Honda City facelift will be offered with petrol and petrol-hybrid powertrains; diesel to be discontinued due to stricter RDE emission norms
Fifth-gen Honda City will soon receive its mid-lifecycle update, which will include cosmetic enhancements as well as some new features. It will be ready to use E20 ethanol-blend fuel that is planned to be gradually introduced across most fuel pumps across the country over the next 2-3 years.
Upon its launch, Honda City facelift will continue to rival the likes of Skoda Slavia, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Virtus and Maruti Ciaz. Next-gen Verna will be getting some major updates, which is expected to trigger a tough contest with City facelift. Ahead of launch, the first batch of new Honda City facelift has started to arrive at the dealer yard.
Honda City facelift – what’s new?
Thanks to Kamal Yadav, the first look walkaround video of the top-spec manual variant is now out. Much of the cosmetic updates are focused on the front fascia. While the arrayed LED headlights have been retained, there are changes to the bumper to achieve a sportier profile. The wide chrome bar on the front grille has now been replaced with a slimmer unit. This is a welcome change, as the wide chrome bar didn’t go well with the overall design of the sedan.
Grille design has also been tweaked slightly. While lower variants get vertical slats, top-spec variants have a honeycomb pattern on the front grille. Side profile is largely the same as earlier with chrome door handles, dual-tone rear-view mirrors with integrated turn signals and blacked-out B pillar. Alloy wheels also appear the same as that of the current model. At rear, Honda City facelift gets refreshed bumpers and repositioned reflectors.
Honda has also added a new blue colour for the City facelift. It seems to complement the sedan’s overall look and feel. Existing colour options are likely to be continued. It includes shades of Radiant Red Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Golden Brown Metallic, Meteoroid Grey Metallic and Lunar Silver Metallic.
Inside, Honda City facelift could get some new features such as touchscreen infotainment system, full digital instrument cluster, sunroof, ventilated seats and wireless charger. Such features will help match rival offerings.
Honda City new entry-level hybrid variant
With the stricter RDE compliance norms, Honda City facelift will be ditching the 1.5-litre diesel motor. The facelift version will be available with only petrol and strong hybrid powertrains. Powertrain options will include a 1.5-litre petrol generating 121 hp, with transmission choices of 6-speed manual and CVT automatic. City Hybrid will have the Atkinson Cycle 1.5-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain that churns out 126 hp. It is mated to an e-CVT transmission.
ADAS safety features were only offered with hybrid variants earlier. Now, Honda will also offer ADAS with regular variants of City petrol. With a difference of Rs 4 lakh between top-spec City petrol and base-spec City Hybrid, Honda could also introduce a more affordable Hybrid variant. This will allow more users to experience the dynamic performance of City Hybrid. With the upgrades and cost of compliance, Honda City facelift is expected to get dearer by around Rs 1 lakh. As of now, City petrol variants are priced in the range of Rs 11.87 lakh to Rs 15.62 lakh (ex-sh).