Facts & Figures: 2020 Honda City launched in Malaysia – 4 variants from RM74k



After an extended preview period – where the all-new B-segment sedan received over 5,000 bookings – and an ambitious advertising effort, Honda Malaysia has now finally unveiled the highly-awaited fifth-generation 2020 Honda City on our shores.

The 2020 Honda City will be offered in four different variants for the Malaysia market – S, E, V, and RS e:HEV, with prices starting at RM74,191.27 for the entry-level model on the road, without insurance, and inclusive of the sales tax exemptions until the end of 2020.

2020 HONDA CITY GRADE WALK

EXTERIOR

The exterior styling of the 2020 Honda City is an amalgamation of all of the latest Honda models, with a sportier visual appearance overall. The low and wide look of the all-new City is helped by its new dimensions, measuring 4,553 mm lengthwise, 1,748 mm wide, and 1,467 mm tall – 111 mm longer, 54 mm wider, and 10 mm lower than the current outgoing model.

Up front, the wide Honda Solid Wing grille design underscores the wide stance of the B-segment sedan, with the use of sharp lines and creases throughout the entire outer shell to help with its youthful style. At the rear, LED taillights are standard across the variant.

Equipment list wise, the range-topping RS (which stands for Road Sailing) and V variants get all of the shiny new bits, including the automatic LED headlamps and LED daytime running lights, and LED front fog lights.

The Road Sailing treatment also adds a gloss black front grille garnish, carbon-pattern front lip, a variant-specific rear bumper with integrated diffuser, as well as mirror covers and the ducktail spoiler finished in gloss black. The RS variant also gets 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, while the V variants rides on single-tone 16-inch items; the E and V variants get 15-inch wheels in variant-exclusive designs.

Five exterior colours are available for your choosing, which are Passion Red Pearl, Platinum White Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, and Crystal Black Pearl. Although, buyers who opt for the range-topping RS variant will only get to choose between the first three.

PERFORMANCE

The highlight of the 2020 Honda City line-up has to be the RS e:HEV variant, which comes equipped with a hybrid Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (I-MMD) powertrain – a world’s first application on the Honda City. Other variants meanwhile get a new naturally-aspirated 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine, now with dual overhead camshafts (DOHC).

VariantsS, E, VRS e:HEV
Power Unit1.5-litre naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder DOHCi-MMD hybrid system, 1.5-litre NA engine
TransmissionConstantly-variable transmission (CVT) Lock-up clutch, single-speed transmission, e-CVT
Max horsepower121 hp @ 6,600 rpm108 hp @ 3,500 – 8,000 rpm
Max torque145 Nm @ 4,300 rpm253 Nm @ 0 – 3 ,000 rpm

The i-MMD hybrid technology stands out from the usual series parallel electrified powertrain architectures, as its 1.5-litre Atkinson Cycle naturally-aspirated engine does not usually power the wheels directly. Instead, it functions mostly as a generator – working in conjunction with an integrated starter-generator electric motor.

Meanwhile, propulsion is provided by a second larger electric motor (called Traction motor), which sends all of the power to the front wheels. The engine drives the wheels directly only during high-speed cruising, activated via the lock-up clutch and single-speed transmission, as it is more efficient than the electric motors at that wheel speed.

Thanks to its unique set-up, the 2020 Honda City RS boasts a now-infamous 253 Nm of torque, which is available from as low as 0 rpm essentially – pretty much like an electric car. The e:HEV powertrain also boasts a fuel consumption figure of just 3.77 l/100km, while the regular 1.5-litre petrol engine manages 5.4 l/100 km.

In terms of performance, the S and E variants does naught to 100 km/h in 10.2 seconds, compared to 10.4 seconds on the V variant due to the slightly higher weight. The range-topping RS variant meanwhile completes the century sprint in 9.9 seconds. The 2020 Honda City RS also gets disc brakes at the rear – a unique feature not seen in other regions – while the rest of the variant line-up are equipped with drum brakes.

INTERIOR

The interior of the 2020 Honda City has been completely redesigned with a focus on spaciousness and convenience technology. Standard features across the E, V, and RS variants include an eight-inch Display Audio infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, two USB charging ports, automatic climate control, remote engine start, cruise control, and paddle shifters – which functions as regeneration profile selector on the RS variant.

The range-topping Honda City RS receives a variant-exclusive hybrid instrument cluster featuring a seven-inch TFT screen on the left to display various information, while the right side retains the analogue dial for the speedometer. Also exclusive to the RS are the sport pedal pads, “Ultrasuede” leather and suede combination upholstery, as well as an electronic parking brake.

The V variant meanwhile gets equipped with a dual-tone leather interior in black and ivory white for a more upmarket feel, while the two lower variants get fabric upholstery, and urethane steering wheel and gear knob. The instrument cluster on the S, E, and V variants are also analogue units, similar to the one from the outgoing model.

Other standard equipment on the interior of the 2020 Honda City in Malaysia include rear air-conditioning vents, 60:40 folding rear seats, smart entry with push start button, and bluetooth connectivity. Rear cargo space meanwhile is rated at 519 litres for the S, E, and V variants, while the RS gets a smaller 409-litre rear boot space due to the additional battery pack of the hybrid powertrain.

Aside from equipment, Honda also says that the all-new fifth-generation City comes with several improvements in construction to improve the overall refinement within the cabin. These include a redesigned chassis with improved torsional rigidity, as well as the usage of spray polyurethane foam for better sound insulation – in particular within the A- and B- pillars.

SAFETY

Another key highlight to the fifth-generation Honda City is the addition of the complete suite of Honda Sensing advance driver assistance features on the range-topping RS variant. The system includes the following features as standard:

  • Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
  • Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
  • Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
  • Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
  • Road Departure Mitigation (RDM)
  • Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
  • Auto High-Beam (AHB)

While the low-speed follow feature has been ommited for the ACC on the 2020 Honda City, the overall Honda Sensing system has been upgraded with a better wide view camera for better road boundaries recognition, as well as night-time pedestrian and cyclist detection capability for its autonomous emergency braking system.

The two range-topping variants – RS and V – also gets the Honda LaneWatch camera as standard, which projects the blind spot view of the far side on the instrument cluster, to help with your lane change maneouvers, while reverse camera is standard on the E, V and RS.

Other standard safety features across the board include seatbelt reminders for all seats, vehicle stability assist, ABS with EBD, brake assist, and hill-start assist. The two lower variants get four airbags as standard, while the V and RS variants get 6 with the addition of side curtain airbags.

PRICING

The 2020 Honda City in Malaysia starts at RM73,851.27 for the entry-level S variant, RM81,664.82 for the E variant, and RM86,561.45 for the V variant – all on-the-road prices, without insurance, and inclusive of the sales tax exemptions in place until the end of 2020.

As is standard on all new Honda vehicles, the price also includes a five-year unlimited mileage warranty, as well as five times free labour service, applicable within 100,000 km or 5 years, whichever comes first.

Unfortunately, the RS variant will only begin deliveries starting January 2021, thus pricing will only be announced at a later date.


GALLERY

2020 Honda City RS e:HEV

2020 Honda City V variant