instrument cluster, 9-array LED headlamps, auto-dimming IRVM, rain-sensing wipers, unique leather upholstery, and a host of other premium elements like ambient lights, rear sunshades, one-touch all windows up/down, and many more.

Priced between ₹14.86 lakh and ₹16.07 lakh (ex-showroom), the ZX variant positions itself well in the market while also offering a comprehensive and top-tier features set.

Honda City ZX Hybrid CVT

The Hybrid model brings its unique strong hybrid powertrain with an e-CVT automatic gearbox that delivers higher overall torque and exceptional fuel efficiency of around 27 kmpl, thanks to the combined petrol+electric setup.

In addition to the features offered in the ZX variant, the hybrid variant is visually distinguished by e-HEV badging, a differently styled grille mesh, sportier rear diffuser and boot spoiler, as well as rear disc brakes and electronic parking brake with auto hold features that are not available in petrol ZX.

Overall, choosing the Hybrid ZX means you get everything that the top-end petrol City provides, along with a strong hybrid drivetrain for better efficiency and smoother low-speed response.

Honda City Warranty and Service Costs

When you buy a Honda City in India, it comes with a standard manufacturer’s warranty of 3 years with unlimited kilometres, which covers most mechanical and electrical defects right from the showroom delivery date. In terms of service cost, the first service comes free with the purchase where one needs to pay only for the part/s price ranging between Rs. 2,000 to 2,500, and from the second service onwards, the service charges are around Rs 6,500 to 7,000 for the second year/service (20,000 km), Rs. 5,000 to 5,500 for the third year/service (30,000 km), Rs 6,500 to 7,000 for the fourth year/service (40,000 kms), For a normal 5-year period, the maintenance cost of a Honda City, including periodic servicing at every 10,000 km, is estimated to be around ₹28,000-₹30,000 for petrol variants. This cost includes oil and filter changes, inspections, and basic part replacements, except for major unforeseen repairs.

Why you should consider the Honda City

Be it Honda’s tried and tested iVTEC reliable engine, excellent driving dynamics, superb comfort, or rich legacy, the Honda City is the perfect blend of style, comfort, features, and performance. With spacious interiors, advanced safety features, smooth engines, and strong resale value, it’s a sedan that’s fun to drive, smart to own, and built to last. Everything about the Honda City makes it the undisputed C-segment Queen.

Balanced Design

One look at the Honda City and you will be instantly reminded of the sedan’s glorious legacy as the 5th generation Honda City still chooses to wear the timeless design which incorporates both elegance and functionality. The car has a sleek design with a flowing profile and well-balanced stance, which gives it a luxurious look without being too flashy. The sporty front grille stands out, the front and rear bumper design is an invitation for compliments, and the alloy wheels heighten the sporty excitement of the driving experience. The City artfully designed its interior space, bringing comfort and convenience together to give you a sublime driving experience. When compared to rivals such as the Hyundai Verna, the City comes across as a premium yet elegant sedan that isn’t just about contemporary looks but a taste of beauty, making it rather unique.

Refined Engine and Ease of Driving

Honda City, with its i-VTEC petrol or turbocharged diesel powertrain (only available in used examples now), delivers seamless acceleration and minimal vibrations, making every drive effortless. Thanks to the CVT automatic transmission and advanced engine tuning with noise-dampening tech that helps you to get a relaxed, comfortable, precise, and smooth driving experience without any hassle, whether in the city or on the highway. 

Impressive Affordability

Another factor that works in favour of the Honda City is the way it is priced. When compared to key rivals, the Honda City seems rather affordable, especially when it comes to the top end of the price spectrum. The Honda City comes down as a highly affordable premium sedan that can be enjoyed in its full glory for a price of about 16.35 Lakh for its top-end ZX CVT trim(not the hybrid variant). In comparison, Virtus’s Topline AT  is priced at 16.86 Lakh, Verna’s SX(O) DCT is at 17.48 Lakh, and Slavia’s Monte Carlo DCT is at 18.49 Lakh.

Why you should not consider the Honda City

Apart from being too attractive and reliable, the Honda City also falls behind in some places, such as modern features and mileage, when compared directly to other sedans in the same segment. Here are the exact things that the Honda City fails to deliver:

Decent Mileage

For Honda City with its 1.5-litre petrol engine (non-hybrid), the practical fuel efficiency averages are slightly lower than the turbocharged variants of its competitors, with many owners averaging around 13-15 km/l in combined driving conditions, although the ARAI mileage is still in the 17.8-18.4 km/l range. 

In practical driving conditions, the Skoda Slavia always provides the best practical fuel efficiency in non-hybrid petrol sedans, 16.8-18.6 km/l in combined city & highway driving. Hyundai Verna comes next, with average mixed driving fuel efficiency of 15.1-16.8 km/l in turbo-petrol automatic variants and decent highway mileage, while Volkswagen Virtus lags slightly behind Slavia and Verna in practical fuel efficiency averages of around 14.7-16.5 km/l depending on the model and driving conditions. 

Although if you take into account the Honda City e:HEV hybrid model, this one easily leads the pack in fuel efficiency in real-world conditions due to its hybrid engine, with many owners averaging over 20 km/l in mixed driving conditions. 

Missing Features 

While the City does offer impressive features onboard, when compared to rivals, there is still a lot missing onboard, such as ventilated seats, a cooled glove box, a larger touch infotainment system, etc. Its competitors, such as the Hyundai Verna, Skoda Slavia, and Volkswagen Virtus, offer ventilated front seats, powered front seat adjustment, and rear USB charging ports, which are either missing in the City or available only in the higher variants. 

No Turbocharged Engine on Offer

One of the biggest factors that deters a huge chunk of potential buyers away from the Honda City is the absence of a turbocharged petrol engine. While the City’s 1.5-litre iVTEC petrol engine is a great performer, the inclusion of a turbocharged engine could have given the Honda City the push it needs to become the best amongst its rivals. All key competitors, such as the Hyundai Verna, Skoda Slavia, and Volkswagen Virtus offers turbocharged petrol engines onboard with both manual and automatic transmission options.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Honda City is still a force to be reckoned with in the mid-size sedan market, with its refined engine, smooth handling, and loaded interior. Though it may lack some of the newer tech and turbocharged variants that its competitors provide. City’s reliability, resale value, and smooth driving experience make it a very sensible choice for purchase.

Before you make a purchase, you must weigh your budget, your desired features, and whether you would prefer the fuel efficiency of a hybrid or the power of a petrol engine. A thorough test drive will ensure that you select the variant that completely suits your lifestyle.