The Honda City keeps growing. Every five years, Honda religiously brings out a new City. For Honda, a new grille, headlamp and other cosmetic changes do not constitute a new model. A new City will always be an all-new car, complete with a new platform. Same is the case with the 2020 Honda City.
Hit by Covid
If the Covid outbreak did not happen, the Honda City would have hit the roads in Goa on March 19 itself. The media drive planned for March 19 has been postponed indefinitely. The unveiling of the car too has been put off. Given the ground situation, the wait could get a bit longer. Till then, here is a low down on the new car.
Super premium
We can easily say that the fifth generation Honda City is the best of all the City models. No other City model boast of such space, luxurious interiors and elegant design.
Big changes
The new City is longer and wider. However, the wheelbase is same as the outgoing model. Though the car is shorter, this doesn't mean that space inside the cabin has been affected. Here are the figures - those in the bracket are of the old model. Length 4549 mm (4,440mm), width 1,748 mm (1,695 mm), height 1,489 mm (1,495 mm) and wheel base 2,600 mm (2,600 mm).
Civic looks
From the front, the City looks a lot like the Civic. The reason is that the grille and headlamp are similar. The new model also gets LED lighting, sunroof, and 16-inch alloys. On the sides too there are resemblances of the Civic. The highlight in the rear is the 3D rear view lights. The City has definitely grown, and now stands shoulder to shoulder with the Civic.
The interior
The quality of plastics used inside too has been upgraded and now is at par with the Civic or the Camry. In fact, nothing much has been carried over from the old model. Tastefully designed, the cabin now has an 8-inch touchscreen, multi-functional steering, comfortable seats, and enough legroom in the rear. In fact, the City is the largest car in the segment now. However, the new car that was launched in Thailand gets no AC vents in the rear. Wait till the media drive to confirm if the Indian version gets the rear AC vents or not.
Diesel, petrol and hybrid
Though the 119 bhp petrol and 100 bhp diesel engines are carried over from the outgoing model, they are now BS6 compliant and offer better performance. The petrol model will get the mild-hybrid tech, thus increasing fuel efficiency. Apart from a manual transmission, all models could also get a five-speed CVT gearbox.
New engine
The three-cylinder, 122 bhp turbo petrol that was launched in several other Asian markets won't be coming to India soon.
Main rivals
The new City will compete with the new Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen 1.0 TSI Vento and Suzuki Ciaz.
What to buy?
If you want to buy the latest, then go for the City. The new Verna is just a facelift; same is the case with the Vento and the Ciaz. However, the City is an all-new car and no new version will be launched for the next five years. The price tag could be same as the outgoing model.