Honda City Generasi Ke-4 Resmi Diluncurkan di India

Honda meluncurkan City generasi ke-4 (atau ke-6 bila Honda City tahun 1981 juga turut dimasukkan dalam sejarah) secara resmi di India dengan perubahan-perubahan yang cukup signifikan.

Perubahan fisik yang lebih dinamis mengadopsi kredo desain “Exciting H” yang lebih dulu diadopsi oleh Honda Fit generasi ke-3. Tampilan depan yang agresif seakan merupakan sebuah evolusi desain dari Honda City generasi lawas, namun lekukan baru serta garis-garis yang lebih tegas memberikan kesan agresif untuk City generasi terbaru ini.

Pada bagian samping, lekukan garis tegas memanjang hingga ke bagian lampu belakang memberikan kesan dinamis yang sensual. Tak hanya sensual, desain premium Honda City juga tercitra pada bagian lampu belakang yang kini menjorok ke bagasi serupa seperti Accord Euro (Acura TSX).

Perubahan signifikan pada Honda City generasi terbaru ini adalah memanjangnya jarak sumbu roda (wheelbase) menjadi 2600 mm dari 2550 mm. Honda pada peluncuran City menekankan pembesaran wheelbase ini yang berujung pada perluasan interior kabin dan memberikan Honda City kapasitas penumpang terbesar dibanding kompetitornya. Jarak tandem (jarak ruang antara penumpang depan dan belakang) serta ruang kaki diklaim terbesar dengan perbandingan pada kompetitornya.

Mengenai jeroan, Honda masih mengadopsi suspensi McPherson Strut dan Torsion Beam yang mengijinkan kapasitas ruang kargo terbesar dikelasnya. Di sisi mesin, Honda memberikan dua pilihan pada calon pembeli Honda City dengan mesin bensin 1.5L i-VTEC dan mesin diesel 1.5L i-DTEC. Honda belum memberikan angka daya mesin, namun melihat generasi terkini, mesin 1.5L i-DTEC mampu menghasilkan daya sebesar 100ps dengan torsi 200 NM, sementara mesin 1.5L i-VTEC mampu menghasilkan daya sebesar 120ps dengan versi terbaru yang digunakan pada Fit RS menghasilkan daya sebesar 132ps.

Dari segi fitur, Honda India tidak lagi tanggung-tanggung untuk City terbaru. Dari segi sistem, Honda menyertakan tombol start stop dan keyless entry, serta sun roof. Pada interior, Honda kini mengadopsi kontrol tombol sentuh kapasitif untuk pengendali sistem AC. Sistem audio kini diperkaya dengan sistem bluetooth terintegrasi untuk menyalurkan panggilan telepon dari smartphone Anda, kontrol terintegrasi pada setir serta integrasi dengan kamera mundur. Tak hanya itu saja, Honda City kini hadir dengan delapan speaker, dua di masing-masing pintu untuk menghasilkan rentang suara tinggi dan rendah yang matang.

Honda City akan dijual secara resmi di India pada bulan Januari 2014. Kapan di Indonesia?

Sumber:

Honda India Official City Website

Paultan Honda City pictures

Honda VEZEL, JDM New Baby CR-V is Stunning

Stunning is one word best describing Honda new compact SUV, the Vezel. Launched this December in Japan, the compact SUV which is based off the Fit/Jazz plank is amazingly well designed. For quite sometimes, I criticize Honda design language for being too safe which is good for not offending those with sensitive design issue, but boring nonetheless.

The Vezel however… Well… Let’s just say the Vezel is the most beautiful production Honda car I’ve seen in 10 odd years, besting the S2000, Accord Euro (Acura TSX) and the Acura ILX. The sculpted lines are greatly defined, where a line starts, it ends gracefully and functionally. Take a look at the crease from the side profile, it looks like it came out of nowhere, but to me it looks like an end of a circular line from the A pillar to the hidden door handle and finishing on the front doors, which if you take a measurement divides the area on the upper and lower part dead in the center-ish. The swooping roofline is pronounced even more with the upper rear spoiler and the rear featuring panel formed lighting integration, much better than the third generation CR-V. The front featuring compound HID and LED cluster is bold and premium looking, contemplating the new Honda wing design language.

