A Gem In The Dark: The First Generation Honda City
If you look around, you’ll notice that the streets of India are plagued with soulless dreary cars like the obnoxious Hyundai Creta, the painfully ugly Maruti Wagon R, and the consistently unreliable VW Polo, among other supremely boring and decidedly silly vehicles.
And this got me thinking, that it’s not very often that the Indian auto market witnesses a delightful car that not only shatters the competition also one that but goes on to become a legend. However, some 20-odd years ago, India was introduced to one.
It was late 1997 and India was five years into opening the doors of its economy to the world. One of the most intuitive and interesting things to come in were cars, and boy oh boy did Honda bring the best!
Fondly known as the Type Z, Honda brought the perfect car for India, the City. This low-slung sedan turned heads like no other car did and it paved the way for Honda to introduce flagship cars such as the Accord and the CRV and subsequently establish itself as a strong auto brand in the country.
The type 1 Honda City is a true Japanese samurai that is still sought after by petrolheads and speed junkies alike. And if the type 1 City, in its somber and simple appearance, wasn’t enough, Honda later introduced the crystal-eyed type 2 Honda City with a VTEC engine. And then, all hell broke loose.
The Original Honda City
Back in 1997, Honda introduced the Indian consumer to a comfortable, roomy, family sedan that had the driving position of a go-kart, the handling of a GT car, and the power of a fighter jet.
Now, in comparison to today’s family saloons, this praise may seem like a stretch, but back in ’97 this was hellfire! The signature single cam hyper 16 1.5-liter unit (D15B) produced 100 horsepower and the punchy engine is quite simply a jewel in its own right.
The type 1 Honda City came with two engine options. The electrifying 1.5-liter competed directly with the Daewoo Cielo, Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Icon/Escort, and the Opel Astra and a tuned down 1.3 liter was also on offer to rival the then favorite Maruti Esteem.
Although the 1.3 DX was quite a hit among buyers because of better fuel economy, the 1.5 EXI trim was the one to own. With power adjustable mirrors, four power windows, a rear armrest, wood panels, a reading lamp, and a 4-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox option, the EXI made for a lucrative purchase.
Type 2 Honda City: A Worthy Successor
The type 1 Honda City, which was in the Indian market from 1998 to 2000 was followed by the type 2 Honda City (2000 to 2003). And while on paper the two had similar engine specs and interior finishes, the exterior design of the type 2 was vastly superior.
The bigger and bolder proportions coupled with the 21st-century friendly design was accentuated with crystalized headlights and taillights that added vast reserves of character and a stylish flair.
The larger radiator grille rested on a newly designed front bumper that came with smart inserts for fog lamps to be fitted. And the rear was given a larger, curvier and, dare I say, voluptuous arse.
However, there was a third engine option on offer. Yes, the VTEC motor finally made its way to the Indian market and this made the City a fizzing lunatic. There was now even more horsepower juice (107hp) and a retuned 5-speed manual transmission for enhanced power and shorter shifts.
The type 2 City eventually, and rightfully, became a cult car in India and has participated in every kind of motorsport in the country at the hands of most of India’s racing stalwarts.
This made petrolheads go berserk. So much so that a decent VTEC type 2 Honda City still commands a price upwards of 1.25 lakhs given its rarity and unbelievably hysteric fun factor. There are dedicated fan pages on Instagram of people from all over India who’ve spent big moolah to modify their type 2 City VTECs and transform them into proper race cars.
But the rarest of them all is the 2002–03 limited edition type 2 that came with beige interiors, matching cream and beige leather seats, and dark mahogany style wood inserts. Even the gear knob was finished in shiny wood that sported a gold embossed Honda emblem. This variant was truly the pinnacle of refinement in the City’s lifecycle thus far.
My Honda City Experience
I’ve had the privilege of owning two Honda Citys. In fact, I still have the original 1999 Honda City which I bought in 2014. It’s a Monaco blue manual 1.5 EXI that had 5 owners on it and had 106,000 kilometers on the clock!
And now, 20 years later, she still drives like a dream. The way the engine still breathes fire is a testimony to its bulletproof build quality and reliability.
The interior is still in pristine condition with the plush-looking wood inserts and factory original fabric seats making for a sublime cockpit.
The type 2 Honda City that I owned was a 2002 automatic with beige interiors stylishly equipped with matching beige and cream Stanley leather seats and a nifty Bluetooth stereo with Japanese spec Pioneer speakers.
Apart from changing the steering rack, shock absorbers, and tires, there wasn’t much work that the car demanded. The power was enthralling! She would pull away from a set of traffic lights like a stabbed rat and also comfortably waft about in Mumbai’s hellish traffic. Quite amazing for a car that had done 115,000 kms!
Final Thoughts
It’s sad to see what Honda has done with the newer generations of the City. Sure, they are bigger and full of new-age gizmos, but they lack charm and are devoid of personality and road presence — qualities that the first generation Honda City still has. While the new Honda City is just a tin box with some LED lights on it, the first generation is a true gem.
