Urban Titanium Honda City i-VTEC 2011

[Akash1886]

Dear Team, All of us have some or the other proud moments in our lives but seldom do we realize how difficult it is to express them when we sit to write it down. A "Easier said then done" situation. For me, there have been various occasions, which can be classified as proud moments but the one that is associated with automobiles comes at the top. So here, I present a review which is first in all respects. It is my first review on the forum, for my first car.

The car that I will discuss here is my 3 year old Honda City Ivtec Petrol 1.5 L Base model in Urban Titanium color which we purchased in October 2011. This is the 2nd petrol car that we own in our family as the 1st one i.e the 2006 Esteem Vxi is exclusively for my dad and he uses it at present.



The buying decision

One morning dad said he has plans for buying a second car for my mom and me, I was as quick as a rabbit to jump with list of questions for him. Dad "Are you really serious about buying? Which car a SUV or a Sedan? Which make and variant? He never realized that his idea would turn into a complete questionnaire. So, To get rid of the questions, he left the entire job on to me to search and research and give my "thesis" on the suitable car at the earliest.

Like any other automotive enthusiast I started visiting various showrooms, collected brochures, took quotes, searched through online forums but by the time I had got the available information, confusion had completely gripped me and I needed someone to guide me through the whole process so I can take a decision based on the pros and cons of various choices that I had narrowed down upon.

My uncle (RIP) said, I am planning for a Scorpio M-Hawk so why don't you check it out and if you like it we can book 2 of them together. This suggestion by him further left me more confused on what to do now. I prayed to god to grant me enough wisdom and courage so I can take a calculated decision on the purchase of car. In the meantime, Dad started pestering me and was keen to know the result of my search. He mentioned that since Diwali is round the corner he intends to take a car on Dhanteras. Hence, pressure was mounting on me by each passing day.

Finally, after searching for a month, I took the plunge and told Paa that my choice would be a Skoda Laura L&K in Black color and as most dads are, he took no time to trash my idea and further asked me to read about the after sales reviews of Skoda and the issues that come with it and then revert to him. It felt as if my dream of owning Skoda finally got buried for ever and ever since my reason to buy a Skoda was because of its looks and built quality. Then to complicate the matter further, Dad asked maa her choice for the new car and I was sure at least her answer would be more aligned with my choice. Thus, we narrowed down on the Honda and the Hyundai Verna but my dad's next choice further added to the existing confusion as he wanted a Maruti Sx4 because he is comfortable with a petrol engine car and secondly he is a Maruti loyalist as till date he owns the Esteem Vxi which was then 5 years old and till date is still serving us very efficiently by grace of god.

The Arrival of the JDM!



As mom too wanted to see the cars so decided to take her to the showrooms in Noida. Taking her along provided a official "YES" for me because she instantly gave the verdict to buy a Honda City "Honda City lel aur Color meri pasand ka he lena". So I took her to the Honda showroom and asked her to select the color and the variant. She chose the Urban Titanium but was not so sure of the variants.
I knew that mom was very fond of Honda City and always wished to own one. Finally, both of us conveyed our final decision to dad and during the Diwali season of 2011 he decided to book one more car for our family.

Since, childhood I always had liking for cars and loved them and I was nearing a moment where I could live my dream of having a nice and elegant sedan. Hence, I took the plunge and got involved in the new car purchase exercise. Now, Having made the decision the next thing was how the purchase should be made. At that time i.e 2011 Noida had only one Honda Showroom which was located in Sector-8 by the name of "ACE HONDA". Our purchase experience was fairly easy as the sales person Mr. Sandeep explained me and dad about the features of the car and worked out the quotation. Hence, I asked my dad to choose the basic variant i.e "E" as I had all the more an important reason to buy a no-frill variant. I was more keen to lay my hands on the base version as this gave me enough room to apply my thoughts and ideas and make it into a customized car. Giving in to my demand of base variant, dad immediately paid the token money because the sales person tried the age old trick of forcing to confirm a sale by giving odd reasons like "We are just left with 1 car in this color" "Sir, I am sorry I cant wait for 48 hours because its the festive season" etc.

