Honda Civic Review by CarSingh.com

The day finally arrived for me to test drive the Honda Civic 1.8v MT. When I had a glance of the car the first things that strikes on mind was advanced technology, plush interiors, stylish look and an exhilarating drive - this is what Honda Civic offers you. The automobile is loaded with advanced safety features and offers value for money, with its superior performance and fuel economy. The Civic places itself in the entry-level D Segment and competes with Toyota Corolla and the Skoda Octavia.
I was all set to test drive a Black Pearl Civic 1.8 V MT .

Engine:
With its peppy engine and buttery smooth transmission, the Honda Civic comes with a high-tech and revolutionary 1.8L inline-4 engine that cranks out 130 bhp at 6,300 rpm and a peak torque of 172 Nm is achieved at 4,300 rpm. The incorporation of variable timing control for the single overhead cam enhances engine performance at high speed. The all-aluminum engine is ultra smooth and almost silent at low revs. Equipped with the 5-speed manual or an optional automatic (1.8V variant only), the Civic is quick. The 1.8L SOHC i-VTEC technology of the engine is coupled with Drive-by-wire Throttle System that ensures high efficiency.

Build and Styling:
According to me, the grandeur of Honda Civic is purely reflected in its looks. The kick-up eye shaped headlamps leave a sharp impression. The car's front grille, with the symbol of Honda imposed on it, looks classy. Adding to the impressive frontage are clear lens fog lamps, body colored mirror, front and rear bumpers, and door handles. Honda Civic ensures that a family of five members enjoys a comfortable ride in the sedan. All this makes the Civic look a lot more sporty and lively compared to the Skoda Laura in my opinion.
Interiors:
When I saw the interiors of the car I was very impressed. The cockpit style dash is really impressive and practical. The glove box has a handle on the right that makes it convenient for the driver. Dual Airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Automatic Climate Control, 6-CD integrated Audio with 6 speakers, leather seats, an out-of-the-world dashboard among other minor things like electrically retractable ORVMs, integrated turn-indicators make the civic a dream car. There is absolutely no complaint about the head space, leg space in front and rear. The Digital speedometer of the car is eye catching.

Ride and Handling:
I was very satisfied with the ride; it was a very smooth and comfortable drive both on the highway and in the city as well. The organ-type accelerator pedal of Honda Civic minimizes effort and gives a good feel while operating it. A stable ride at high speeds is offered by double-wishbone suspension in the rear and McPherson strut suspension at the front. The Height adjustable driver's seat and three-spoke steering wheel gave me an overwhelming comfort while driving the Honda Civic.

Safety:
With the Anti Brake locking System (ABS) of Honda Civic we can avoid skidding and preventing locking of wheels, when brakes are applied on slippery roads This feature made me acquire full control over the car. In addition to this, the Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) distributes braking force between the front and rear wheels. Adding to the safety of the driver and co-driver are the dual front SRS air bags, which automatically deploy in the event of sudden collisions. But when we compare the safety of Civic to the safety in Laura, the later definitely has a upper edge. The Laura features six airbags against two offered in the Civic which makes the Skoda boast a better safety quotient.
Fuel Economy:
With the new i-VTEC engine the fuel efficiency is improved and I found that the Civic gives mileage of 9.2 kmpl in the city and around 13 kmpl on the highway.
Variants, Price And Color:
The Honda Civic comes in these colors- Misty Violet, Carbon Bronze Pearl, Alabaster Silver, Bluish Silver, Habanero Red, Taffeta White and Black Pearl.

Honda Civic is available in 3 variants

Honda Civic 1.8S MT –Rs.14,24,670 (On Road - Bangalore)
Honda Civic 1.8V AT –Rs.16,06,601 (On Road - Bangalore)
Honda Civic 1.8V MT- Rs.15,19,853 (On Road - Bangalore)


Honda Civic has futuristic sporty styling, roomy interiors and is a high performance power train but then while test driving I felt that needs frequent downshifts at low speed and also has less ground clearance and the car feels Delicate compared to the Skoda Laura
My verdict on this car:
It is a head turner for sure. What looks like a demure cat easily turns into a beast if you wish it to. The car will get you noticed as you arrive in style!
(Thanks to Vinay for his contribution)

New Honda City Review by CarSingh.com

Finally I got a chance to take a ride of new Honda City iVTEC. I drove other Honda cars before and they never disappointed me. With great hopes I started the ride in 4 lane highway of Mysore Road. This Honda City with iVTEC technology engine gives it more muscle than the prior models. Let me tell you some facts about this nice car:

Looks:
The new Honda city has a very stylish and classy look.Although, a lot of people love the older city, with its sedate 20th century grand old dame saloon look, I prefer this because it looks more aerodynamic and an Integrated engine with ZX series. The Headlights are also very elegant and crystal clear.

