Honda Malaysia has just opened the order books for the new Honda City Hatchback. The new model, replacing the much-loved Honda Jazz, will also be offered with the 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine (121 hp, 145 Nm) alongside the range-topping e:HEV hybrid powertrain.
Honda Malaysia is keen to point out several features the places it above its competitors such as the Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2. Similar to the Honda City RS sedan, the City RS hatchback will also have variant-specific exterior designs such as front and rear bumpers, radiator grille and gloss black side mirror covers.
For now, two variants are announced, with the RS e:HEV hybrid joined by the petrol-only V variant. Both variants, which are positioned at the higher end of the pricing range, gets LED headlamps and taillamps with LED DRLs, LED fog lamps and 16-inch wheels.
A first-in-the-segment feature that Honda is proud to reveal is the fitment of the Remote Engine Start, which allow owners to start the engine and air-conditioning to cool the cabin before entering, which is further enhanced by air vents at the rear. Both are also available only in the RS e:HEV and V variants.
Honda Sensing full suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) will meanwhile be available in just the range-topping RS e:HEV variant, a move that was originally mirrored in the City RS sedan, but then extended to the petrol-only sedan V variant just last week.
The Honda Sensing suite includes adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist system and automatic high beam, both unavailable in the key rivals. Also a notable feature only available in the Honda City Hatchback RS e:HEV is the electric parking brake (EPB) with auto-hold function.
As for the cargo holding features of the new Honda City Hatchback, the much-coveted and popular feature synonymous with the Honda Jazz is now even better in the new model, called 4-Modes ULTRA seats. It is still the only hatchback in the segment to have the rear seats cleverly-hinged to be fully folded flat (Long mode) or flipped up (Tall mode), as well as Refresh mode that allows couples to stretch their legs onto the flat-folded front seats.
However, unlike the Toyota Yaris with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, the Honda City Hatchback RS e:HEV and V variants only come with the single corner Honda LaneWatch system.
Remote start function Rear air vents, City sedan
Honda Malaysia is expected to officially launch the Honda City Hatchback within the coming few weeks as they mentioned Q4 2021 as their target, which means just within the next seven weeks.
Prices have not been mentioned in this booking notification. The hatchback variants from Honda is priced lower in Malaysia, thus expect the City Hatchback to be slightly cheaper than the City sedan that is currently priced from RM74.2k to RM106k. The predecessor model was priced at a range from RM72.5k to RM85k, with the short-lived Jazz Hybrid i-DCCD available from RM75k.
GALLERY
Honda City Hatchback RS e:HEV Malaysia
Honda Sensing Honda LaneWatch Remote start function Hybrid powertrain DOHC iVTEC powertrain
Honda City Hatchback Indonesia and Thailand
