2023 HONDA CITY

The current generation version of the best-selling premium sedan gets an early facelift

- ABHAY VERMA

HONDA CITY

ZX  Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder NA-petrol Power: 121PS @ 6,600rpm Torque: 145Nm @ 4,300rpm Weight: 1,107kg Gearbox: Six-speed manual Price: ₹14.72 lakh ex-showroom 

The Honda City has been around for over a quarter of a century now, making it one of the longest running nameplates in the country! More importantly, even 26 years later, the City is the undisputed king of the hill when it comes to the premium sedan segment. And for 2023, the current generation City gets a midlife update. Interestingly, we are one of the first markets to get the facelifted version!

Cosmetic updates are not extensive, but Honda has added more features and technology, thrown in new variants and in a major move, axed the diesel version. Axing the diesel is sure to raise a few eyebrows, but let's admit it, diesels have been waning slowly. So the City will now soldier on powered by the 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine and the strong hybrid version, powered by the 1.5-litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine. Both engines meet the RDE (Real Driving Emissions) norms and are also E20 or 20 percent ethanol blend compliant. I spent half a day switching between the two versions and the updates are more extensive than what you might think at first glance!

HONDA CITY e:HEV ZX

 Engine: 1.5-litre Inline four-cylinder petrol + electric motor Power: 98PS + 109PS Torque: 253Nm Weight: 1,280kg Gearbox: e-CVT Price: ₹20.39 lakh ex-showroom