Honda launched the fifth generation City in India in 2020 and now Honda India is going to introduce a hybrid version of the same called City e: HEV. This will be the Japanese carmaker’s third hybrid model for the Indian market after the Civic Hybrid and the Accord Hybrid.
Over the years, the City has maintained its dominant position in the premium sedan segment in India for the longest time. It sold for the brand in India independently before the launch of the Amaze. Taking a leaf or two from the city’s success story, this sedan is one of the best equipped in this segment and is offered various segment-first features and ADAS technology. We’ve now powered it up and put it through our extensive tests to know how it performs in the real world.
Honda City e: HEV: How is it on the outside?
The Honda City E:HEV is not a very different car to look at. To differentiate it from the standard petrol and diesel variants, Honda has made some subtle changes to the car. The City E: HEV gets the Honda logo on blue highlights, a new fog lamp garnish, a lip spoiler on the boot and a diffuser at the rear, but that’s about it as far as the exterior is concerned.
Honda City e: HEV: How is it inside?
The cabin of the new City E: HEV is identical to the petrol and diesel counterpart except for the dual-tone ivory and black theme that gives it a sporty outlook. Some new buttons have been added to activate additional features like e-brake honda sensing security features.
Honda City Hybrid It is based on the top-end ZX variant of the 5th generation City, which means it gets all the bells and whistles. It gets an 8-inch infotainment system with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, but the interface could have been better.
The car now also gets a new set of cameras and an updated 7-inch digital instrument cluster, which displays an informative energy flow pattern that tells you where the power is coming from and how it is transmitted to the front wheels, among other details. How is it going?
It also gets digital automatic climate control, a sunroof, two USB slots, a 12V charging socket, rear AC vents, steering mounted controls and many more.
Honda City E: HEV misses out on features like wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Type-C USB connector and most importantly ventilated seats.
Honda City E: HEV: Engine and Electric Motor
Like the standard City petrol, the City Hybrid gets a 1.5-litre DOHC, four-cylinder petrol engine, but makes less 98bhp and 127Nm (121bhp and 145Nm in the regular City) as this engine works on the Atkinson cycle. Therefore, some parts have been changed to improve efficiency. There are two electric motors (AC synchronous) which work in conjunction with the engine. The electric motor generates 108 bhp power and 253 Nm torque. The combined output of both the electric motor and the engine is 126 bhp.
Honda City e:HEV:How does the hybrid system work?
There are three driving modes and these aren’t modes you can change manually, it’s the car that’s doing it automatically based on the driver’s input. Like EVs, the car starts in pure EV mode with complete silence. When you increase the speed, it goes into hybrid drive mode. The 1.5 liter engine starts up and acts as a generator to send power to assist the motors but does not power the wheels. Electric motors are the ones that are still providing power to the wheels. When it hits 80 to 120 kmph, the engine takes over and starts powering the wheels. Notably, the transition from electric to engine is quite smooth. You will be able to notice when the engine kicks in but not to the extent where it hampers the level of refinement inside the cabin.
Talking about the gearbox system, one interesting thing is that it does not have a gearbox at all. It does not use any planetary gear or CVT, it uses a single gear with a fixed ratio which is optimized to give maximum efficiency. Now talking about the efficiency, Honda claims that the City Hybrid delivers 26.5 kmpl and the real-time fuel efficiency within our driving cycle was over 22kmpl which is 35-40% higher than the regular petrol City.
Honda City e:HEV: How does it ride and handle?
Honda City has always been a car with excellent ride quality and this continues with the e:HEV. Steering feedback and handling are very similar to their ICE counterparts. With the added weight from electric motors and batteries, the suspension has been tweaked to cope with the same without sacrificing comfort at low and highway speeds.
In terms of handling, it remains a car where you point it. As long as you are driving the City E:HEV sensibly, it is a great car to drive. It also gets all-wheel disc brakes which give you the confidence to push the car a little more.
Honda City E: HEV: Honda Sensing!
Now let’s talk about the next big edition of the City and that is the Honda Sensing Technology. It is a suite of active safety features that enhance the overall safety of the car.
Here is the first collision mitigation system which includes automatic emergency braking. If an imminent collision is about to occur, it will first give you a visual and audio warning so that the first driver can react. If the driver still does not pay attention, the system will apply hard braking and attempt to come to a full stop. The car has a Road Departure Mitigation System which will help you not to go off the road and gently bring the car back on the road. Then there’s Lane Departure Assistance which helps you stay within your lane while driving. The car also gets Auto High-Beam Assist which lowers the high beam when there is traffic. Last on the Honda Sensing list is Adaptive Cruise Control which helps in long highway rides by automatically decelerating and increasing the speed to a specified limit.
Honda City e:HEV: Safety
As mentioned earlier, the City Hybrid is based on the top-end ZX trim, which means it gets all the standard safety equipment like 6-airbags, ABS with EBD, traction control, TPMS, hill-start assist and ISO FIX Meet the anchors. ,
Honda City e: HEV: Price, Variants & Rivals
Honda will offer the City E: HEV in only one trim level – the top-spec ZX. Its price is expected to be in the range of 19-20 lakhs (ex-showroom). There will be no direct competition with the Honda City Hybrid. However, it will compete with the Skoda Slavia, Hyundai Verna and the upcoming Volkswagen Vertus in the mid-size sedan segment.
Honda City E: HEV: Conclusion
If you are looking to buy a premium sedan that is smart, powerful, efficient, safe and has tons of features, then the Honda City Hybrid (e:HEV) is the car you are looking for. It is a comfortable car, looks good, has a lot of first-in-segment features. Now however, with sensing technology, it is much safer not only for you and your family, but also for the people around you. Now that we know everything, the only missing link in the whole puzzle now is the price that hasn’t been announced yet. If Honda can keep its price around Rs 19 lakh (ex-showroom), then it will be a great move for the company. Most of the people still do not find the EV suitable for their needs but want to get the EV experience. For such buyers, the Honda City e:HEV could be the best bridge in the current market scenario, until Honda outdoes itself.