Since Diwali was round the corner so Ace Honda gave me sort of Diwali gift in the form of some car accessories like Cushions, Floor mats and body cover. But my hunger of car accessories did not die and I went on to give a list to Sandeep which included Gear lock, V Kool film, Central Locking, Kenwood music system, Rear parking sensors with body-colored door handles and ORVMs. The next thing that I got in hand was the bill of accessories which was INR 37000/- and increased the On Road price of the car to INR 8 Lacs 34 Thousand. Therefore, the decided day for purchase of the car was Dhanteras (before Diwali). Finally, On Dhanteras, in the morning, me and dad reached to the showroom and after checking out the car we handed over the DD. Finally, I officially got the car I was looking for to live my dream. We took the delivery of the car after a small Puja ceremony at the showroom itself and drove this JDM babe home. For my mom it was a big day; something which she could not express in words but her eyes said it all. However, for me more important was the fact that my car should be fuel efficient with good after sales network and comfortable in the long run.

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Urban Titanium Honda City Ivtec 2011.

The Driving Experience

My Honda City runs on the OEM MRF ZVTV 175/65 R15 till date. The drive and the road grip it has got is good. It never feels you let down on street and ride quality with the stock Tyre though these Tyre are showing some signs of wear and tear and soon will be upgraded to 195 size. So at present the stock alloys have been replaced with Veloche alloys which I got fixed in May 2014.



Ever since the day I have purchased this car it has been a great experience for me in terms of it's performance.The acceleration is very nice and smooth and I do feel the punch of power on pressing the accelerator. On the highways it is very comfortable and in the city also it can be driven with absolute ease and I am very pleased with the braking of this car at speeds of 80-100 kmph because of the ABS.

The Engine's Reliability





In this span of 3 years apart from changing the Engine oil from OEM to Castrol Magnatec periodically and the recent battery change to Amaron pro from Honda ASC with an expense of roughly INR 3300/-nothing else has been done. The best part of this car for me has been that the suspension is very strong and holds the car well on the roads which have potholes and the engine is also noiseless; all thanks to the cladding in the hood which makes every drive a blissful and relaxed experience always.



The Build Quality

This is where Honda City looses the battle; for me Honda City is sub-standard as the metal sheet used in it is very thin which can not even take a hit from a motor bike. I find my Esteem much better in terms of structural strength. Honestly, I feel the strength should have been a bit more though I agree; to increase the fuel efficiency the structural weight of the car needs to be reduced to some extent but what Honda gives is just thin aluminium sheet coated with fillers and paint. Earlier, When I had an Optra 1.6 Base version and I was really impressed with its build quality so I didn't even consider the fact that it was not fuel efficient. If anyone asks me to rate this car for strength then as a owner I will give it not more than 4 or 5 on scale of 10.

This car is basically driven in local Delhi-NCR and driving is approx 50kms on a daily basis. Earlier I was not very convinced of its fuel economy but eventually it increased and improved. The car has run approx 35000 kilometres approximately till date including highway trips at a average of 14.3kmpl. There are many false claims in the car. For example, 118 bhp (claimed) engine never feels as powerful as that of a Scorpio mhawk engine which is also of 118 bhp and pulls a heavier body. Digital fuel efficiency meter also tells you an enhanced reading. More than 2 km/l than actual. Distance to travel reading is not to be trusted.

The Steering Wheel

Another nice feature of this car is it's steering wheel which is incorporated with 1 of the 2 airbags and is very comfortable to hold and the best part is its adjustable so driver does not feel any pressure when using it on high speeds and the car can be turned very easily with this OEM power steering.



