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The road today certainly doesn't disappear into the distance. And there isn't even a perfectly deserted ribbon of tarmac that we will visit. NOPE. Today, the road is as congested as an artery of a 40-year old accountant. Four lanes of red lights to the front, four lanes of white lights to the right. The past thirty minutes have seen us move exactly three hundred… metres. This seems to be the order of the day. Still, on a day like this, you have to count your blessings and watch your braking distances. Welcome to the commuter run.
And these are the commuting heroes – built with the single-minded mundane approach of ferrying you to work and back. Nothing more. Nothing less. With a lot like this, you would expect me to approach it with an open mind. Yet it's hard not to be a little prejudiced. Pedigree is the culprit.
With the Honda, lingering images of the old City that had us under some kind of spell makes me wonder about its replacement. To replace a four-door family sedan that you could enjoy, desire and even be proud of with a four-door commodity was for me, in one word – sacrilege. On the other hand, I always end up seeing right through the Pininfarina suit and Chevy bowtie. 'It's a Daewoo,' I keep telling myself.
But who cares about all that when all you want to know is what to spend your hard-earned money on? Alright then, let's get on with it.
The City's modern architecture and the bold cab-forward design has somehow gone down pretty well with us. Age and the fact that you see one every five minutes haven't weaned it either. While the Optra is neither offensive nor memorable. But while it's there, it does make a premium statement. More importantly a bigger one than the City. If these were buildings, the City would be one of those new fangled glass/tiles jobbies that don't reveal if it houses people or chemical reactors. The Chevy, on the other hand, would be an upmarket housing complex, one that doesn't look different from the next one. Yet it's just as appealing.
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