2020 Honda City debuts with turbocharged engine, RS trim

The 2020 Honda City finally debuts in Thailand. The all-new, fifth-generation four-door model gets a complete revamp and a fresh engine option, remnants of what the current-generation Honda Civic has started years back. It was launched with four variants including its first RS version.

The front of the all-new City looks very similar to that of the tenth-generation Civic. It features the familiar long and thin headlights with a small rectangular grille jutting out of the middle of the front fascia. The headlight housings, on the other hand, now contain an LED daytime running light strip that cuts across the headlight housing as well as LED headlights for the top-spec variant. At the rear of the subcompact sedan is a sharp new set of tail lights. It now comes with a signature Z shaped positioning lights at the rear.  

Of note, the all-new Honda City is 113mm (4.4 inches) longer than its predecessor. The bigger City also gets an increase in driving visibility thanks to a wider cabin. It also comes with a new set of wheels for the RS variant.  

Speaking of that, the all-new Honda City RS variant comes with a full suite of LEDs for the front and the rear. It also comes with a blacked-out grille and a different bumper for the fascia, as well as blacked-out side mirrors, to differ the RS from the rest of the range. The rear also gets a new ducktail spoiler as an added touch.

The all-new City is available in six colors in Thailand: Ignite Red, Platinum White Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic Gray, and Taffeta White. 

The interior of the all-new City comes in a black theme with variant-specific accent stitching for the suede seats. At the center of the vehicle is a new 8-inch advanced touchscreen audio system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android auto. It also comes with the Honda CONNECT phone app that lets you lock and unlock your car, start the engine, turn on the signal lights, and comes with a Find My Car option. This is coupled with steering wheel mounted audio controls. Sound is set via an 8-speaker setup. Three 12-volt charging sockets can be found inside the vehicle. The first is located at the front of the vehicle, while the other two are located at the back.

Powering the all-new subcompact sedan is a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine. While the engine is smaller than the previous generation’s and is missing a cylinder, it still manages to match the power output of the old 1.5-liter. Despite the displacement deficit, the all-new engine produces 120 hp and 173 Nm of torque. That’s an increase of 2 hp and 28 Nm from before.

For safety, the Honda City comes with the standard ABS, EDB, VSA balance control system, Hill Start Assist, ESS, speed-sensing door locks, two front airbags, two side airbags, two curtain airbags. Additional safety features include front passenger seat belt warning system, burglar alarm, immobilizer, a rearview camera, and ISOFIX child seat anchors. 

Pricing for the City starts at 579,000 baht (P973,110) and goes all the way up to 739,000 baht (P1,242,018). Honda Cars Philippines hasn’t said anything about its local availability just yet, but considering today’s launch in Thailand, expect the subcompact sedan to land our shores next year.