All-new 2020 Honda City: What to expect

The 2020 Honda City will be in its fifth-generation and will boast a host of changes to the exterior as well as the interior.  As of now the new City has been launched in Thailand and is spied on the Indian roads too. The design of the Indian version of the City looks almost identical to its Thailand sibling.

First launched in 1998, the Honda City is still a strong contender in the sedan segment. The City offered a spacious interior, good quality cabin and a fantastic petrol engine that was rev-happy. The City, consequently, led the sales charts in the segment. Honda will be unveiling the new generation of Honda City shortly. Here are some things that we can expect from the 2020 Honda City.

More Space

Honda City has been one of the spacious sedans when compared to some of its rivals but the 2020 City is going to be even more spacious than the outgoing one. In fact, it will be longer by 129 mm and 53 mm wider which means that there will be more interior space than the previous one. This will provide a much more comfortable and relaxing drive to the occupants.

More Features

The current gen Honda City wasn’t the leader when it comes to features—but it did add stuff such as the panoramic sunroof over time, But this time, Honda is likely to come out all guns blazing-the 2020 Honda City will come loaded with features. The dashboard will come with a bigger 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system that will offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Honda will also introduce its connected car technology with the new City. You would be able to perform various tasks of the car through the mobile phone itself like remote start it, change the climate control and much more. Moreover, just like the Verna, the City will also offer ventilated seats. Honda will also replace the traditional instrument cluster with a digital one that will enhance the cabin experience.

CVT automatic option on diesel and mild-hybrid tech

Honda has updated its 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engine to comply with the BS6 emission norms. The petrol engine may also come with mild hybrid technology with idle start/stop and torque assist just like the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Speaking of the diesel engine, Honda may offer the diesel engine with the CVT transmission which will attract the buyers who want the economy and torquey power delivery of a diesel engine along with the convenience of automatic gear shifts. Currently, the 1.5-litre iDTEC diesel engine produces a max power output of 100 hp and a peak torque of 200Nm whereas the 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated iVTEC petrol engine produces a max power output of 117 hp and a peak torque output of 145Nm.

Fresh Looks

The City has always been a good-looking and the new City will build on it with its sleeker, longer silhouette, sharp LED headlamps and LED wraparound tail lamps—the latter resembling those from BMW X4.  The front grille is widened and uses a bit more chunk of chrome. The side profile looks more sporty, angular and will come with newly designed diamond-cut alloys.

Similar price compared to outgoing model

The price of 2020 Honda City is not expected to change much. It may see a price hike of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 but considering the added feature list, the price hike is justified. The range should kick off from Rs. 11 lakhs and go all the way up to Rs. 16 lakhs. Honda will offer three variants namely V, VX and ZX.

Once launched, the 2020 Honda City will go against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, facelifted Hyundai Verna, VW Vento, Skoda Rapid and Toyota Yaris. Even after the price hike, the Honda City should be a strong contender against the competition as it will offer a lot of features, equipment and a CVT automatic transmission with a diesel engine.

If the Thailand version of 2020 Honda City is any indicator, then the upcoming City is going to be a mighty strong offering that will take some beating.