Honda City Facelift Hatchback Debuts – RS Variant, Turbo Petrol Engine & More

As we know, this new City facelift hatchback shares many updates with the City sedan launched in Thailand a year earlier.

Stand-out highlights about the new Honda City facelift hatchback include the introduction of e:HEV hybrid variant and an upgraded Honda Sensing kit. On top of these changes, the new Honda City hatchback facelift also features aesthetic and functional improvements.

Starting with the design, the Honda City facelift hatchback now looks sportier with its updated front grille and bumper. The sportier RS variants come with a prominent fog lamp garnish and honeycomb mesh on the lower intake. The RS variants also feature a sportier diffuser and black side mirror covers.

Compared to the exterior, changes in the interior are somewhat muted. However, changes are present such as replacing the 12V power outlet for rear passengers with modern USB-C ports, a new inner pocket behind the front seats, the inclusion of an electronic parking brake and a few more.

As mentioned, the Honda Sensing safety suite now comes with an upgraded feature list. Furthermore, all variants of the Honda City hatchback now come with Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Mitigation Braking System.

Powering the new Honda City hatchback is a 1.0-litre, turbocharged petrol engine with 121bhp and 173Nm of peak torque. This engine comes mated to a CVT gearbox. On the other hand, the hybrid model features a 97bhp 1.5-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine with a 108bhp electric motor.

India Launch

We do not expect Honda to launch the City hatchback in India as the model is longer than 4 metres. As a result, the Honda City hatchback cannot be qualified as a small car and will attract plenty of taxes in the country.

This will make the Honda City hatchback ridiculously expensive in India compared to other hatchbacks, ultimately resulting in the failure of the model in the country. As such, we do not expect Honda to launch the model in India.