- Honda City (AA)
-
City AA/FV/FA 
(First generation, facelift export model)Manufacturer Honda Also called Honda Jazz Production 11.1981–10.1986 Class Subcompact Body style 2, 4 or 5-seater 3dr hatch/van
4-seater 2dr convertibleLayout FF, transverse engine Engine 1231 cc ER inline 4;
33 kW (44 hp) at 4,500 rpm to
110 PS (81 kW) at 5,500 rpmTransmission 4/5 speed manual
4+3 speed Hypershift manual
2 speed + overdrive HondamaticWheelbase 2220 mm Length 3380–3420 mm Width 1570–1625 mm Height 1460–1570 mm Curb weight 640–810 kg The first generation Honda City (Honda Jazz in Europe) was a subcompact hatchback aimed mainly at the Japanese domestic market. The somewhat ungainly designed City, referred to by Honda as "Tall Boy" style,[1] was also marketed abroad and was available in a number of versions. First introduced in November 1981 it carried the model codes AA for sedans, VF for vans, and FA for the widetrack Turbo II and Cabriolets.
Contents
History
Honda City AA, early "R" version
While the City's layout was traditional for its category, with front-wheel drive and a transversely mounted engine, the innovative tall seating arrangement created comparable legroom to a car many times its size. This, combined with class leading fuel economy led to it being a considerable success in the Japanese domestic market. The engine was the CVCC-II 1,231 cc four-cylinder "ER", specifically designed for the City. It was also available together with the Motocompo, a special 50cc 'foldaway' scooter constructed to fit in the City's small luggage area, itself designed around the Motocompo. Originally a sportier R version, the economical E and two commercial van versions ("Pro") were introduced. In September 1982 a turbocharged version of the Honda ER engine was added to the lineup.
Honda City CabrioletDesigned by Pininfarina and introduced in August 1984, a drop-top Cabriolet utilized the wider track, fenders, and bigger bumpers of the Turbo II "Bulldog", but was only normally available with the naturally aspirated 67 PS (49 kW) engine. The Cabriolet was well equipped, with a glass rear window and twelve pastel colors not available on the hatchback versions.
Motocompo in the trunk of an early City RA March 1985 light facelift brought a new asymmetrical grille (although not for the Cabriolet) and some interior improvements. The E and E II models were replaced by the new E III, while a lower priced U model joined the lineup.[2] Naturally aspirated engines in the AA Citys also gained a new fiber-reinforced aluminum alloy connecting rods ("FRM"), a world first in series production. One month later, the R became available with the interesting Hypershift transmission, a 4-speed with an electronically controlled overdrive on 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear - in essence creating a 7-speed gearbox.
In addition to vans and convertibles, there was also an "R Manhattan Roof" version with a 10 cm taller roof. A "R Manhattan Sound" version incorporated high-quality stereo equipment (including the "Bodysonic", transmitting sound vibrations through the seat). The E-series (E, E 1, E II & EIII; "E" for economy) used higher geared transmissions and trip computers to increase gas mileage. The E III, in addition to benefitting from the FRM conrods, also had an electronically variable lean-burn engine. First generation production ended in late 1986 with the introduction of the GA type City.
City Pro (VF)
Commercial versions were called Pro in Japan, and were available with either two or five seats (Pro T/F). The Pro had to make do without brake boost (until the 1985 facelift) and transistorized ignition (lowering power by two horsepower), and were also not available with the five speed manual transmission. The bare-bones Pro also had a manual choke.
Exports
Exports of the City were only of naturally aspirated hatchback and van versions. In Europe it was renamed Honda Jazz, due to Opel having the rights to the City name after having used it on a hatchback version of the Kadett C. It was marketed in Europe from 1982 to 1986, but was generally priced too high to compete. The European Jazz was only classified as a four-seater, and offered either 45 or 56 hp depending on fuel grade. The City was also sold in Australia (in two seater 'van' form, to circumvent Australian import restrictions on passenger vehicles at the time) and New Zealand (where it was locally assembled).
