When I was invited to join the trip to Bohol by Honda Cars Philippines for a media test drive, I hesitated at first because I know very little about cars. They knew I’m mostly into tech and gadgets so my impressions of the new Honda City would come from that perspective.
So here are the 5 things that I thought made the Honda City 2009 stand out and caught my attention:
- Masculine Design. Looks like Honda scratched the old design and did the re-work of the City from the ground up. The grill reminds me of the Autobots. Honda execs reveal that the inspiration to the new design was based from the “arrowshot” so you can see some sharp and arched corners. IMHO, the Honday City beats the look of all other City before it and even the newer Civic.
- Stereo Sound System. The sound system has a built-in iPod connector and USB so you can hook up your digital music player (iPod) and control it directly by the system, at the same time charging it thru the USB port. Most iPods are supported except the iPhone 3G.
- Digital Meters. The dashboard has a digital meter which indicates a number of valuable information such as gas consumption and estimated mileage based on the current trip.
- Paddle Shifters. On the 1.5 models, the paddle shifters give you more power and control. Good for drivers like me that’s more accustomed to manual transmission.
- More room. For a subcompact sedan, the new Honda City has more leg room and storage spaces both in front and in the back.
We drove around Bohol for the better part of the 2-day trip and I got to drive both the 1.3L and the 1.5L models. Based on our trip, the mileage is about 10.5 kilometers per liter (that’s what the digital meter indicated).
And while the exterior looked stunning, I couldn’t say the same about the interior. The part where I got a little disappointed is that my iPhone 3G wasn’t able to hook up with the audio system (although the USB port was charging the phone). A double-check on the manuals verified it’s only compatible with older generation of iPods. That leaves the 3.5mm audio jack as the next best option.
Most of the features here can be found on most high-end cars but Honda claims they want to have it as standard for their entry-level sedans. That being said, it looks like they’ve also jacked up the price a bit compared to the previous generations.
Just in case anyone’s interested, here are the retail prices of the new Honda City 2009:
City 1.3 A MT : Php 676,000 (entry-level)
City 1.3 S MT : Php 716,000
City 1.3 S AT : Php 756,000
City 1.5 E AT : Php 806,000 (top-of-the-line)
This isn’t really a full review (I will leave that part to the real car experts) but I just want to show off some of the photos I took. 
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great work!you’re not a car buff but i agree with your short review. the new honda city is by far the most different looking car i’ve ever seen.
i agree, a nice looking car, the only downside is tag holder…i hate it, looks a chik with goatee
nice look compare to the past cheap looking design of it..nice car..
Honda City – a mass car or a luxury car? Its worth more than half a million.. I couldn’t afford it.
Honda Cars need a new design. A weird yet eye catching design. They need to build a car that every middle class could afford.
We have a car back home in the province and it was a mitsubishi lancer (19++ model.. can’t remember really) and it was far better than this honda city..
uhmm.. maybe it’s not 10.5 liters per kilometer.. i think it’s the other way around.. coz if thats the case, then it sure consumes a LOT of Gas.^.^ I like the car too..
Hmmm…
Step 1: Find “sugarmommy”
Step 2: Pick Honda City color
Step 3: Ebay an old ipod
Sounds like a plan to me.
See you in Edsa everybody!
looks like optimus prime to me…. or isn’t the Honda designers where inspired?
nice shots!
excellent job done!
staying at Bohol already fascinating
not to mention a “new-car-test-drive” trip there
I’m pretty jealous now!!!
@ton
nice, find me one too, so we can see eachother in edsa
i was wondering if its 10.5 liters/kilometer or 10.5 kilometer/liter.
I happened to test drive a MPUV or multi-purpose utility vehicle (ie, innova) but the meter said that we consumed 10.7 kilometers per liter.
@sel, it’s the other way around. Thanks for spotting that one.
i was the one who spotted it first.. :l hmp..
@ciL, yeah, didn’t see your earlier comment.
hmmm this car is really catching attention even on our streets, but its a bit pricey for a car marketed as compact sedans. If you’re a thrifty car buyer you can always look at second hand dealers with reasonable price tags. if you have the money but wants more power in compact sedan you can always go for a hyundai CRDI VGT like the i30 or Accent. If you you’re looking for life long investment there’s toyota vios and the new suzuki sx4 compact sedan. And if you want subcompacts there are lots to choose from like the picanto, i10 and aveo. Plus, the entry of Chery would definitely shake this up a bit if newer models are going to be marketed this year.
as for me, buying a new car rest at bottom of my priorities. I’ll rather fix and take good care of my 3 yr old car than buy a new one and pay a huge monthly installments.
I saw a black one side by side with my own [black yet old & humble
] car at a wash shop along Panay Ave yesterday morning.
I agree, its front was indeed transformer-ish. Nice car! and nice review too Abe!
very nice car…. my car color silver… very nice..
I’ve just bought a 1.30S A/T variant. Except for the driver seat which I felt is not too comfortable for long drives (as compared to my 3rd generation CRV), everything else meets my expectations.
Everywhere you go in the Metro, you see a new City. So how’s your fuel consumption? But I guess it is depending on one’s driving habit. hehe.
Nice post. I agree to your differentiation.
Gas milage for 1.3 A/T is:
8.5 to 9.0 km/li on metro manila’s average traffic.
13 to 15 km/li on provincial out of town travel.
do honda city 1.5 A/T have a manual transmision?
Do honda city works fine on cng ?
i’ll be sure to buy new honda city 2009 in the next 8 years from now…nw 1′m 23..rite nw i’m into black and red honda city…gotta choose one…
@jhun
It’s a sports mode where you can change the gear using buttons in the steering wheel.
Its a really nice car..
My dad just told me today that he will buy it for me..
What is better??
Toyota Vios or Honda City?
@Jhe Honda City 2009 is really far from Toyota Vios
my kids love to ride this car than SUV.. so nice
The audio system can play my iPhone 3G, catch on that one.. I can even select any playlist on my iPhone 3G.. Read the manual first, peace.