Changes on the 2008 Honda City

[hcdangan]

For those who are wondering...

Hi. I got a 2008 Honda City 1.3S IDSI CVT a month ago and it looked pretty much like the 2006/2007 City. I called my Honda Dealer and asked them the specific difference between the new City and the previous model. Here's what they told me:

1. It has a new JVC head unit that has a USB port for S variants and above.
2. The rear seats are now fixed -you can no longer fold them to access the trunk (Damn! Why did they have to do this!). But there are now 2 compartments under the rear seats.
3. There is a silver ring accent on the tail lights.
4. Keyless entry for all variants.
5. The 1.3 variants now also have immobilizers.
6. New alloy mags.
7. Dual maplights near the rear view mirror.

Everything else...is the same. So the rumor about the City's facelift this year is not true.

[tidus1203]

This year might be the last 4th gen City, next year baka lumabas na yung 5th gen City which should look somewhat like the 2nd gen Jazz....

[hcdangan]

This year might be the last 4th gen City, next year baka lumabas na yung 5th gen City which should look somewhat like the 2nd gen Jazz....

They tried to make the 3rd gen city look like the Jazz and it didn't look pretty at all and a lot of people complained about that (a review at motioncars.com even described it as looking like Darth Vader's helmet). So Honda redesigned it to make it look more like a standard sedan (4th gen City). I think they will come up with a facelift that will compete directly with the VIOS in terms of looks and style of a sedan. I do hope that it will have an impact like the Civic FD, though that would be too much wishful thinking.

[CVT]

The looks of the City just do not sink well with me. Like they say,- "either you love it or you hate it". That is why I opted for the Jazz. The ULT seat is one of the most practical things on either of these cars. I just wonder why they have to remove this feature from the 2008 City? Oh well.....

5808:bee:

[Type 100]

They tried to make the 3rd gen city look like the Jazz and it didn't look pretty at all and a lot of people complained about that (a review at motioncars.com even described it as looking like Darth Vader's helmet). So Honda redesigned it to make it look more like a standard sedan (4th gen City). I think they will come up with a facelift that will compete directly with the VIOS in terms of looks and style of a sedan. I do hope that it will have an impact like the Civic FD, though that would be too much wishful thinking.

Medyo mali yung pag-bilang nyo ng "generations". You see, there are only two generations of the City from a chassis point of view.

The first one was the "SX8" chassis sold from 1996-2002. Facelift lang noon yung mga "Type Z" models, but the chassis of both is still the same heavily-modified EF Civic from 1988-1991.

The second-generation Cities use the "GD" chassis, as shared with the Jazz. The extended-nose version sold from 2006 onward, called the "ZX" in other countries, is merely a facelift.

The third-generation Cities would be based on the "GE" chassis, as employed by the new Jazz/Fit. No news yet on a third-generation successor to the City but it might come a year or two after the GE Jazz is launched locally.

[basti08]

Medyo mali yung pag-bilang nyo ng "generations". You see, there are only two generations of the City from a chassis point of view.

The first one was the "SX8" chassis sold from 1996-2002. Facelift lang noon yung mga "Type Z" models, but the chassis of both is still the same heavily-modified EF Civic from 1988-1991.

The second-generation Cities use the "GD" chassis, as shared with the Jazz. The extended-nose version sold from 2006 onward, called the "ZX" in other countries, is merely a facelift.

The third-generation Cities would be based on the "GE" chassis, as employed by the new Jazz/Fit. No news yet on a third-generation successor to the City but it might come a year or two after the GE Jazz is launched locally.

Kaya pala I feel like driving an old Civic when driving the Type-Z. It's not that a bad thing that I'm relating it to an old Civic but I still feel that the City Type-Z is one of the best practical cars on the road. For point A to point B driving, it simply is tough to beat. I've driven a 2002 Type Z LXi matic and a 1998 1.5EXi City, so far both cars impressed me. Their suspensions were great in absorbing bumps, compliant and handles quite good (although a candidate for a shock upgrade). But what strike me the most is the fuel efficiency. Matulin talaga kahit yung 1.3L matic without spending much gas. I drove one from Libis to Pulilan Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga and back to manila and I averaged 15km/l!!!
Which really shocked me cause I've been thrashing the engine the whole time (well about 80% of time actually), redline upshifts and pushed the car up to 150kph (the skinny tires is not confidence inspiring, so is the lightweight not helping either, crosswinds alert hehehe) for a MATIC, that is so impressive. It is a guilt-free fun to drive car. I can't imagine how much better is the top line 1.5L City Type Z VTi with 1.5L VTEC engine and manual transmission, slightly wider and lower profile tires with 14inch rims and 4 wheel disc brakes.

[basti08]

yup, parang glove box sa ilalim ng seats. Sana Honda retained a 60/40 feature na lang. Kase common naman na ito, plus if augmented with the under seat compartments it would have been great.

[Type 100]

Kaya pala I feel like driving an old Civic when driving the Type-Z. It's not that a bad thing that I'm relating it to an old Civic but I still feel that the City Type-Z is one of the best practical cars on the road. For point A to point B driving, it simply is tough to beat. I've driven a 2002 Type Z LXi matic and a 1998 1.5EXi City, so far both cars impressed me. Their suspensions were great in absorbing bumps, compliant and handles quite good (although a candidate for a shock upgrade). But what strike me the most is the fuel efficiency. Matulin talaga kahit yung 1.3L matic without spending much gas. I drove one from Libis to Pulilan Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga and back to manila and I averaged 15km/l!!!
Which really shocked me cause I've been thrashing the engine the whole time (well about 80% of time actually), redline upshifts and pushed the car up to 150kph (the skinny tires is not confidence inspiring, so is the lightweight not helping either, crosswinds alert hehehe) for a MATIC, that is so impressive. It is a guilt-free fun to drive car. I can't imagine how much better is the top line 1.5L City Type Z VTi with 1.5L VTEC engine and manual transmission, slightly wider and lower profile tires with 14inch rims and 4 wheel disc brakes.

