I still remember the first Honda I saw on Philippine streets. Back in my high-school senior year, my classmate Howard drove a 1994 Honda Civic EG hatch to school. Being older than us for, er, certain reasons, he was legally of age to drive.
The Civic was a beautiful thing—a cute hatchback in a sea of bland Japanese sedans. Then in college, I got to ride in my blockmate Ernest’s sleek Civic ESI. And how could I forget Dette-dette’s white Civic with the Rockford Fosgate setup and Pioneer head unit?
For the longest time, the Honda City had none of those positive associations for me. It came out when I—and everyone else—was still enthralled with the Civic and the CR-V. Over the generations, the City grew and became more refined, but so did the rest of the lineup. This subcompact sedan was great for going around, but—sorry, Honda—its siblings offered more character.