2010 Honda City Review
The Honda City is a subcompact car that we see on the road everyday. One of the Honda City owners contacted us to review her car. Thanks to Vivian who had given us the opportunity to test drive her beloved 2010 Honda City Grade S. It is the fifth generation that was first introduced in Siam Paragon, Bangkok on 10 September 2008. Vivian purchased the car at RM85,480 in 2010. She traded in her Renault Kangoo for RM40K and the balance she settled with cash.
Vivian told us she goes for the Grade S because it shares the same engine with Grade E and Grade SE. All of them use the same four-cylinder 16 valve SOHC i-VTEC engine that delivers 120 hp @ 6,600 rpm and has a maximum torque of 145 Nm@4,800 rpm. She prefers not to pay RM92,980 for extra accessories including fog light, door mirror with turn light, exhaust pipe finisher, 16” alloy wheels, Modulo body kit, Nanotechnology solar control film, paddle shift, steering wheel audio control, leather steering wheel, leather gear knob, rear armrest with cup holder, and rear foldable seats. Grade S comes with 15” alloy wheels which is good enough for her. Grade E and SE have adjustable seat but Grade S has no such feature, this does not bother her at all.
When the car was first launched in 2008, our first impression was the front view of the car looked exactly like the Kamen Rider Black (Masked Rider Black), a superhero for most of us when we were kids. The design of the car looks cyber and it is a big jump from the previous generation.
Road Test
This time, we are told not to rev the car over 140 km/h and with this speed it is good enough to test the car. We brought the car to North-South Expressway and try it till 130+ km/h. The car ran steady and did not wobble. Driver’s heart will definitely pump faster especially those who are not used to high speed driving. When we reved the car, the response was fast compared to some other vehicles in the same category. The handling was good and we could slightly feel the taste of the fourth generation City. The steering wheel is light and it will be a good car for beginners or first time car owners.
Honda City maintenance cost
The car has 32,000km on the odometer at the time we reviewed the car. According to Honda service center, these are the preventive maintenance rates and costs for a Honda City up till 35,000km.
| x1,000 km** | 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month** | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 |
| Labour* (RM) | 27.56 | 62.01 | 110.24 | 62.01 | 124.02 | 62.01 | 110.24 | 62.01 |
| Parts (RM) | Nil | 85.22 | 115.90 | 85.22 | 221.75 | 85.22 | 200.34 | 85.22 |
| Total Cost (RM) | 27.55 | 147.25 | 226.15 | 147.25 | 345.75 | 147.25 | 310.60 | 147.25 |
Vivian sent her car to Honda service center seven times during her ownership. She sends the car to Honda according to the maintenance table above. All in all, she has spent RM1499.05 (~US$500) in one and a half years.
Fuel Consumption
Combined 42 mpg or 18 km/liter. (This we have not yet tested)
What is good about the car?
The 506 liter boot capacity is very practical for anyone who needs a subcompact with big boot. You can put in two large luggage without any problems. The interior is also beautifully crafted with a hidden CD player. On the dashboard, there is a digital fuel consumption gauge to inform the driver how many km the car still can go. If it indicates less than 10 km, it is advisable to drive to the nearest petrol station. In the middle of the dashboard, there is a very useful USB port for today’s living. A USB can be used to charge most of the smartphones with USB connector. You can also load thousands of songs into a pen-drive and play the songs through the car stereo. Beside the USB port, there is an auxiliary port. You can play songs from iPhone or iPod on the car stereo by connecting them to the auxiliary port.
What is not so good about the car?
- The car could run better with a wider tire size.
- It will be better and more comfortable if the rear headset can be adjusted.
Honda City’s competitor or other similar cars: Toyota Vios, Ford Fiesta, Proton Gen-2, Suzuki Swift, and Mazda Mazda3.
Over the years, Honda has put in a lot of effort to research and develop the City which has gone through improvement after improvement. In conclusion, the name “Honda City” has established itself in the automobile world.
