It seems like it wasn’t long ago that the fifth generation of the Honda City was launched in Malaysia but it was actually 3 years ago, during the difficult period of the pandemic. Since then, over 68,600 units have been registered nationwide and the model remains among the most popular sedans in the non-national segment.
And so it is time for an update of the model which Honda Malaysia is introducing as ‘The Best Gets Better’.
Authorised Honda dealerships are now accepting orders for the new model which is expected to be in their showrooms during this quarter of the year.
What’s new?
Honda Malaysia says that refreshed City continues to have a stylish design, advanced features, and powerful powertrain. The flagship City e:HEV RS has gained a little bit more length with a new bumper designs front and rear, and is fitted with 16-inch Dual-Tone alloy wheels.
The new City RS also has exterior upgrades such as a new Honeycomb Front Grille, new Front Lower Grille, new Rear Diffuser, new Side Skirting, and a newly designed ‘RS’ emblem.
As before, it uses a hybrid powertrain with a 1.5-litre petrol engine and two electric motors with a total output of 109 ps/253 Nm, the latter value the highest torque generated in its class and equivalent to a D-segment model with a naturally-aspirated engine.
The e:HEV powertrain is mated to an Electric Continuous Variable Transmission (e-CVT) for high fuel efficiency with smooth delivery of power to the front wheels.
Additional Honda SENSING features
The Honda SENSING driver assistance safety system has been upgraded with two additional active systems – Low Speed Follow (LSF) and Lead Car Departure Notification (LCDN).
LSF extends the usefulness of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) by being active down even in stop/go traffic flow. Without LSF, the ACC will disengage below a certain speed. With the upgrade, ACC will remain active so it will be rather like autonomous driving.
As for LCDN, this alerts the driver when the vehicle ahead moves off from its stopped position. In this way, there can be reduced hold-ups due to a car not moving off because the driver was distracted looking at his phone or doing something.
However, be warned that the police are now watching for drivers who use (or even view) their phones while waiting at traffic lights. This is considered an offence and there may be cameras to catch motorists in the act in future.
Prices for the updated City have not been announced but the choices available are likely to be the same with S, E, V, V with Honda SENSING, and RS. Only the RS has the e:HEV powertrain and e-CVT.
For the locations of 101 Honda authorised dealerships in Malaysia, visit www.honda.com.my.
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