Owner Review: Spacious and a great all-rounder - My Honda City Hybrid 1.5 DCT

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Basic information

My Honda City Hybrid 1.5 DCT

Reason why I bought this car

Actually im just here to give some honest review on my gf's car. Its her first car purchased when she got her job after graduation and the purpose is to serve her back and forth to work.

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: RM <100k

• Models that I have considered include: Toyota Vios, Hona City, Honda Jazz

The reason why I choose this car

​​First and foremost, she was impressed with the look of the gm6 Honda City that time. She was then 'manipulated' by a Honda SA hybrid model newly introduced in the Honda City fleet which promises astonishing fuel consumption and fairly loaded specs with slightly lower price than top spec (V spec).

User experience

• I have already done 65,000km. 
• My average fuel consumption is 16km/L.

Well I would like to share my experience on my gf's car as I do the driving part most of the time. Honda City hybrid drivetrain is totally different from regular Honda City as it comes with 1.5L DOHC engine paired with integrated electric motor powered by lithium-on battery under the boot.Thus, the combined.

Output yields 137ps 170 NM which is somewhat powerful when compared to regular b segment cars sold here. Fun fact, I was tailgated and flashed by a 2L CX5 on the highway even though there were a row of cars ahead of me, a few moments later I could slowly pull away from him when my lane got cleared by those lane hoggers. So yeah, that's a pretty good performance from a B segment car.

In this price segment. On the downside, hybrids are always marketed for their fuel saving capability but it's not completely true here. The 'hybrid' fuel saving theory only applies when you drive moderately let say below 120kph, anything more than that would.

Cause the fuel bar to drop like no tomorrow without you notice it. Another thing that annoys me always is the gear shifting response and noise. Well, one would expect a quick seamless shifting from a dual clutch transmission right?Nope, the Honda DCT is not a fast shifting transmission at all. As opposed to my car's ZF 8sp and few VW DSG transmission that i've driven, the Honda DCT response is like day and night in comparison. Nevertheless, it still gives better experience than those 'rubber-and' feeling given by regular Honda City's CVT or even Mazda's 6sp conventional auto with locking clutch(holds gear unnecessarily) which I don't personally prefer.

Let's talk about suspension and pliancy. On paper, Honda City Hybrid weighs 1168kg which is about 100kg moreover the regular City in which they come with different sets of stiffer coil springs to cater the extra weights. Trust me, this translates to a superior ride quality and stability when compared to regular Honda City which feels 'boaty' on high speed cruising. I would even say the ride quality and NVH of City Hybrid is surprisingly better than my sister's new Mazda 2 with GVC plus.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Superior ride quality and NVH in the segment
• Good Fuel consumption (city and moderate driving )
• Reliable (no single issue so far for a 3 years old car with 60k mileage)
• Low maintenance ( average rm150-00) per service
• Most spacious in the segment
• Some good spec for the price like 4 airbags, front 2 door keyless entry
• Decent sound system esp the bass
• Better design than latest city perhaps( well its subjective)
• Futuristic electronic gear shifter( only available in hybrid model)
• Surprisingly barely could hear any rattling sound ( Most new Honda s  suffers from this)
• Comes with paddle shifter

Cons

• Fuel guzzler when you push harder
• Annoying and unpleasant engine and transmission noise upon reving(Mazda's one nicer)
• No Led Headlights and even fog lights (come on !)
• Slow and laggy so called DCT transmission
• Low resolution and cheap infotainment screen
• Hard plastics all around (Mazda 2 cabin has more soft material)

Ratings

Scoring is very subjective so i'm evaluating it based on its segments (almera, city,yaris,vios,mazda2,polo etc)

Total Score: 4
Performance: 4
Quality & Features: 3.5
Space: 5
Ride Comfort: 5
Fuel Economy: 4
Price & Cost: 4

Summary

Honda City Hybrid is a great all rounder and definately an overlooked model. It's a great car for first time or fresh grad car buyers who seek reliability, low maintenance, comfortable and spacious car which can be also used as a family car later on.

To put things as a wrap, there is no perfect car in the world be it Myvi or Bugatti Chiron. I don't understand why nowadays fanboys bash each other in social media with foul language especially when there is something involving Proton, Perodua,Toyota, Honda, and Mazda.(sorry to say this). Take it easy guys, we have owned and experienced all these brands in our family and trust me each of them are unique and have flaws in their own way. Cheers.

Some interesting events

Still looking foward for it

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