Honda brings new life to the City

Honda recently launched the new City and it is nothing short of a crowd pleaser. Packed with safety features like Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and front pre-tensioner seat belts, plus its radical new aesthetics, the City looks ready to take on its rivals.

What’s different?
Honda claims that it is a “completely re-designed” model.
For a start, its styling has been changed dramatically, and it no longer resembles the “boring old uncle’s car”, or whatever stereotypes that have stuck with it. Honda’s design philosophy of creating a car that reflects pent-up energy and high tension towards the rear has resulted in the “Arrowshot Form”.
The new design has a far more aggressive stance, with bonnet lines gently converging towards the headlights. The front grille spreads across to flow in line with the headlamps, giving it a wider look.
Continue further back and you will notice a design feature unusual for the Hondas that we normally see on the roads. It’s styled after the fletching of an arrow and the visual effect of the cut-off styling tail makes the rear end look shorter.
And if you’re thinking that shorter rear end is going to disappoint when the boot lid opens, you would be wrong.
More Space

It has an impressive 506 litres of capacity in the back, and it doesn’t end there. Passengers in the cabin also get a lot more room. The car now has a length of 4,395 mm (5 mm longer than its previous version), and has also grown wider and shorter. It occupies 1,715 mm sideways and it stands at 1,470 mm (15 mm lower).
And as a result of the extended wheelbase (now 2,550 mm compared to 2,450 mm), rear passengers now have 25 mm more interior space.

More Power

The old engine had a power rating of 110 hp and 143 Nm of torque. This new City has received a 1.5-litre block with 120 hp and 2 Nm more, on top of Honda’s claims of improved fuel economy.
It is a single over-head cam, i-VTEC engine with 16-valves that develops peak power (120 hp) at 6,600 rpm and maximum torque at 4,800 rpm.
All that performance can be put through a choice of two transmissions – a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic – the latter being quite uncommon in its class.
Inside, the connecting rod has an improved fatigue strength rating of about 50 percent compared to the previous model. The cross-sectional area has also been reduced by about 17 percent, thus reducing about 1 kg in weight and allowing better response at higher revolutions due to lesser inertial force.

A Safer City

Years ago, only higher end models would have been fitted with safety features like Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). The good news is there’s even more than just ABS in this new model, which sits on the cheaper end of the Honda line-up. It also has Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist – both of which aid drivers in emergency braking situations, stabilising the vehicle and maintaining control.

Improvements also have been made to its structural design to further protect occupants and pedestrians. Pity, though, that it only comes with two airbags for its front passengers.