since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
THE latest Honda City has arrived and the biggest visual impact is the front nose design. It certainly earned praise for keeping abreast of current styling trend with the new integrated headlamp design that sees a seamless and connected Bi-LED (light emitting diode) unit running across the front nose.
If not for the familiar body silhouette from the side perspective, the updated City could almost qualify as all new. This is the latest (and second) refreshed version of the City GN2 series that was first launched in 2020 and which saw its first update in 2023. The trendy nose profile, with new slimmer grille as a welcome complement, gives the latest City that fresh appeal to turn heads.
And the best part about the updated City is that with all the changes made, visual and equipment, Honda Malaysia is making it an irresistible purchase for potential customers as it is available at the same price, on the road without insurance, as the previous model. If that’s not a great bargain, few rivals, if any, could beat that!
The latest City now comes with four variants as the City S is discontinued as the entry level model. Instead, the City E now assumes the entry-level portfolio, followed by the City V, City RS and City e:HEV RS. And they continue with the same prices as before starting with RM89,900 for the City E, RM94,900 for City V, RM99,900 City RS and RM111,900 for the City e:HEV RS.
At the rear, the design of the LED light combination with the stylised ‘U’ is retained with different colour treatment. The stylised ‘U’ now comes in grey (but lights up in red when the night driving lights are switched on) while the previous model has it in red. A small detail but enough to give the latest City the refreshed look, along with design updates on the bumpers front and rear.
Dimensionally, the new City is marginally shorter in overall length at 4577mm (previous model 4580mm) while the width and height remain the same. This probably has to do with the updated bumpers. The wheelbase stays constant at 2600mm. An interesting note is that the latest City is lighter in kerb weight by five to 10 kilogrammes, depending on the variant. This could be due to the materials used in the upholstery and standard equipment.
There is no change in all the 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC power units with output remaining as it were; the 1.5-litre (1498cc) engine delivers 89kW (121PS) at 6600rpm and 145Nm at 4300rpm. The City e:HEV RS continues with the Atkinson Cycle engine offering 72kW (98PS) at 5600-6400rpm and 127Nm from 4500 to 5000rpm. The electric motor is rated at 80kW and 253Nm, which should give this variant a strong combined power punch.
Since the latest City is slightly lighter in kerb weight, there is a corresponding improvement in acceleration performance, in particular for the City e:HEV RS with its higher combined engine/electric motor power. While the top speed stays the same at 177km/h (196 and 195km/h for the other variants), it is slightly faster in 0-100km/h acceleration at 9.7 seconds (9.9 seconds). It is, however, less frugal in fuel consumption at 3.7 L/100km (27km/l) against 3.6 L/100km (27.8km/l).
The same continuously variable transmission (CVT) is retained for channelling power to the front wheels, with the City e:HEV RS continuing with the e-CVT (electronically controlled CVT). The Electric Power Steering (EPS) is retained and the suspension system remains unchanged in the MacPherson strut front and Torsion beam rear. The City E continues with 15-inch alloys with 185/60 R15 tyres while the other variants come standard with 16-inch alloys (all of new design) with 185/55 R16 tyres.
Stepping inside the new City, another change that is as striking as the front nose is the 10-inch centre info display. It replaces the 8-inch unit in the previous model. However, instead of investing money on coming out with a completely new dashboard design, Honda approached it on a more economical scale. It attached the bigger central display unit over the old placement spot. This means the new bigger display sits at an angle that might adversely reflect the strong rays of the afternoon sun. Of course, that remains to be seen only with an impression drive.
Nevertheless, the bigger central info display gives the latest City a sense of current standing among its peers, especially against the Chinese range. The entry-level City E, however, is retained with the 8-inch central display. The driver instrument panel is similar to the old with the City E having a 4.2-inch TFT cluster and the other variants a 7-inch TFT panel.
In standard equipment, the City E has LED headlamps and Lane Watch, which are good for an entry-level model. Moving up to the City V, you have leather wrapped steering wheel and gearknob, leather upholstery, front panel ambient light, wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and auto retractable door mirrors.
There is more standard equipment in the City RS with the 360-degree Multiview Camera System, auto wiper and auto dim rearview mirror. The City e:HEV RS stays top honcho with the addition of a wireless handphone charger as standard fare.
Besides the new City launch being timed to celebrate Honda’s ‘birthday day’ (September 24), Honda owners generally are also entitled to a longer warranty of eight years with unlimited mileage from September 1. That means all Honda customers who bought their vehicles from that date get to enjoy this extended warranty.
Another offer is in celebration of the 24 years that Honda Malaysia has been selling the City here (the City was first sold here in 1997 by Kah Motors, the Honda distributor at that time, and we were among the first to own one back then). Introduced in conjunction with the new City launch, the Special City Reward Programme is said to offer exclusive benefits to the first 2400 eligible customers, including ‘new and existing Honda customers, upgraders and government servants’.
Honda Malaysia adds that the City has a strong presence in the B-segment here and total City sales since the company launched it in 2002 is more than 536,000 cars. For this year, the growing interest in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) is reflected in the City contributing 22 per cent to total Honda e:HEV sales (January to August 2026).
