So, I got behind the wheels of a Honda, yet again.
After the HRV, Civic, Freed, Insight and Jazz, I’m only missing the CRZ, Accord,Odyssey and the CRV now. Of them all, I’m particularly interested in the CRZ, which unfortunately isn’t that popular at the moment.
Today’s itinerary involves leisure driving, food, coffee, games and well, drifting.
It was just like a weekend day out with friends, with some activities and much laughter.
While I have experienced the VSA before during the Civic and Jazz drive, this time I was in the hands of Ivan Khong, legendary instructor and racer of Malaysia.
As I made my first round in the VSA exercise, I remarked; “Hmmm.. I’ve done this several times before, why today the car seems to spin more out of control and “buang” more eh?”
He grinned, and said ” We poured sand on the road“.
I laughed, and thought to myself; “We should do this more often“.
Yes, I love the thrill and the excitement, executed with the guidance of a professional of course.
Here’s a video of how the car skidded when we turned the VSA function off.
Looks terrifying?
Now imagine yourself inside and this empty lot is a road full of other vehicles and fellow human beings.
Safety technology in cars are there for a good reason.
It is not only your life that you are keeping secure, but those of your loved ones in the car with you as well as all breathing beings around you at the point of time.
The VSA in Honda cars (not just the City) is best “On” (activated) at all times.
To do so, just press the VSA button on the driver’s side. This feature will take care of the rest.
In the event of unintentional skidding or if you lose control of your car under unforeseen circumstances, every little help counts in keeping you safe and alive.
Now this is a video that shows the VSA ON:
VSA:
The Vehicle Stability Assist system helps to stabilize the vehicle during cornering if the car turns more or less than desired.
HOW:
An example of when such a situation (side slip) may occur is when a driver turns a corner too quickly on a wet/sandy/slippery road.
When the cornering forces of a vehicle are greater than the available tire grip levels, side slip occurs. If the front wheels are slipping sideways, the car is understeering.
On the other hand, if the rear wheels are slipping, the car is oversteering.
So VSA kicks in.
Besides getting the car “in control” (stabilizing it), it also assists in maintaining traction while accelerating on loose or slippery road surfaces. It does this by regulating the engine’s output, and by selectively applying braking.
NOTE:
1. The VSA system cannot enhance the car’s driving stability in all situations and does not control your vehicle’s entire braking system. It is still your responsibility to drive and corner at reasonable speeds and to leave a sufficient margin of safety.
2. VSA is turned on every time you start the engine, even if you turned it off the last time you drove the car.
In short, the VSA system helps to prevent accidents by preventing vehicles from sliding sideways caused by sudden changes in vehicle behavior or wet road.
Such safety features is definitely worth the money that one has to fork out when buying a Honda.
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That was one of our session that day.
Other than that we got to experience the overall driving experience of the City, and the route took us from Kepong to Ara Damansara (Oasis) to MAEPS and back to Kepong.
Coffee and food fuelled us along the way.
At Barista Guild Asia, we got certified as wannabe-baristas as we went through the exercises of smelling, measuring, brewing, filtering and even making latte art for our coffees.
Buzzed with a new certificate and too much caffeine in our system, we zipped over to Oasis for lunch.
I took the first leg of the drive, which is from Kepong to Ara Damansara. Traffic was unusually bad for a Saturday morning but the light steering of the Honda City made maneuvering a breeze.
Seat are adjusted manually (no electric seat), but there are keyless entry, 6 airbags, 7 inch display audio with MirrorLink function, 8 speakers, steering wheel hands free telephone & voice recognition controls, rear air conditioning, 2 USB ports, 3 power sockets and smart storage spaces around the cabin; all in all a nice packaged vehicle for the singles to small families market segment.
Another emphasis was on the boot space, where the 536 litre capacity was put to test with a fun game.
Some luggage bags, baskets, tupperwares and ice boxes were the props as we tried our best to fit everything into the boot.
** One side of the rear foldable seat is smaller than the other, like in my picture below, the 60 is folded while the 40 is still up.
My team got 2nd prize! Whoop whoop!
Not bad considering that we went first and no doubt the other 2 teams took ideas from us! 😛
On the last leg of the ride I was passenger again.
This time I paid more attention to the “little” comforts of the City.
The 8 cupholders certainly comes in handy. You may think that 8 is too much, but seriously, there can’t be many cupholders!
After all these compartments aren’t taking up space away from the main vehicle as these are on the doors. So why waste available space?
Anyhow just because they are labeled cup holders doesn’t mean it is only for glasses/tumblers. These compartments are great for slotting in rolled magazines, towels, bottled water, sunnies and even snacks.
If you are like me, who literally live in a car, every compartment matters!
There isn’t much about the City that one wouldn’t know by now. This model was launched in March 2014, and had since steadily sold thousands of units.
It is also the overall winner for the ASEAN NCAP (New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asia), which is targeted to elevate vehicle safety standards, raise consumer awareness and thus encourage a market for safer vehicles in the region.
As for fuel efficiency, the Honda’s Eco Mode is available on this model.
Press it for maximising fuel usage. However, at the end of the day, good driving habits are paramount for fuel efficiency.
ISO FIX:
The City is equipped with ISO Fix – the international standard for attachment points of child safety seats in passenger cars.
Thanks again to Honda Malaysia for the experience.
Prices, specs and features are HERE (http://www.honda.com.my/model/specifications/allnewcity) for the All New Honda City (2014 model):
Prices (inclusive of 6% GST) start from RM71,400.87 for the 1.5l S variant to RM86,447.77 for the V variant.
Price list: http://www.honda.com.my/model/pricing/allnewcity
For more of my Honda driving experiences, you can out the links below:
HRV : https://www.rebeccasaw.com/the-honda-hrv-chiangmai-chiangrai-drive-what-a-nice-ride/
Honda Civic: https://www.rebeccasaw.com/9th-gen-honda-civic-bloggers-drive-vsa-abs-and-a-mini-slalom-fabulous-fun/
Honda Freed: https://www.rebeccasaw.com/honda-freed-the-test-drive/
Honda Insight: https://www.rebeccasaw.com/honda-insight-review-a-fuel-efficient-hybrid-car-on-the-road/
Honda Jazz: https://www.rebeccasaw.com/honda-the-all-new-jazz-fun-day-of-defensive-and-safe-driving/