To add further to the elegant character of this car I really like the interiors and the rear seating of this particular model with beige fabric and the plastic quality used in this base model is way better than the Corporate edition launched after this one. The fit and finish of the interiors is very immaculate and the cabin looks roomy, airy and spacious.



Coming to the air conditioning of the car; I find it very impressive and easy to operate but I wish it had rear cooling vents as well just like the present Honda City model.



The 2011 model has a big and massive boot in which I have placed 2 big suitcases and 2 medium sized bags inside it and they all were easily accommodated.



Now, every car has some niggles and drawbacks so even this car is no different. Here are some issues that I have faced during the ownership:

1) Low Ground Clearance



2) No under engine cover that makes engine vulnerable to water entering in it during rains.



3) Poor OEM wipers



Finally got them changed with Hella Dyna wipers for INR 1100/-



4) Driver seat height adjustment is missing in this model though I am 6 ft so it doesn't bother me but my driver uses a cushion to elevate.



5) The Cladding in the boot is missing which is an absolute eye-sore. Any car with a lesser price comes with a well-finished and carpeted boot.



# Continued in next post.

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Urban Titanium Honda City Ivtec 2011.

Experience at Dealership

At the time of purchase there was only 1 dealer of Honda in Noida i.e Ace Honda in Sector 8. Speaking about the A.S.C of Honda i.e ACE Honda is not up to the mark. They were adamant on using their OEM oil while I wanted Castrol Magnatec. Since they did not comply to my request so I changed the service outlet. The workman-ship in Ace Honda is also not as per my expectations.

On the first free service in 2011 my car was hit on rear bumper by SA Birender and when I got to know about it I called up their outlet and after making 7-8 calls to them I had to visit them in person to clarify the issue. To my shock; they refused point blank to have damaged my car during service. But, on my insistence to bring the copy of the job card in which the scratches are mentioned prior to the service it was found that there were only 2 minor scratches and this 3rd one was hence proved to have been done at their service station only.

Their official Mr. Naveen who looks after the service told me that he will get the damage repaired to which I told him that get the bumper properly painted in full and not just do the touch-up. But hell fell on me when I went to check my car after 2 days and found only a darn patch work done on the right corner of the rear bumper.

Out of anger, I straight away contacted their DGM and they appointed another SA who looked at the work and said "Sir this is the best we can do else make some payment to us and we will get the whole bumper painted". Since dad was with me so I controlled my anger and did not utter anything.

On the 2nd encounter an SA over there told that the discs of the car's front brakes have got scratched. Can you believe that!! At that time the car had run about 12000-13000 kms. After listening to that fool I contacted Mr. Arun who is the Director there and he said that the SA who has told you this will be accordingly punished on priority and he actually did it. He told me that its very difficult to retain technically sound workers here because of better job options.



Overall if I see my car in the bigger picture then I can say that this car is fairly less expensive to maintain if it is driven and kept in the right way. Unlike other car brands whose spares are very costly I find the Honda spares reasonable in comparison and availability is also not an issue because now there are 2 Honda Showrooms in Noida itself but thankfully my car did not require any mechanical/electrical spare part till date.

My likes and dislikes about this car as a whole:

Likes:

Comfortable seating position.

Noiseless Engine

Ample scope of after-market modification. The best shape produced in recent times by Honda.

Ample legroom both at the rear and front.

Good fuel efficiency as in Noida, we have good wide roads, nominal traffic, no red lights and thus good average speed with
normal petrol.

Easy ingress and egress

Dislikes:

Average Audio System from Kenwood. Music system is although good and comes with USB and remote but some heavy bass tracks (observed while listening title track of ’Boss’ in Dhol Version). It made the door fittings rattle. This irritates me when I think of having spent almost 8 lac+ for this kind of pleasure. To improve the speaker sound further got the front speakers changed to Rockford Fosgate with a set of tweeters from Driven in New Delhi. Now the sound is good.

Average Gear Shift. When the car is cold, second gear is difficult to engage and engine also show some hesitation for quite some time even after the temperature indicator show a warm position of engine.

