Farewell to the Geek

MANILA, Philippines - It must have grated on the City design team for so many years that while everyone raved about the Jazz, not nearly as many praised its 4-door sibling. For while the City exhibited almost the same virtues as the Jazz – like a Continuously Variable Transmission, thrifty engines, and intelligent use of cabin space – its futuristic styling was perhaps just a little too ahead of its time. Of course, coming from the boxy 1st generation, the egg-shaped Take 2 was an improvement, but perhaps something was lost in the translation from sketchpad to sheetmetal.

This time, Honda took no chances with its overachieving small car, especially now that it’s intended as a global vehicle and hence, must be liked by people from all over the world. The City and the Jazz may still be fraternal twins, but both now sport distinct styling that will offend no one, and possibly turn on everyone. Choosing between the two now comes down to whether you want a sedan or a hatch, not a choice between Cute and Geeky. After the positive reception of the Jazz, Honda’s next mission was unleash the motoring media on the City. For this task, the location was the island of Bohol and its hundreds of kilometers of winding, two-lane roads.

Externally, the silhouette bears a resemblance to its predecessor, but the purported “arrowshot” design concept turns this small car into a very sleek-looking machine. From the rear three-quarters, there’s even a faint hint of the BMW E36. Perhaps the only awkward element is the 15-inch wheels, a fair size for this class of car, but they look lost in the wheel wells. Oh yes, the grille looks a bit overwrought, kind of like a “Gilette Mach 3” look, but thank God the designers stayed away from cliché’d chrome. Meanwhile, the flanks, even the hood, sport delicate creases to give it a taut, expensive look. If anyone still does not like the styling, this time they will be the exception.

Bucking the trend among shared-platform vehicles, the City even uses a different dashboard from the Jazz. Whereas the Jazz’s abundant use of pods and curves lends it a youthful feeling, the City’s cockpit is more conventional without looking staid. The center stack is generously accented with aluminum-look plastic, and the instrument panel lacks the pod-like housing of the Jazz, instead using a conventional binnacle.

The A-pillar is also said to be slimmer than before to reduce blind spots, and the driving position is excellent for a small car. The seat is adjustable for height, it has large enough bolsters and firm cushioning to keep you centered, the steering column tilts and telescopes, and the sightlines are excellent. The cabin is rendered in blacks and dark grays, and visually it’s not quite the sea of plastic that characterizes the Jazz. The door panels are mostly hard plastic, although suede padding on the armrests adds a bit of tactile refinement where it matters.

Overall, it’s a likable, mature interior, very business-like and feels expensive. Unfortunately, the novel “ULT” folding seats of before are gone, replaced by a fixed backseat (likely to cut costs). The trunk is positively commodious though, easily holding three to four adults’ overnight luggage, so maybe the ULT seats won’t be missed too much.

For the drive proper, Honda (led by George Ramirez) took us all over Bohol, visiting tourist sites such as the Loboc River, the tarsiers, and the Chocolate Hills view deck in between hours of spirited driving. The concrete roads undulate over numerous hills and snake all over the countryside, allowing ample time to appreciate the technical merits of the City.

With 1.3 and 1.5-liter models to drive, the former was predictably hard-pressed at times to keep up with the fast movers in the convoy (especially loaded with several adults), but the 5-speed automatic transmission made the most of its available power.

The 1.5 is unquestionably the better choice for those who will be doing most of their driving outside of, well, the city.

With 120 horsepower on tap, the VTEC engine is still not overwhelmingly quick but has enough juice to satisfy small car buyers. More importantly, it is very quiet at idle and climbs to the redline with the precision of an expensive sewing machine. You get the impression you could race it all day, especially since the 5-speed automatic’s paddle shifters encourage spirited driving. The automatic, by the way, is a conventional 5-speed instead of last model’s CVT, and whatever advantages it had, we didn’t really miss it. As it is, the automatic is a very smart system, holding gears at the redline in “Sport” mode, delaying risky downshifts until the revs can come down to a safe engine speed, and shift shock is practically nil.

Improvements have also been done to the electric power steering and suspension. The previous model’s steering felt lifeless; the new one now gives a modicum of feedback and feels very stable at speed with just the right amount of effort. It tracks a straight line comfortably and has a nimble feel that lets you confidently change lanes.

The suspension also feels remarkably well-composed. It feels supple and predictable at the limits, the tail only giving subtle hints of stepping out if you dab the brakes too hard in a fast corner. Rebound control is also excellent, as bumps and dips are dealt with just a single motion; no extraneous pogo-like reactions. However one may feel about the look of those slim 15-inchers, they are a perfect match to the tuning of the front strut-rear torsion beam suspension.

Over 200+ kilometers of driving around Bohol, the City impressed with its moves and overall competence. Honda has always been known for raising the bar with each successive generation, so perhaps the test drive wasn’t that much of a surprise. What did impress from the get-go was the City’s visual impact. Arrayed at the parking lot on our arrival, the City has a confident stance that’s immediately inviting. It’s a shape that’s both inspired and functional, a refined and mature form that doesn’t try to be cute. And it definitely isn’t dorky anymore. The driving character is just the icing on the cake this time around.