International media reviews Honda City Hybrid [Video]

Honda is all set to launch the City Hybrid in the Indian market on the 14th of April. The hybrid sedan is already on sale in the foreign market. While we have not yet driven the City Hybrid, here is a review done by WapCar. The video is made in Malaysia where the City Hybrid is already on sale.

The car comes with a sporty body kit so that means a more aggressive front bumper, different grille, blacked-out outside rearview mirrors, rear spoiler, aggressive rear bumper and RS badging in the front and rear. Because it is a hybrid, there are blue inserts in the Honda badge which is a nice touch.

The host also shows us the boot space which has decreased to 410 litres whereas the regular City gets a boot space of 519 litres. There is no spare tyre. Instead, you get a puncture repair kit. The rear seats can still fold down in case you need more boot space.

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The interior is now finished in an all-black theme with red stitching which does look sporty when compared to the black and beige theme of the regular City. There is an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control, a multi-function steering wheel, rear AC vents, push-button to start/stop the engine, keyless entry, cruise control, electronic parking brake, aluminium pedals, and a 7-inch digital instrument cluster with an analogue speedometer. The digital instrument cluster has been updated to show various information about the hybrid system.

The host also drives the City Hybrid. He reports that there is nothing complicated about the powertrain. So, you just get in and start driving. The power delivery is very smooth and linear. Below 40 kmph the Hybrid City drives on electric power alone. In such scenarios, the engine only runs to give extra charge to the battery.

Between 40-80 kmph, the engine kicks in more to give that extra boost and charge so that the car can move ahead. Then between 80-100 kmph the car only drives on the engine then above 120 kmph the engine only works to charge the battery pack. The transition between electric motors and the petrol engine is very seamless and for the most part, you won’t notice it. The car was delivering around 19.2 kmpl.

The host also says that the City Hybrid handles very well. The body movement is very controlled despite weighing 111 kgs more. You won’t feel the additional weight while driving the car or even under hard braking. This is because Honda is also offering rear disc brakes which adds to the stopping power. The ride quality is also great.

There is also regenerative braking on offer. It is also adjustable through the paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel. The regenerative braking is also quite strong. There is also Honda Sensing which is basically Honda’s suite of safety features. The City Hybrid comes with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Auto High Beam, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist.

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