Low quality thin metal sheet is prone to dents.

Stock horn is barely audible so got them changed too with a pair of Hella.

Wiper rubbers are poor (were reported peeling during the third service)

Low ground clearance

No engine guard

No cladding at rear boot lid

Honda's sales and service is swiftly turning to be a gamble.

For list of modifications please check on this Link.

Some final shots of my car:





















Credits:

All my friends, parents and god for helping me with this car and all members here who went on to read this review.

Regards

Akash

 

[Iron Rock]

Thread moved from T.I.P -> Thanks for the write up!

 

[Ambylovers]

Hi,
As mentioned HONDA was always famous for its reliable Petrol Engine. But really its bad to see a Low Ground clearance Car like Honda without Engine Guard.
Wishes to clock many more miles without Issues.

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

Dear Akash1886

First of all a warm welcome to our TAI forum, a forum of matured members with a genuine interest to share our passion and experience.

I have read your complete story earlier in another forum as ‘Honda City i-Vtec 1.5L with K&N, Nitto SS Exhaust, LEDs & Rockford Fosgate speaker’

It’s really interesting & nice to note that you have joined with us to share more about you and your ANHC 2011.

You bought the car before me and some of the modification which you carried out are amazing. I liked your unbiased review.

I have also noted that you have respected many times the advices of fellow members and that made you to remove some of the modification you carried out so that to make the car look neat more.

Please get us some of your latest photos. You interior color is greige and not beige, I find. Tell us how did you get the Mugen gear knob, make OVRM side indicators... etc.

I am happy, you are with us!

Regards
Dr MUDHAN

 

[Akash1886]

Dear Akash1886

First of all a warm welcome to our TAI forum,
I am happy, you are with us!

Regards
Dr MUDHAN

Dear Sir,

Good Evening,

It is an honor indeed to get appreciated by you. You are right, I shared a rather detailed review and every small modification or niggle in other forum because that was 1st time I ever wrote a review for my car. I feel privileged to be among informed and enthusiastic people like you and this forum has been really kind and supportive to me. The gear knob and side indicators were purchased from Mumbai about 2 years back. The shop is located in Santa Cruz by the name Car Touch.

Sir, I have always been open to improvising upon my car because I had no prior knowledge of modifying/ customizing a car. And to be honest, during the process of doing my car, I had referred to your thread here. You have given us all such an exhaustive guide that helped a novice person like me to carry out some small things. I am really happy that you have liked my efforts.

Looking forward to be in touch with you sir and learn more from you in due course. I shall be uploading new pics asap sir.

Your appreciation and warm welcome is much appreciated sir. Thanks a ton to have gone through my reviews sir.

Happy Diwali Sir to you and all your family.

Regards

Akash

 

[carholic]

Akash as you have mentioned and many second and third generation city owners have also complaint about ground clearance issue of city. Unlike its predecessor honda has paid a lot of attention to this aspect .

But i think not much is left to talk about built quality of fourth gen city no offence made to any owner .
You are also using castrol magentic can you please tell in what time interval do you change the oil . Because honda says 5k/ 6 month please .

 

[Akash1886]

Akash as you have mentioned and many second and third generation city owners have also complaint about ground clearance issue of city. Unlike its predecessor honda has paid a lot of attention to this aspect .

Certainly, You are absolutely right. The Ground Clearance of my City Ivtec is 160mm which has been increased by Honda now to 165mm. But, as I am not selling the car in near future so I chopped off the front mud flaps by 2-2.5 inches which considerably helped in avoiding the car rubbing on speed breakers. Total expense was INR 20/-

But i think not much is left to talk about built quality of fourth gen city.

Really, this is another short-fall of 4th gen Honda City Ivtec.

You are also using castrol magentic can you please tell in what time interval do you change the oil . Because honda says 5k/ 6 month please .

