The all-new Honda City – Launched

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Honda Malaysia today launched the 4th generation City, the first Honda model for 2014. Since it’s introduction back in 2001, there are more than 145,000 ‘Citys’ roaming our streets and the 4th Gen is given the responsibility of contributing 2,500 units monthly to Honda. Ambitious target for the latest B segment? We think it’ll probably sell more than that.

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Design

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At first glance, you might find the 3rd Gen and 4th Gen to be quite similar in front. They both have a prominent ‘V’ motif in the front grille although the 4th Gen has a single, solid Platinum Grille (which is quite like the 3rd Gen Modulo equipped unit except the 4th Gen’s grille is thicker) whereas the 3rd Gen comes with a 3-sill grille design. The previous Gen came in 2 grades; the S and the E (E being the more expensive variant) whereas Honda now offers the 4th Gen in 4 trims; the S, S+, E and V. Among them, only the V comes with front fog lamps.

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The new City is 4,440mm long, 1,695mm wide and 1,477mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,600mm and seen from the side, the Grade difference is most obvious at the rims where the base S grade gets 15″ steel wheels with cover, the S+ and E Grades comes with 15″ Alloys (all 15″ wheels come with 175/65 series tires) and the V spec offers 16″ Alloys wrapped in 185/55 series tires. The key difference between the 3rd and 4th Gen lies at the crease lines that runs from the front wheel arch to the rear tail lamp. A second line runs at the lower part of the door which makes the car look lower, more planted to the ground.

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The rear is probably where you can instantly tell a 3rd Gen from a 4th. The trapezoidal rear lamp is now replaced with a more streamlined design that cuts deeper into the center of the boot and a chrome bar connects both tail lamps. The rear bumper looks taller than the 3rd Gen’s, all-in-all combined makes the car look like it’s aerodynamically arching forward to go.

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Performance

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Powering the City is the 1.5litre i-VTEC engine with a maximum power of 120PS @ 6,600rpm and 145Nm @ 4,600rpm. All variants come with ECON mode  button which, according to the engineers from Honda can save as much as 5% if driven under the same conditions, OFF or ON. The ECON mode regulates speed, rpm and acceleration to give you the most efficient fuel economy. On paper the claimed fuel economy is 17.56km/litre and this is achieved through the use of a new CVT gearbox which has overcome the earlier model’s problematic gearbox, improved aerodynamic design and a reduction between 25-30kg of kerb weight.

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Century sprint is achieved in 10.5 seconds for the S and S+, 10.6 seconds for the E and 10.8s for the V. Top speed is rated at 190kph

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Ride and Handling

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The new City comes with McPherson struts for the front suspension and torsion beam for the rear and utilizes Drive-by-wire technology with an electric power steering.

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Cabin Convenience

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The City is a CKD model, built in the Malacca plant and fit and finish remains good. The entire cabin layout is oriented towards the H Design concept which puts emphasis to the Human users. The ‘Man Maximum, Machine Minimum’ philosophy is brought to form by offering premium comfort and superb cabin space.

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Depending on the Grade, the steering wheel either comes with steering controls for Bluetooth telephony and/or cruise control functions. Seen in the picture above is the V Grade steering wheel which is also leather wrapped.

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The higher priced V and E Grades will come with a blue and white illumination Advanced Multi Information combination meter whereas the S and S+ Grades has a more basic amber lit meter.

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Honda Malaysia expects more sales coming from the E and V Grades and with goodies like the 7″ Touchscreen Display Audio System that can be connected to via HDMI socket, exclusively found only in the V Grade, it’s easy to see why most would go for the top spec.

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The top spec V Grade also comes with the highest number of speakers for its class; 8-speaker system.

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The new Honda City is one of the few modern vehicles that has features catering to the modern human. How often have you faced a situation where you and your passengers are fighting for the 12V socket to charge your phones/mobile devices? The V Grade has 3 power sockets and 2 USB sockets …. more than enough for all your portable electronic devices.

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Touch panel automatic air conditioning adds class (and a bit of finger print marks) to the overall ambience of the car.

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Honda has done it again, making acres of internal spaces where none appear possible externally.

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Don’t expect to load cargo like the picture above if you opt for the S and S+ Grades. 60:40 split foldable rear seats is an option only available for the E and V Grades.

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Rear ventilation air conditioning is reserved for E and V Grade models only.