But the most amazing part of the car, despite its premium looking design is that… It was based on the Fit (using Jeremy Clarkson and his snarky expression). Yes, from the market that brought us the kind of big actually small Suzuki SX4 crossover and Nissan oddly looking Juke, the Vezel is a jacked up compact car which means it won’t punch a hole in your wallet.

Power comes from Honda Fit 1.5L newly developed i-VTEC DOHC with available hybrid engine option. Now for a tall car like this, you will be surprised that Honda is making the car available with a 1.5L engine at all… Well, worry not since Honda new L15 engine produces 132 Ps @ 6600 RPM and 155 Nm @ 4600RPM… And you’re saying what? Well, 2004 Honda Stream which uses D17 1.7L engine produces 129 Ps @ 6300 RPM and 154 Nm @ 4800 RPM. So to the technically challenged, that means the new 1.5L engine is simply more powerful than the old 1.7L engine. My family used to own 2004 Stream with D17 and 4AT. That engine is pulling a 7 seater wagon with gusto, I don’t see why the L15 will not be sufficient for the Vezel.

I’m pumped, this is the for a long time I wanted a Honda car so bad, not since the Prelude (lost dream). Seeing that Nissan with the gaudy Juke is making quite a business case in the developing countries (potholes and standing water in rainy season problems), the Vezel with its proper mini SUV design is guaranteed an easy sell.

More info as the car is officially unveiled at Tokyo Motor Show.

Source:

Honda Japan Vezel website

HONDA MAKING TURBO ENGINE! HOLY TURN AROUND!

Well, Honda did makes turbo engine, but it’s only for one off racing purposes… Not anymore, Honda is finally making production turbo engine with plenty of extremely exciting products and concepts. The aptly named VTEC TURBO sounds very boyish (I was expecting VTEC-T), but it’s the end result that counts.

To start it off with a bang, we now have confirmation that the second generation NSX will be powered with a twin turbo 3.5L V6 hybrid, exclusively developed for the car. Why is this such a big news? Because it was feared that Honda will just use RLX hybrid engine which produces respectable power (377HP), but falls way off from the competition which has north of 400HP. To make matter worse, Honda was known to dislike turbo, so a tweaked RLX engine can only get south of 400HP at the max… It was a joke. With a turbo, the engine can be boosted to a power target, and can be future proof if need be. Let’s just say that in two years time suddenly all sports car gains power, well, Honda engineers can just up the boost and increase horsepower for the NSX.

No power figure given but time and again Honda claims that the car will rival Ferrari 458 which produces power shy of 560HP. Then again, Honda with the NSX has advantage in form of Sports Hybrid All Wheel Drive, a four wheel drive system that vectors power back-forth and left-right of the driving wheels and it’s a hybrid. Why a hybrid is good for the NSX? Good question, because the instantaneous torque from the electric motor can fill the lack of power for when the turbochargers are still spooling. All sign points to the right direction.

The second is the Civic (Euro) Type R, now confirmed running a 2.0L turbo engine which produces power “more than 280HP” as told by Motorauthority on their track day at Honda proving ground facility. The response is very positive, turbo lag is barely noticeable and there is a “Type R button” when pressed, changes the characteristic of the suspension and engine tuning. The Tochigi oval track that took 15 seconds to finish a lap now can be blown away in just 10 seconds after the “Type R button” is pushed… Type R button…

Also, Honda release a press statement on their intention to streamline the turbo engine in its lineup. So far the confirmed turbo engines will be 2.0L, 1.5L and 1.0L. I don’t think it’s too far fetched where the engines will go, the 2.0L will definitely comes to the big cars, such as Accord, CR-V and the likes, while the 1.5L will go to medium size sedans and SUV like the City or Crider, while the 1.0L will go into the small compacts like the Fit/Jazz.

And that is why my friends, fun time for Honda fans is now restarting!!!

Source:

Motortrend NSX drivetrain

Motorauthority Civic Type R turbo driven

Honda new turbo engine press release