Actually Honda is using idemitsu mineral oil that needs change after 5000 kilometers but Castrol Magnatec is semi-synthetic engine oil that needs replacement after 9000-10,000 kilometers. A 3.5 L Can of Castrol Magnatec costs INR 1590.

Regards

Akash

 

[carholic]

Actually Honda is using idemitsu mineral oil that needs change after 5000 kilometers but Castrol Magnatec is semi-synthetic engine oil that needs replacement after 9000-10,000 kilometers. A 3.5 L Can of Castrol Magnatec costs INR 1590.

Well i too use the same magnetic castrol i want to ask you that do you get your car serviced at a.s.s or manege to get the job done by your own mechanic under your supervision .

Secondly please tell me what time interval do you stick for oil change .
And if you get the oil change done on your own how do you manege to get the oil filters etc because i think honda parts are not available in market correct me if i am wrong .

Sorry for troubling you please sir help me to clear my doubts.

 

[Akash1886]

i want to ask you that do you get your car serviced at a.s.s or manege to get the job done by your own mechanic under your supervision .

I don't get car serviced at ASC because I don't have trust since they are pushy on certain unwanted expenses all the time. I go to ASC only if I have to get some electrical job done. Luckily only once I have gone for minor wire taping and a battery change. Rest I get the oil change under my supervision.

Secondly please tell me what time interval do you stick for oil change .
And if you get the oil change done on your own how do you manege to get the oil filters etc because i think honda parts are not available in market correct me if i am wrong .

I get the oil changed between 9000 to 10,000 kilometers only. I purchase the oil myself and oil filter too is purchased by me only as Honda's part are not available easily in open market. I use purolator oil filter that costs only Rs. 100/-.

Sorry for troubling you please sir help me to clear my doubts

You are most welcome anytime. Please call me Akash. I am always there to clear anyone's doubt to the best of my knowledge.

Regards

Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Friends,

Got the Honda City polished today. Its called the poly glaze external treatment that is done. Total time 30 minutes and total cost INR 500 only as some panels are vinyl wrapped.

Pics with poly glaze polish on the car:











Video of Poly Glaze treatment in progress. (Mute the sound to watch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1prx-Z6y0A&feature=youtu.be

Video of Final result after the poly glaze treatment was completed. (Please mute the sound to watch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbfvhNfdT_4&feature=youtu.be

Regards

Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Buddies,

Here are some pics of my car clicked today.

















Hope pics are of good quality! Atleast better than before!

 

[vijay]

Aakash, heartiest congratulations on your jap beauty.Sorry to have missed out on your ownership thread.No doubt about the reliability of honda petrol engines which have proven time and time again about it and shows on the ownership reports of many members here along you now.
Not only they are niggle free but the overall experience and maintenance is much lower then what it actually seems to many people.
Superb detailied review and good to see you removed those side finns as we had discussed earlier in other members thread about the same.
UT is one of the most class shades honda came out and i love this.My cousin brought same jazz few years before.You have changed the gear knob it seems, details of the one fitted, also why you didnt opted for led scuff plates it looks really cool at night.
Wishing you many more happy miles with your city and keep updating your ownership.

 

[Akash1886]

Aakash, heartiest congratulations on your jap beauty.
Wishing you many more happy miles with your city and keep updating your ownership.

Thanks a lot Vijay, Its the 3 Jap Beauty in my parking (after Esteem and SX4). These engines are really reliable and no issue at atleast in this model. You know it, how I cleaned my car's K&N! Till now not a single abrupt issue and yes UT was one of the best shades of that time.

I changed the gear knob to mugen one which I bought from Mumbai and reason to avoid the LED scuff plates was not to damage wiring until warranty expires.

I thought I had extended warranty, later came to know that it was standard warranty as I paid for RSA and not the extended warranty. So after that I went totally out of control and got head lamp led, exhaust et al.

Shall keep updating it as I further do anything!

Regards

Akash