Test Drive : Honda City 1.5 VTEC

With less than 100km on the odometer and the owner on board, I did not push the car to the limits. Not that I would like to do it, but then, in order to feel the VTEC kicking in, you need to push the 1.5 litre engine to higher rpms.

Even in low to mid rpms, the car has enough power to cruise along the road. The CVT transmission is very smooth in changing gears. It is my first time sampling such a transmission on the open road and you will notice when you press the throttle, the rpms hardly moves while the car picks up speed. It is quite different from a conventional automatic transmission but since this is a family car, no one's complaining as long as he CVT is operating smoothly.

The car is more than willing to drop gears if you want to overtake with ease. There is also a 7 speed mode where you can change gears using the button on the steering. It may be fun and could be useful when going uphill but I think that most people will stick it on D. On uneven roads, I sense some floating, even though it gives a pleasant ride for the target market. The steering, while light in operation, give no feel at all. You feel disconnected with the road.

Quality and refinement is best described as very good in its class. You obviously can't compare it with its bigger brother, the Civic but still I prefer the plastic texture of the Jazz that have the same interior as the City. In my opinion, the one in Jazz feels better. Even then, the City is quite good. You can feel that the car has very good quality, something that is quite difficult to say with cheap-feeling plastics of most Protons.

Overall, the City is a very good car in its class. I do like it but still, I am inclined to seek for fun in my next car.