The SX8's not-so-secret weapon is its weight. For a car of that vintage, it was a rarity because it weighed just under one ton (1000 kg) when everything else started to pile on the kilos. Depending on spec, an SX8 City weighs anywhere from 950-970 kg.

That light weight bestowed a number of benefits: good fuel economy (despite aging D-series engines), good acceleration and great handling.

Being based on the old EF Civics also brought one other remarkable trait: outstanding visibility due to thin A-pillars and a very low dashboard and hood-line. This is why I recommend an SX8 as a training car for new drivers, especially for tight maneuvers like parking. By comparison, the GD-series Jazzes and Cities actually have more blind spots.

Medyo OT na. Hehehe. Back to topic tayo

[Larry_Bird]

For those who are wondering...

Hi. I got a 2008 Honda City 1.3S IDSI CVT a month ago and it looked pretty much like the 2006/2007 City. I called my Honda Dealer and asked them the specific difference between the new City and the previous model. Here's what they told me:

1. It has a new JVC head unit that has a USB port for S variants and above.
2. The rear seats are now fixed -you can no longer fold them to access the trunk (Damn! Why did they have to do this!). But there are now 2 compartments under the rear seats.
3. There is a silver ring accent on the tail lights.
4. Keyless entry for all variants.
5. The 1.3 variants now also have immobilizers.
6. New alloy mags.
7. Dual maplights near the rear view mirror.

Everything else...is the same. So the rumor about the City's facelift this year is not true.

Kainis naman ito... one of the reasons I am considering the City is the ULT feature of the back seats. Feeling ko ang malas ko naman at this year ako bibili. Obviously, this is NOT an improvement. Grrrrr.

[blueguy]

^^ So when is the best time to buy a CITY?

[Larry_Bird]

^^ So when is the best time to buy a CITY?

Sana inabutan ko yung ULT seats. That means 2007, if I'm not mistaken. But it's not a deal-breaker, just something they should have kept rather than removed.

[number001]

Ganun ba Ianmitsulancer? Based on the first post kasi, the absence of the ULT feature was introduced in the current 2008 model only. So I assumed that last year's version (2007) still had ULT seats, besides Honda Philippines website still lists ULT as on of the features of the City.

Ano ba yung compartments? Para ba itong cabinets sa ilalim ng seats?

Sana inabutan ko yung ULT seats. That means 2007, if I'm not mistaken. But it's not a deal-breaker, just something they should have kept rather than removed.

Honda introduced the "2008" City (sans ULT seats) last July 2007 (in anticipation of the launch of the 2008 Vios the following month, August 2007). So if it were me, the best time to buy this type of City body would have been anytime within the first half of the year 2007.

[Larry_Bird]

^^ Thanks for the clarification number001. Last year pa pala nila ito tinanggal.

Tapos kung bibili ka naman ngayon, malapit na palitan yung model (sa 2009 daw yung all-new model). But I guess it's still a very practical car, given the current pricing.

[ianmitsulancer]

Kainis naman ito... one of the reasons I am considering the City is the ULT feature of the back seats. Feeling ko ang malas ko naman at this year ako bibili. Obviously, this is NOT an improvement. Grrrrr.

IMO, i think the fixed rear seats for all variants became present ever since the City became a locally assembled unit instead of coming from Thailand. Yes, it is not an improvement- at least they could have added the usual 60/40 split rear seat back. on the brighter side, at least there are compartments. that is a feature not found on the Vios.

Looking forward to the Next-Gen GE City (fit aria?)

[blueguy]

Do you think may lalabas na bagong CITY 1.5 this year? kasi kung wala...I'd go for Civic 1.8v na lang...

I'll wait up to Sept....b-day gift ko sa sarili ko....

[sotingcoacs]

boss pagkaalam k is early nxt year... kasi mauuna p maintroduce un jazz then the city. sa july pa introduce sa thailand un bagong city sa bangkok autoshow based sa nabasa ko sa net... so it should be next yr na un labas

[Larry_Bird]

IMO, i think the fixed rear seats for all variants became present ever since the City became a locally assembled unit instead of coming from Thailand. Yes, it is not an improvement- at least they could have added the usual 60/40 split rear seat back. on the brighter side, at least there are compartments. that is a feature not found on the Vios.

Looking forward to the Next-Gen GE City (fit aria?)

Ganun ba Ianmitsulancer? Based on the first post kasi, the absence of the ULT feature was introduced in the current 2008 model only. So I assumed that last year's version (2007) still had ULT seats, besides Honda Philippines website still lists ULT as on of the features of the City.

Ano ba yung compartments? Para ba itong cabinets sa ilalim ng seats?

[ianmitsulancer]

Ganun ba Ianmitsulancer? Based on the first post kasi, the absence of the ULT feature was introduced in the current 2008 model only. So I assumed that last year's version (2007) still had ULT seats, besides Honda Philippines website still lists ULT as on of the features of the City.

Ano ba yung compartments? Para ba itong cabinets sa ilalim ng seats?

No ULT seats was based on the City Brochure since 2007 facelift po sir. as for the compartments, i havent seen one yet but i quote what hcdangan said about that. in conclusion, YES, tama si number001. The City is still a good car. Aside from the fixed seats, its feature content is even better than that of the Civic's 10 years ago!

*sotingcoacs- if ok with you, please post the link of the information you got na lalabas ang city by mid-year. i'm also anticipating another model from thailand- an SUV from the other brand. the upcoming Jazz is too much of an egg shape (nothing negative about it)- i just wonder how it will be with a trunk!