The Honda City has been around since the late 1990s, becoming the bestselling Honda model in Malaysia and among the leaders in the non-Malaysian brand segment. It remained available only in a sedan bodystyle until a few years ago when Honda decided to create a more versatile version for the model line in the form of a hatchback.
The addition of the City Hatchback in 2021 was well received and has contributed over 28,700 units to Honda Malaysia’s total sales to date. While the model continues to remain popular, Honda Malaysia has found that not everyone appreciates the e:HEV hybrid powertrain in the RS flagship which costs RM17,000 more than the top combustion engine only City V.
Sporty RS looks for less
But many like the sporty RS looks and premium features so to cater to this demand, Honda Malaysia has added another RS but with just a 1.5-litre petrol engine like the existing V, E and S versions. Without the electrified powertrain, the cost is lower and the new City Hatchback RS is priced at RM100,900 – RM12,000 less than the City Hatchback RS e:HEV and RM5,000 more than the V version.
While Honda Malaysia is trying to promote electrification as the automaker does its part towards achieving carbon neutrality, it also realises that the added technology cost may not be appropriate for all consumers. So in the interim, it is still offering combustion engine-only options… which is now the thinking of many major automakers which had earlier committed to full electrification within this decade.
The cosmetic changes
Along with the additional of the new RS variant, the City Hatchback has also received mid-cycle updates on the outside, inside as well as in features and equipment. Cosmetic changes which give the car a sharper, sportier look are a newly designed Honeycomb Front Grille, Front Lower Grille, LED Front Fog Lights Garnish and Rear Bumper Lower Garnish. There are also new Berlina Black 16-inch alloy wheels and a new edgy-looking Side Sill Garnish for both RS variants.
The cosmetic changes lengthen the dimensions of the two RS variants by 20 mm but very minimally for the other variants. The wheelbase remains as 2600 mm and all the other dimensions are unchanged from before.
Two powertrains for RS variant
The 1.5-litre e:HEV hybrid powertrain is already familiar to most people as it is available in the City Sedan as well. It produces 109 ps and the maximum of 253 Nm puts it way above other powertrains in its class.
The 4-cylinder engine for the new RS variant is the same 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC unit as the other variants, delivering 121 ps/145 Nm. It’s a proven unit with a good combination of performance and fuel efficiency. A paddle shifter is now standard in all variants, allowing manual selection of the ratios without taking the hands of the steering wheel.
Sporty interior for RS
Befitting of the sporty RS variants, the interior has a striking red-painted dashboard panel and sporty Combi Leather seats with red stitching. These two top variants also come with an 8-inch display with Apple CarPlay and Wireless Android Auto connectivity to interface smartphones with the infotainment system.
Besides the additional versatility of a hatchback that makes it something like a SUV, the City Hatchback also has the ULTRA Seat at the rear. This is a clever idea which has been around since the first generation of the Jazz over 20 years ago. It came about after Honda product planners observed what people carried in their cars, and they saw that there were times when very tall items (like plants) may be carried.
This led to the idea that if the entire rear seat could be flipped up, the available cabin height would be considerable. Known as the Tall Mode, this was a better idea than the usual folding backrest of hatchbacks which extends the boot space.
The ULTRA seat concept began with just the Tall Mode but over the years, it has also been improved to include three other modes – Long, Refresh and Utility. Each mode changes the seating layout to accommodate long items or just allow passengers to stretch out when the front seat is folded flat.
Enhanced Honda SENSING
Honda SENSING, the suite of active safety systems which help to make driving safer, is standard for all variants. Most of these rely on the wide-angle camera at the top of the windscreen (there is no radar sensor) to scan the road ahead for other vehicles and road-users.
The sub-systems (such as adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic braking, etc) are the same for all variants but Low Speed Follow is only available for the e:HEV RS. With this new feature, the car can come to a stop when using adaptive cruise control and resume movement when the vehicle in front starts moving again. For the other variants, the cruise control system would cut out below a certain speed.
A new feature in Honda SENSING is Lead Car Departure Notification, which basically alerts the driver when the car ahead moves off. Some may not appreciate this feature but if you have ever been frustrated behind a car that has not moved on when the car in front has moved off, then you will understand why it might be useful to get the driver to move,
Honda CONNECT
In 2021, Honda Malaysia introduced Honda CONNECT with telematics technology which allows the users to connect with their cars with a touch of their fingertips via a smartphone application. It was offered exclusively with the City RS e:HEV and has since become available in selected variants of other models. It is now also now provided with the City Hatchback RS variants and available as an optional accessory for S, E and V variants.
Honda CONNECT works with a smartphone and provides communication with the car, showing its location and is also a link with Honda’s service centres to make appointments. It also has remote vehicle control and if there is a severe collision, an emergency call will be made to the control centre.
Modulo accessory packages
For those who want a bit more sportiness or functionality, Honda Malaysia offers Modulo accessories which can be included in the purchase of the City Hatchback. There are different packages for looks, utility or even vehicle security.
Click here view the City Hatchback brochure