Should you buy a used Honda City

The venerable Honda City makes for a safe bet in the used market. Here’s how to get one in your garage.

Premium cabin; touchscreen not modern looking but has all the features.

GOOD FOR: Performance, Comfy interior

LOOK OUT FOR: Interior rattles, Touchscreen issues

Honda’s City has become an icon of Indian motoring, famed for its smooth, high-revving petrol engines and reliability. Now in its fifth generation, which was launched in July 2020, the City continues to offer the traits of its predecessors while being better equipped and more comfortable than before. The fifth-gen Honda City is worth considering as a used buy if you’re looking for a spacious and reliable runabout. Here’s all that you need to know about it.

Styling is subtle but contemporary; 16-inch alloys look attractive.

The fifth-gen City’s cabin is definitely one of its highlights. The interior looks and feels premium, with its light beige upholstery, soft-touch materials and tastefully executed wood trim. The seats are very comfortable as well and there’s plenty of space for both, front and rear passengers.

Honda City fifth-gen: engine, gearbox and fuel efficiency

A big talking point on the fifth-gen City is its new petrol engine. It’s a 1,498cc, naturally aspirated, Double Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) unit that develops 121hp and 145Nm, which is a 2hp increase over the fourth-gen City’s 1.5-litre SOHC mill. Gearbox options for the petrol include a 6-speed manual and a CVT auto. In our fuel efficiency tests, the City petrol-manual did 11.5kpl in the city and 17.7kpl on the highway, while the CVT auto returned 12kpl in the city and 16.4kpl out on the highway.

The City is also one of only two midsize sedans that’s available with a diesel engine; the other being the Hyundai Verna. The 100hp, 200Nm, 1.5-litre diesel comes paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. Fuel efficiency of the City diesel is 16.2kpl in the city and 19.1kpl on the highway.

The City diesel is the one for high mileage users, thanks to its frugal nature. However, if you’re driving primarily in the city with the occasional outstation trip, one of the petrols would make more sense. Especially the CVT, as it’s more fuel efficient than the manual in the city, not to mention its more convenient as well.

Honda City fifth-gen: variants and features

The new City was launched in three trim levels – V, VX and ZX. In terms of equipment, the top-spec City ZX gets full-LED headlamps with LED DRLs, 16-inch alloys, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, the Honda Connect telematics system and Alexa remote capability, a 7.0-inch colour MID, automatic climate control, a sunroof, paddleshifters and remote engine start (CVT only), along with leatherette upholstery.

Safety features in top-spec Citys include six airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, vehicle stability assist, agile handling assist, hill-start assist, a tyre pressure monitoring system, Honda’s LaneWatch camera (segment-first), ISOFIX child-seat mounts, rear parking camera, and auto headlamps and wipers. Of course, it’s always advisable to buy the top-spec variant for its features. But if you’re on a strict budget, even the mid-spec VX trim covers all the basics and will keep you content.

Being a Honda, the City is known to be reliable and spares are also readily available, though some can be pricy. The sedan also comes with a 3-year/unlimited warranty pack as standard, so you’ll be buying a used car that’s still covered under warranty.

What to look out for in a used Honda City fifth-gen

Interior rattles

Owners have complained about rattling sounds in the fifth-gen City, coming either from behind the dashboard or from the interior light panel on the roof. Before making the purchase, take a test drive, go through a rough patch of road and listen for any rattling sounds. While on the test drive, it’s also worth checking the condition of the suspension and brakes.

Touchscreen issues

Some owners have also faced issues with the touchscreen of the City. Customers have complained about the system crashing abruptly and being laggy on occasion. It’s worth testing out the touchscreen infotainment system before buy the car.

Used Honda City Gen fifth-gen price and resale value

Rs 11 lakh-14 lakh

Being a relatively new car, prices for used fifth-gen Honda Citys are still quite high. It doesn’t come as a surprise though as Hondas in general, and the City especially, depreciate slowly. It’s recommended that you shell out anywhere between Rs 11 lakh to Rs 14 lakh, depending on the version you’re going for.

Also read:

2020 Honda City review, road test