5 reasons why the Honda City makes for a great first car

For those looking for a great first car, the base City 1.5 E shines as one great choice. And while it isn’t necessarily the one you’ll buy to carve mountain roads with, it’s arguably the most practical choice.

1. IT’S GOT SPACE FOR ALL THE LIVES YOU LEAD

If there’s one single aspect that sets the City apart from everyone else in the subcompact segment, it’s the interior space. Far and large, it’s the comfiest car to be in, especially if you plan to use it regularly to ferry five adults. The rear quarters deserve an honorable mention for the almost-flat floor and abundance of knee room. Though not recommended for safety reasons, there’s actually enough knee room at the back to sit with your legs crossed—a trait the City shares with its bigger brother, the Accord. Plus, unlike other sub-compacts which tend to sacrifice cubbyhole space, the City does offer a decent amount of storage space for small knickknacks and devices. What’s more, it’s got a cavernous trunk that can swallow more than a week’s worth of groceries. If need be, it can take in two fullsized suitcases for that airport run.

2. IT’S FUEL EFFICIENT YET PEPPY

Fuel efficiency is once again thrown into the spotlight when it comes to a new car purchase. It’s now a very important consideration, not because of pump prices per se, but because of Manila’s horrendous traffic. And while other cookie cutter subcompacts putter on with carryover drivetrains, Honda has answered the call and provided the City with an extremely usable package. The 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine may be carried over from the previous-gen model, but it’s pretty adept for everyday driving. The secret here is found in the new ECON mode which modifies several engine parameters squeezing out even more kilometers per liter. Another is the Earth Dreams CVT that provides excellent real-world fuel efficiency without getting bogged down by a rubber band feel commonly associated with belt-driven transmissions. Having sampled the City in various trim levels, it has done between 9.2 to 10.8 km/L in the city and 19.58 to 20.8 km/L on the highway.

3. IT’S GOT ALL THE NECESSARY TECH

Who says convenience technology should only be limited to vehicles costing a million pesos and above? With the latest iteration, Honda has actually put a lot of emphasis in improving creature comfort features. In fact, vis-à-vis all other City models before it, it represents the biggest jump in terms of standard tech. Of course, a part of it is because of the increased competition in the sub-compact segment as well as the introduction of entry-level models such as the Brio and Brio Amaze. While the focus has always been on the VX and VX+ models, even the entrylevel E is loaded. Aside from the usual power convenience features, the E comes with a tilt/ telescopic steering column with electric power assist steering, a multi-function trip computer in the instrument cluster, an audio system with both USB and Bluetooth, and a full-featured manual air conditioning system. A starter car can’t get any better.

4. IT’S MIGHTY SAFE

Before, compact cars are usually the go-to vehicles for young families; today, with starting pricings going up past one million, subcompacts are the way to go. Thankfully, carmakers have begun to understand that upwardly mobile families still consider safety as a top priority and have started to equip their entry-level vehicles with the same sort of safety equipment normally reserved for more expensive models. Take the Honda City for instance. It received high marks at the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries or ASEAN NCAP. The City received the highest score in the small family car category as well as overall. Standard safety features include dual SRS airbags, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, and even ISOFIX child seat anchors. Although the particular model to receive the top prize is the City equipped with Vehicle Stability Assist or VSA, the 1.5 E is no slouch receiving 4 out of 5 stars in ASEAN NCAP ratings.

5. IT’S WELL BUILT

Aside from being frugal at the pump, Honda Cars Philippines has made sure that the City is not just affordable, but easy to maintain. They’re the first manufacturer to double the standard Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) cycle from 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers (or 3 to 6 months whichever comes first). Consider this: a full three years of City ownership costs around P42,663.61 (average of P7,110.56 per year) or projected over 60,000 kilometers, roughly P0.71 per kilometer. Even with the cost of unleaded gasoline pegged at P38 per liter, it adds just P4.13 per kilometer. Without factoring depreciation, the total running cost of the City is just P4.84 per kilometer for the first three years. Not bad, considering a more expensive PPV will set you back around close to P12 per kilometer in terms of fuel and maintenance.