City Turbo
The Honda City Turbo was a sport compact / hot hatch produced by Japanese automaker Honda between 1982 and 1986, based on the naturally aspirated Honda City AA. The City Turbo is one of a very few turbocharged Honda road cars. Other turboed Hondas include the V6 Honda Legend of the late eighties and the new turbocharged i-VTEC 2.3 L in the 2007 Acura RDX.
The City Turbo was the brainchild of Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda as well as founder and owner of Mugen. In the early 1980s Mugen was a small tuning company that was beginning to make its mark producing performance parts for motorcycles and automobiles, but was yet to gain recognition outside of racing circles. When he created the City Turbo, Hirotoshi took one of Honda's most unassuming vehicles and successfully turned it into an aggressive street rocket, considered to be well ahead of its time. Impressed, Honda took Hirotoshi's idea and made a production version, introduced in September 1982. A few months earlier, Honda staffers took two City Turbos on a gruelling 10,000 km round trip of Europe, all the way from Sicily to Karasjok in the arctic north.
In November 1983, the intercooled Turbo II joined the lineup. Flared fenders, wings, sideskirts and graphics combined for a much more pugnacious appearance, making its "Bulldog" nickname very fitting. In late 1984 the original Turbo was discontinued while the Turbo II continued in production until the City was replaced in late 1986.
Engine
Modified Honda City Turbo II.The City Turbo shared the 1231 cc (1.2 L) CVCC "ER" engine with its more pedestrian siblings, but the addition of a turbocharger meant that 100 PS (74 kW; 99 hp) at 5,500 rpm and 15.0 kg·m (147.1 N·m; 108.5 ft·lbf) at 3,000 rpm were available.[3][4] Further changes to the engine included an aluminum/titanium alloy head and a magnesium valve cover to keep the weight down. The IHI RHB51 turbocharger, developed as a joint venture between Ishikawajima Heavy Industry and Honda, was lighter and smaller than most other turbos and could run at higher rpm. When combined with Honda's PGM-F1 fuel injection and an 8-bit digital computer control unit, the end result was a very efficient engine with minimal turbo lag. 0–100 km/h was possible in 8.6 seconds.[4]
The later City Turbo II's engine featured an intercooler, a revised intake plenum, a slightly larger throttle body, a modified inlet manifold, a higher AR turbo compressor, exhaust housings, and a slightly raised (7.6:1) compression ratio. It produced 110 PS (81 kW; 108 hp) at 5,500 rpm and 16.3 kg·m (159.8 N·m; 117.9 ft·lbf) at 3,000 rpm.[5]
Chassis
The City Turbo's suspension was more refined than that of the ordinary City. The four-wheel independent system used progressive rate coil springs, with stabilizers at both the front and the rear. Tires were the 165/70HR12 radials, and stopping power was provided by ventilated disc brakes at the front and semi-metallic shoes at the rear. The Turbo II's flared fenders weren't just cosmetic, but were necessary to accommodate a 30 mm (20 mm in the rear) wider track and bigger 185/60 R13 tires.
Styling and Interior
The body of the Honda City Turbo was made sportier by the addition of a new air dam with fog lights and asymmetrical grille at the front and a small spoiler at the top/rear of the car. Meanwhile, a hump was added to the hood to make room for the extra equipment of the turbocharged engine. In addition to flared fenders and "Turbo II Intercooler" graphics, the Turbo II also got a bigger bump in the hood, body colored bumpers and a louver ahead of the rear wheel.
The interior appointments to the car focused both on driver involvement and comfort. A digital speedometer, surrounded by a tachometer and a boost gauge, replaced the regular analog instrument cluster, and was used until the March 1985 facelift, after which the analog assembly from the regular City was used. Form fitting, leather and moquette bucket seats were made standard as well and a special "sonic seat" was available, which responded to the audio system by a transducer sending sound and vibration to the user through the seat. An extra thick, three-spoke steering wheel was also standard Turbo fitment.
