The Honda City has been the best selling model for the Japanese carmaker in the region. Locally, the B-segment sedan contributed more than a third of total Honda sales in the first half of 2019.
After five years of service, Honda has finally introduced the fifth-generation Honda City at a global debut event in Thailand.
Perhaps the biggest change to the City model history in the region is the adoption of a new 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged VTEC engine. The downsized engine produces 122 hp and a healthy 173 Nm of torque, with the latter available from 2,000 to 4,500 rpm. Honda says that the torque figure is comparable to a 1.8-litre engine.
Much like the all-new Nissan Almera, the reduction in engine capacity is done to ensure the City meets the requirement of Thailand’s Eco Car Programme (phase 2).
Mated to a CVT gearbox, the all-new Honda City achieves a fuel efficiency figure of 4.2 l/100km. No manual gearbox option is available with the new City, but pedal shifters should help a little.
Styling wise, the all-new Honda City takes on a more matured look with more rounded corners compared to the outgoing model. At the front, the new Honda City still features Honda’s signature Solid Wing grille design, although it now looks a lot more similar to its elder siblings.
Flanking the grille are the new “Jewel Eye” halogen projector headlights with eyebrow-type LED daytime running lights, connected by a chunky chrome strip across the top of the grille.
The side profile of the all-new City still retains the general proportions from its predecessor. The pronounced character line still has the bevelled shape, but now runs across the entire side of the body, connecting the front and rear lights.
Over to the rear, the City now features a brand-new U-shaped LED taillights. On close inspection, one of our colleagues pointed out that the taillights resemble the ones on the G20 BMW 3 Series, what do you think?
The taillight of the all-new Honda City .. compared to the G20 BMW 3 Series
The lower rear bumper has been cleaned up, with only two air “inlets” (read: fake vents) at the corners. The all-new Honda City rides on newly designed 15-inch alloys.
Moving inside, the dashboard on the all-new Honda City has been completely redesigned, featuring cleaner horizontal lines. The air vents are now vertical items, where the centre two flank the new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display. The infotainment system now supports Apple CarPlay.
Underneath the infotainment system are three rotary dials which serves as the control interface for the automatic climate control. The dials seem to have been lifted directly from the recently announced all-new Honda Jazz.
The entry-level variant in Thailand features an all-black fabric upholstery. Moving up the line nets you leather seats with a two-tone ivory/black interior.
Honda says that the NVH levels in the new Honda City has been improved, citing the use of polyurethane spray foam inside the body and chassis, along with thicker engine bay insulators.
Safety wise, the all-new Honda City comes with G-CON (G-Force Control) body structure and six airbags as standard. ABS with EBD is also present, along with Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), and Multi-angle Rearview Camera.
For the first time ever, the Honda City is also now available in a RS variant. The RS trim blacks out several exterior design features of the City such as the front grille and side mirrors.
The RS variant also gets full-LED projector headlights, a sporty front bumper and gloss black trunk spoiler, along with sportier 16-inch alloy wheels. The Ignite Red body colour is also exclusive to the RS variant.
Inside, the RS gets suede leather seats with red stitching, while the multi-information display (MID) now glows red for added sportiness.
