Since Honda introduced the fourth-generation city in the Philippines, it has been more than six years. Since then, several cars have entered the field of ultra-small cars, and ban leader Vios has undergone several cosmetic changes to keep its styling fresh and adapt to the Philippine market.
But not the Honda City. Honda cars Philipines, Inc. only had cosmetic surgery on it in 2017, but it has remained almost unchanged under the skin. However, the respected hatchback still holds the HCPI bestseller status.
At present, the brand new fifth generation Honda City is here, and some might think it's a little too late, especially given that it was disclosed in Thailand last year. Well, that's not the case in our book, because HCPI launched the city of 2021, followed by the Honda CR-V. Is it better late than never? But it’s better late than mediocre.
It seems that the 2021 new Honda City brings its first-class shape. The new model, built from the ground floor, listens to the bigger civic and accord sedans, especially in metals. It retains the wheelbase length, but the overall size increases by an amplitude, although the height is lower than before.
Non-RS trim with chrome grille and less intimidating corner air intakes, but the City's decorative flagman got my thumb with a high gloss shading accent and full led event. Range Topper also has a unique set of RS design rims with a diameter of 16 inches, which is standard in the range.
What other drivers like most is the rear styling. The unique led taillights have a BMW appeal, further emphasizing two points found in the corner. Even better, this beautiful taillight configuration is standard throughout the city.
In the car, it is updated day and night, and the dashboard of the new city is more symmetrical, which is different from the driver centered layout of the upcoming models. City RS got an all-black event featuring red stitching, black headbands and leather / Suede seat handles. The non-RS trim has a light roof lining and a black fabric interior.
In addition to the basic SMT variant, the 2021 city series comes with an 8-inch infotainment, Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The top specification RS makes sound from eight speakers, and the entire range benefits from a push ignition system. Finally, we just proved that Honda listened to comments and criticisms with the introduction of rotary knob climate control system.
Critics have pointed out the shortcomings of the previous soft touch system, especially when driving in this way, and I'm glad Honda has resumed using more tactile knobs for this generation.
In the rear seats, the City added air conditioning outlets (for RS and V trim) this year, which is now standard on most cars. As for the trunk, it's slightly lower from 536 liters for the upcoming models to 519 liters for all new models, but it doesn't matter, because the difference is very small.
Under the hood, the 2021 City is now made up of a new 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine in the DOHC setting, rather than its previous generation of SOHC. The power output is quite similar to that of the new model, which produces 119hp and 145Nm of torque – just one horsepower increase. These numbers are sent to the front wheels via Honda's earth dream CVT or via a 6-speed manual as the base trim.