In media
The City AA was featured in the 1985 Jaleco game City Connection.
Data
Honda City 1981–1986 Version City E, U, R with A/T (AA)[6] City R, Manhattan Roof (AA) City Pro (VF) City Cabrio (FA) City Turbo (AA)[7] City Turbo II "Bulldog" (FA)[5] Engine 1,2 Liter (1,231 cc) Inline-four, 12 valve CVCC-II SOHC Aspiration single two-barrel Keihin carburator PGM-FI, turbocharged PGM-FI, turbocharged and intercooled Power 63 PS (46 kW) at 5,000 rpm 67 PS (49 kW) at 5,500 rpm 61 PS (45 kW) at 5,000 rpm 67 PS (49 kW) at 5,500 rpm
(AT: 63 PS)100 PS (74 kW) at 5,500 rpm 110 PS (81 kW) at 5,500 rpm Torque 10.0 kg·m (98 N·m; 72 lb·ft) at 3,000 rpm 10.0 kg·m (98 N·m; 72 lb·ft) at 3,500 rpm 9.8 kg·m (96 N·m; 71 lb·ft) at 3,000 rpm 10.0 kg·m (98 N·m; 72 lb·ft) at 3,500 rpm 15.0 kg·m (147 N·m; 108 lb·ft) at 3,000 rpm 16.3 kg·m (160 N·m; 118 lb·ft) at 3,000 rpm Top Speed 141 km/h (88 mph) 150 km/h (93 mph) 135 km/h (84 mph) 150 km/h (93 mph) 179 km/h (111 mph) 175 km/h (109 mph) Acceleration (0–100 km/h) 12,9 sec n/a 13,1 sec 13,7 sec 8,6 sec[4] n/a Empty Weight 655–710 kg 685–710 kg 635–660 kg 800–810 kg 690–700 kg 735–745 kg Fuel tank size 41 L Luggage space 205 L 182 L[8] 205 L Wheelbase 2,220 mm (87.4 in) Track (F/R) 1,370 / 1,370 mm 1,400 / 1,390 mm 1,370 / 1,370 mm 1,400 / 1,390 mm Length/Width/ Height (mm) 3,380 / 1,570 / 1,470 (Manhattan Roof: 1,570) 3,420 / 1,625 / 1,470 3,380 / 1,570 / 1,460 3,420 / 1,625 / 1,470 References
- ^ "Honda City 82.9 Press Release, p. 6" page on Honda Fact Book: City
- ^ The U was the only non-commercial City to be available with a four-speed manual in the domestic market.
- ^ World Class Cars #2: Honda, pp 20, 121.
- ^ a b c Auto Katalog 1985, pp 232-233.
- ^ a b "Honda City Turbo II" page in the Honda Auto Archive
- ^ "Honda City" page on Honda Auto Terrace
- ^ "Honda City Turbo" page on Honda Auto Terrace
- ^ Honda City Cabriolet (catalog) CC–K2-503. Honda Motor Company, March 1985, p. 8
- Auto Katalog 1985. Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart: 1984.
- "Honda: Auto Lineup Archive". Honda Motor Co., Ltd.. Archived from the original on 2010-07-08. http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-archive/city/.
- Koichi Inouye (1985). World Class Cars Volume 2: Honda, from S600 to City. Tokyo: Hoikusha. pp. 2–36, 85–128. ISBN 4-586-53302-1.
External links
- Honda City Turbo's and The Beginning of Honda Endorsed Mugen Motorsports
- Mugen Official Site
- Honda City Turbo II factbook
- City Turbo - Forum dedicated to the City Turbo
Categories:- Subcompact cars
- Sport compact cars
- Front wheel drive vehicles
- Convertibles
- Hatchbacks
- 1980s automobiles
- Vehicles introduced in 1981
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
