It is the seventh largest car manufacturer in India. Honda Motors are said to be a true believer of their morals, values and ethics. Even their cars say a lot about that. One thing that they keep a vigil on, while manufacturing a new car is the passenger’s comfort. Their cars by far have been a synonym to trust in the Indian automobile market. They are continuously believed and trusted upon by the consumers, right from their debut appearance till now. The partnership of Honda Automobiles of Japan and our very own Siel Company of India has brought many fruitful results to the Indian market in the name of various vehicles by the company. So let’s check out some of the best cars which are either already there or are going to be launched soon.
Honda Brio
So, before you guys really start expecting a description of this car by me, let me make you aware that this time even I’m just speculating about this car. Reason behind that is not hidden from anyone. This car is yet to launch and I really have seen only those pictures, but have collected tit bits of information from the announcement of its launch by the company. So the picture really depicts a cool and in trend car. As the name ‘Brio’ suggests, (for those who don’t know the meaning, it means small and compact car) that it is going to be a small and compact car which will be trendy enough to grab possible eyeballs. The design is undoubtedly amazing. It is expected that this car would be available with a 1199cc engine mated with either the five speed manual or five speed automatic transmissions. The engine seems to be quite good for this small car but the question is whether it will perform well? Anyways, in just Rs 5 lakh what else can you expect?
Engine Options:
1199cc
Powertrain:
5 speed manual\ automatic
Power:
80 Bhp@6000 rpm (expected)
Torque:
110 Nm @4800 rpm (expected)
Thumbs Up:
Cabin space when compared to other hatch backs
Thumbs Down:
‘Mums’ the word till this car gets launched
Head on Competitors:
Toyota Etios Liva and new Maruti Suzuki Swift
The Catch:
Rs 4.2 to Rs. 6 lakhs.
Honda Jazz
You might have read many reviews about Honda Jazz but then ‘my way’ of introducing this car is a bit different. According to me this car is anything but cheap. Yes, at such a price one can afford to buy a host of sedans. This car is the very first small car offered by Honda Motors in India. If one can possibly forget its price then this car might pose to be one of the good hatchback cars. It offers a great cabin space as well as boot space which is generally not enough in other hatchback cars. Besides this car is powered by the 1.2 litre iVTEC engine which is a good engine in terms of its power but this grunt turns into a hollow screech when we talk about its performance. Ride quality is just merely OK. So, ultimately it’s just the normal chicken which is priced like an exclusive duck.
Engine Options:
1199cc
Powertrain:
5 speed manual
Power:
90 Bhp@6200 rpm
Torque:
11.1 Kgm@4800 rpm
Thumbs Up:
Fuel efficiency of this car as well as its cabin space.
Thumbs Down:
Price, price, price and ride quality
Head on Competitors:
Hyundai i20 and Skoda Fabia
The Catch:
Rs 7.4 to Rs. 8.5 lakhs.
Honda City
I guess I should have started this write-up with this car. Honda City is by far the best car offered by Honda Motors and undoubtedly it is also the best selling car of the same company. Right from the spacious interiors to the exclusive petrol engine this car possess, everything just speaks about the performance of this car. There was lack of some safety features which was then later on realised by the company to be a key ingredient in the low sales of this car and hence the company rectified the same with the launch of its third generation car. Power of this car is derived out of the 1.5 litre iVTEC engine which performs really well. This car is available in two variants, the difference being the transmission option. According to me there is no problem as such with this car except that it could have done even better if a diesel variant of the same would have been available.
Engine Options:
1497cc
Powertrain:
5 speed manual\ automatic
Power:
116 Bhp@6600 rpm
Torque:
14.9 Kgm@4600 rpm
Thumbs Up:
Cabin space and engine
Thumbs Down:
Diesel option?
Head on Competitors:
Hyundai Verna, Fiat Linea, Volkswagen Vento
The Catch:
Rs 8.4 to Rs. 11 lakhs.
Honda Civic
It’s been quite a while since the launch of Honda Civic. No doubts it was a hot favourite of a certain group of people then and also now. Maybe the reason behind this is its appearance and the interior treatment. From outside this car looks like one of the coolest car available in town and also the interiors offers a great feel of luxury and lots of space. This sedan possess a 1.8 litre iVTEC engine under its hood. This engine performs really well and produces enough power. This car comes with an option of either the 5 speed manual transmission or the automatic transmission of the same. The handling of this car is pretty good and with such good features this car ultimately makes a good buy.
Engine Options:
1799cc
Powertrain:
5 speed manual\ automatic
Power:
132 Bhp@6300 rpm
Torque:
17.5 Kgm@4300 rpm
Thumbs Up:
Looks and performance
Thumbs Down:
Ground clearance
Head on Competitors:
Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cruze
The Catch:
Rs 12.4 to Rs. 14.6 lakhs.
Honda Accord
No I guess I should have started the article with this car. While Honda City is a best seller in India, Honda Accord is a best seller worldwide. This car appears to be one of the nicest cars in consideration to its looks. Also from inside this car offers a great deal. This car is available in two variants, one with 2.4 litre engines and the second with a 3.5 litre engine. Both the engines are iVTEC engine. While the former is mated with a 5 speed manual, latter is mated with the 5 speed automatic transmission. Both engines are really efficient and perform really well. With no doubt I can really say that this car makes a perfect executive sedan in reference to the efficiency and reliability and space.
Engine Options:
2354cc\ 3471cc
Powertrain:
5 speed manual\ automatic
Power:
177 Bhp@6500 rpm\ 271 Bhp@6200
Torque:
22.6 Kgm@4300 rpm\ 34.2 Kgm@5000 rpm
Thumbs Up:
Ride quality, efficiency and cabin space
Thumbs Down:
Shaky at high speed
Head on Competitors:
Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb
The Catch:
Rs 19 to Rs. 28 lakhs.
Honda CR-V
There was a time when this crossover used to be the best seller in its segment. The bad luck was attached to its name when Honda Motors renewed its pricing strategy which suddenly depressed the sales graph of this crossover, but anyways this CBU does offer something great if we can just ignore its price for a while. The body of this crossover is amazing and it also carries two great engines under it hood. This crossover is available in two variants, one with the 2.0 litre engine mated with six speed manual transmission and 2.4 litre engine with either the manual or automatic transmission. The former engine performs really well while the latter has an average performance. It’s definitely not an off roader, so here is its one big negative quality. So my suggestion would be think twice before purchasing this cross over.
Engine Options:
1996cc\ 2354cc
Powertrain:
6 speed manual\ 5 speed automatic
Power:
141 Bhp@6000 rpm\ 160 Bhp@6300 rpm
Torque:
19.2 Kgm@4200 rpm\ 21 Kgm@5000 rpm
Thumbs Up:
Body and cabin space
Thumbs Down:
Price. Diesel option?
Head on Competitors:
Chevrolet Captiva and Mitsubishi Outlander
The Catch:
Rs 21 to Rs. 26 lakhs.
