Honda has launched the facelift of its fifth-generation City with minor cosmetic changes, more equipment, new entry-level variants, and a new paint shade. The price range of the facelift version starts from INR 11.49 lakh and goes up to INR 20.39 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the top-spec City Hybrid. Honda has added new entry-level variants to the City range with the addition of the new SV trim, which only comes with manual transmission. The City facelift is now available in a total of four trims for petrol – SV, V, VX and ZX – while the hybrid variant is available in V, VX, and ZX trims.
Honda has introduced Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and autonomous emergency braking even on the petrol variants, which was previously available only on the City Hybrid. Honda is offering ADAS on the manual variants of the petrol City too, which is a unique feature. The City facelift gets six airbags, a tyre-pressure monitoring system (TPMS), rain-sensing wipers, ambient lighting, a wireless charger, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher variants of the midsize sedan get features like ADAS, while the lower variants do not.
Honda has dropped the 1.5-litre diesel engine from the City facelift ahead of the upcoming Real Driving Emission (RDE) norms. The City facelift gets only two powertrain options – 121hp, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine paired with a 6-speed manual or a CVT gearbox, and a 126hp, Atkinson Cycle 1.5-litre petrol-hybrid paired with an eCVT transmission.
The City is still the only vehicle in its class with a strong-hybrid powertrain. Both the petrol and petrol-hybrid powertrains will comply to E20 (20 percent ethanol blend) regulations and meet RDE standards. Fuel economy claims for the City facelift are 17.8 kpl for the petrol manual and 18.4 kpl for the petrol automatic. The City Hybrid is advertised to have a 27.13 kpl fuel efficiency score.
The exterior and interior of the City facelift have minimal cosmetic changes, such as tweaked bumpers and a new grille design, a new design for the alloys, and newly designed bumpers and added spoiler on the trunk. The layout, upholstery, and switchgear remain almost unchanged.
Bookings for the Honda City facelift are already underway for INR 5,000 if booked online and INR 21,000 if booked at a dealership. Honda is offering a 3-year/unlimited kilometre warranty as standard on both the City petrol and the City Hybrid. The warranty can be extended up to 5 years. For the City hybrid, Honda is offering an 8-year/1,60,000km warranty on its lithium-ion battery.
The Honda City facelift will compete with the Skoda Slavia, Volkswagen Virtus, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, and the Hyundai Verna.
Read more: MG Motor India announces names of its upcoming smart EV
