Honda City has been a popular car for nearly 25 years now. The popular mid-sized sedan has been introduced in a new avatar with a few key updates in order to present it as a complete package. While several car brands are following the ongoing trend of SUVs in the Indian market, Honda has taken the road less travelled by continuing to embrace the highly popular sedan called the Honda City.
We drove the new Obsidian Blue Pearl colour of the 2023 Honda City for a few hours in Greater Noida. The 2023 Honda City comes with two engine options namely Petrol and e: HEV. In this piece, we will solely focus on the petrol-only version and figure out whether it performs equally well on the roads as it looks on the paper?
2023 Honda City Design
2023 Honda City has a few minor changes on the exterior. Indeed, the right proportion of updates on the sedan make it more elegant and sporty. If you look up close there is a new sporty diamond chequered front grille along with the new carbon-wrapped bumpers at front and rear to give it a sportier stance.
The full LED headlamps at the front and the Z- shaped 3D wrap-around LED tail lamps are still there and blend well with the overall profile of the car. Another significant change is on the wheels; you will notice new dual-tone 16-inch alloy wheels on the 2023 Honda City.
2023 Honda City Interior and Features
Honda City has never let one down on comfort and the amount of space on offer. The premium leather upholstery on the seats in beige welcomes you as soon as you step inside the cabin of the 2023 Honda City.
There are a few updates on the interiors of the 2023 Honda City. One of the most significant is the use of ambient lighting near front door handles and on the floor. The company has used glossy carbon finish on the dashboard. Now you get the removable wireless charger at the front, which can easily be removed when you wish to use the cup holders at the front. The boot capacity is a massive 506 litres and yes, that too with illumination to help you at night.
Now let’s move to the rear seats of the new sedan. There is no complaint as far as legroom and headroom are concerned. It’s a spacious enough for three passengers at the rear. Smartphone pockets, rear AC vents, and two charging ports are what you get for the rear seat occupants.
Now let’s know about the features of the 2023 Honda City. In the front, you get a 17.7 cm HD TFT meter with driver information interface, and a 20.3 cm touchscreen infotainment system which is much sharper than before. It is easy to read and comes equipped with Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The company is offering a 5-year subscription to Honda Connect and so on.
The 2023 Honda City also boasts of fully automatic climate control system which cools down the car quickly and has an inbuilt 2.5 PM cabin air filter to purify air within the cabin. The new sedan also comes packed with 8 speaker music system and it offers good sound quality. One touch electric sunroof just completes the premium feature list of the 2023 Honda City.
2023 Honda City Safety Features
2023 Honda City has secured the highest 5-star safety rating from Global NCAP. The sedan comes equipped with 6 airbags and a lane watch camera. The sedan also debuts first-in-segment ADAS Level 2. Though, we have come to know that the upcoming new-gen Hyundai Verna will also feature this tech. Fondly addressed as “Honda Sensing” by the brand, it is packed with a plethora of safety features. The ADAS Level 2 safety functions are common these days in high-end cars as safety is considered one of the most important parameters by Indian customers while making a car purchasing decision. For the unversed, the 2023 Honda City is the cheapest car to offer ADAS Level 2 in India right now.
Although it’s not the RADAR-based sensor but a very efficient wide-angle camera that helps the driver. We drove it in the afternoon and some of the helpful features are the Collision Mitigation Braking system that applies the brake to slow down the vehicle to avoid collision. Lane Keeping Assistant is another helpful feature that keeps the vehicle in the center of the lane and some of the other safety features are Auto High- Beam, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lead Car Departure Notification.
2023 Honda City Handing and Drivability
The handling of the 2023 Honda City is smooth. Despite being a long car, it is quite easy to manoeuvre in traffic. The engine feels more refined and there is that rubber band effect that comes along with the CVT transmission. The sitting position and the view from the cabin inspires one to hit hard on the accelerator.
The braking is decent as the car comes equipped with ventilated disk brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. The comfort on offer during the journey is the biggest factor behind Honda City’s massive popularity. The 2023 Honda City will continue to offer that comfort thanks to the McPherson Strut with Coil Spring suspension system in front and the Torsion beam with Coil Spring suspension system at the rear. Despite being a sedan, the 2023 Honda City will not disappoint you while driving through bumpy and uneven terrains.
2023 Honda City Engine and Performance
The 2023 Honda City comes with the tried-and-trusted 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC + VTC petrol engine with improved combustion efficiency and lower emission levels. This engine delivers 119 bhp of top power and 145 Nm of peak torque. One can expect to get a mileage between 12 to 14 kmpl. The car is available with 6-speed manual and 7-speed CVT transmission units. The overall performance is decent. There is not much to say here as mechanically, the 2023 Honda City, remains unchanged.
The acceleration and the initial torque is satisfactory. It takes nearly 12 seconds to go from 0 to 100kmph. This is a trustworthy petrol engine with adequate power output. The overall power distribution of the new sedan is very linear and that adds to what it is best known for – Comfort. This engine guarantees to offer you a tireless and comfortable long drive with your family.
2023 Honda City Review: Verdict
The 2023 Honda City comes at a starting price of 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom) and claims a mileage of 18.4 kmpl. The company is also offering a 10 Year Anytime Warranty with the new sedan. Talking about the variants, 2023 Honda City is now available in 4 variants i.e. SV (New Base Variant), V, VX, and ZX. Honda Sensing is available from the ‘V’ variant onwards.
The 2023 Honda City is a well-balanced package to be considered if you are planning to buy a sedan. The key highlight is the availability of Honda Sensing (ADAS – Level 2) and the amount of space and comfort on offer. Now what makes the story interesting here, is the launch of the 2023 Hyundai Verna on March 21, 2023. We will have to wait for the 2023 Hyundai Verna to do a detailed comparison to help you choose your next sedan. Otherwise, as a package – the 2023 Honda City is a deal breaker.
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