Space and Comfort:
The comfort is just fantastic! There is lots of leg room in the front and rear seats. I feel that the comfort and space is good as it is in Skoda Octavia and we get it for 5 lakh lesser too. There is more than enough space for 5 and maybe a child squeezed in too. In my opinion compared to the old Honda City this flavor is roomy and very comfortable. The headspace is good enough for a 6ft tall person. And now coming to the Dashboard, it is packed with advanced looking Instrumental Panel with classy looks. In short I can say you will love it in first sight.

Mileage:
With the new i-VTEC Engine the fuel efficiency is improved compared to the earlier VTEC engine and the car gives an average mileage of 14 km per litre on roads and roughly 17 km per litre on highways which I feel is very nice in its class.

Power and Engine:
The New Honda City is equipped with a well refined 1.5L, 1497cc, 4 cylinder i-VTEC petrol engine with the 5-speed manual transmission gearbox and produces power 118 PS @ 6600rpm. On the other hand it delivers a torque of 146Nm at the rate of 4800 rpm.The i-VTEC Engine provides superior efficiency of the car. The Engine noise can hardly be heard when the motor runs which tells us that the Engine is designed nicely.

Pick Up:
When I test drove the car the drive was so smooth and the pick up was just awesome. It took around 11 seconds for 0-100kmph and the top speed is around 172kmph

Handling and Safety:
The handling of Honda cars is one of the best I have ever felt. With the ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) technologies, instant braking has a good safety. The basic model of the car also has 2 Airbags for safety .The car provides a decent ride on Indian roads

Stereo System:

The New Honda City comes with an improvised Music System compared to the older version. It has a Integrated Audio system with attachments provided for iPod,Mp3 player, USB etc. and the BASS effect is really good.

Honda City iVTEC MT got an ex-showroom price tag of 8.50 Lakh in Bangalore city. With this price tag city is giving you every thing – performance, comfort, style and safety.
While there is always room for improvement, the car does not disappoint in any aspect.

Honda City comes with two variants:

Honda City 1.5 S MT:
This variant of Honda City offers some additional features in comparison to base variants (discontinued 3 months back) that are – Steering wheel adjust (REACH), Remote locking, Driver seat height adjust etc.
Price – Rs. 10,06,466 (On Road in Bangalore)
Honda City 1.5 S AT:
This variant of Honda City offers same features that Honda city 1.5 S MT carries only the difference is that, it comes with Automatic transmission option with Paddle Shift.
Price – Rs. 10,90,739 (On Road in Bangalore)

Honda Jazz Review

Jazz came up with nice interiors, textures and great choice of colors. Steering wheel with audio control is fully adjustable and looks pretty much Honda city style. Jazz dashboard is very impressive and rich looking. Music system is quite ok with four speakers but it has more buttons on it. You will also get real time fuel consumption information. In the base model also, you will get 2 airbags, ABS, steering audio controls – very impressive but when you see the price of base model (8 lakh + on road) – your expression will definitely change! But price wise, I can say Fabia is better than Jazz.

Let’s talk about Jazz engine, 1198 cc, SOHC i-VTEC engine is more refined and smooth. When motor starts you can’t hear anything from inside. This i-VTEC improves the overall efficiency and car manages to make 90 Ps of power. For an engine of 1.2 litres managing this power is very impressive and it also takes just 13.3 seconds to get 100 from zero. The bad part is engine lacks torque; it develops a peak torque of 110 Nm at a high 4800 rpm. But still you can drive little hassle free in top gear in city like Bangalore. Jazz also promises a great mileage close to 16.1 kmpl. Suspension is also very well tested in all conditions. It gives a quite decent ride on bumpy surface as well. At this price tag Honda should give more quality ride and should absorb most of the bumps of Indian road. Ride quality is also very close to Skoda Fabia which is close to 1 and half lakh less expensive.

Best part of Honda Jazz is safety features; it comes up with airbags and ABS in all models. It also received a 5 star rating for crash safety.

Jazz is quite expensive in its hatchback segment but you can consider it if you are looking for more space (that you can’t get in any other hatchback), great safety features and impressive interior.