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Safety

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S and S+ Grade

• G-Force Control Technology (G-CON) Body
• Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body
• ABS
• EBD
• BA
• Dual front SRS airbag
• Driver’s seat knee bolster
• Front seats pretensioner seatbelt with double load limiter
• Rear seatbelt 3-point ELR (x3)
• Rear seat ISOFIX
• Driver and Assistant seatbelt reminder
• Security alarm with immobiliser
• Ultrasonic sensor
• 4-corner Reverse sensor

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Specifications

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S-grade

Exterior

• Halogen headlights
• Body color outer handle
• Front pole antenna

Interior

• Amber illumination Standard Multi Information Combination Meter
• Manual air conditioning
• Single DIN audio system with CD
• 4 speaker system
• AUX-In socket
• USB socket
• Accessory Socket
• 8 cup holders
• Black fabric upholstery
• Height adjustable driver seat
• Trunk release remote
• ECON Button
• Tilt & Telescopic steering wheel
• One Touch Turn Signal
• Front and rear power window
• Power adjustable door mirrors
• Map & trunk light

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S+ Grade

In addition to the S Grade spec

• Steering Wheel Switch Hands-Free Telephone (HFT) Control (Bluetooth enabled)
• Standard audio system with CD instead of single DIN Audio

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E Grade

In addition to the S and S+ Grade

• Side mirror with turning lights
• Chrome door outer handle instead of body color
• Shark fin antenna
• Blue and White illumination advanced multi information combination meter instead of the standard meter
• Smart Entry and Push Start Button
• Steering wheel switch audio control
• Front center console with armrest
• Rear armrest with cup holder
• Rear foldable 60:40 seats
• Power retractable door mirrors
• Rear ventilation air conditioning
• 3 x accessory sockets instead of 1

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V Grade

In addition to the S, S+ and E Grade

• Front fog lights
• Steering wheel switch cruise control
• Leather steering wheel and gear knob
• Soft padded instrument panel
• Touch panel automatic air conditioning
• 7″ Touchscreen Display Audio System with CD instead of Standard Audio System
• 8 speaker system
• 2 x USB socket instead of 1
• HDMI socket instead of AUX socket
• Auto volume by speed
• Steering wheel switch voice recognition control

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Ownership and Maintenance

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The new Honda City has the following price tag:-

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S Grade – RM75,800
S+ Grade – RM78,800
E Grade – RM83,800
V Grade – RM90,800

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All prices are OTR inclusive of insurance. The new City comes with 5-years warranty with unlimited mileage. In addition, Honda is offering 6 free service which is alternated between paid service until 100,000km mileage. Terms and conditions apply so please check with your respective Honda showroom for more details.

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Now for the most important question; for its asking price, is it worth buying? I’d say yes if you’re in the market for a solid, reliable B segment sedan. The earlier generation City with CVT gearbox had a problem of premature failure and owners had to fork out considerable amounts of monies to get it replaced. The new CVT gearbox incorporates a torque converter for its clutch which is more robust and should eliminate this issue.

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As for its pricing, you might have noticed that this is the first time the City is being offered below the RM80k mark, bringing it into Vios territory as Honda has previously always maintained a more premium price offering in this segment. We all know that Toyota reigns supreme in Thailand so unseating it there is an uphill battle. However in Malaysia, Toyota has been steadily losing market share and is the clear market leader only in the pick-up segment with the Hilux and B segment with the Vios. Such pricing strategy points to Honda Malaysia aiming to capture the leadership position, particularly when they have also announced the soon-to-be-available City Hybrid which takes advantage of their existing Jazz Hybrid production line in Malacca.

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Make no mistake though, the new Toyota Vios remains as a strong contender. However the City trumps it by offering a more powerful engine (109PS vs 120PS) and a much bigger boot (536litres vs 506litres) which is a key point for a city car these days. Since our cars ain’t exactly cheap, most users would prefer to purchase and use it for many years, possibly more than a decade before upsizing so it’s important to find a car that has the size to support a growing family. Rising cost of fuel is also a critical factor for Malaysians and getting a fuel efficient vehicle has its perks, particularly if you’re going to keep the car for a long period of time before selling. The City, with its new CVT gearbox offers a fuel economy of 17.56km per litre whereas the Vios’s 1.5litre 1 NZ-FE 4-cylinder, in-line, 16-valve, DOHC with VVT-i engine paired to the time-tested 4 speed automatic gearbox returns only 11.5km/litre. On paper, at least, the Vios is at a disadvantage here.

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As both are Japanese and both have a reliable, fuss-free service network, resale value is also not much of an issue.

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So if you’re thinking of either units, go test drive. Reviews from 3rd parties can only tell you so much. Ultimately, it’s which car moves your heart more. In this respect, the City appears to be the car that hits more buttons than the Vios.

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