All-new Honda City Hatchback now available

Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) certainly did not lay an egg with its choice to bring the all all-new City Hatchback.

Revealed via digital launch, the automotive arm of the Japanese vehicle manufacturer brought the latest model to replace another hatch, the Honda Jazz — the sale of which has been discontinued in the country.

The hatchback version of Honda’s popular nameplate follows the unveiling of the fifth-generation subcompact sedan in October 2020 — in turn aligned with the local distributor’s 30^th anniversary celebration.

HCPI confirmed the coming of the new hatchback in a social media post a week prior to its scheduled unveiling. This new contender in the B-segment hatchback category is set to clash heads with the Mazda3 hatch in the Philippine market.

The City Hatchback is aimed to provide a sporty yet versatile vehicle that will complement the diverse needs of customers based on their active lifestyle, which is derived from the grand concept of “energetic hatchback”.

The all-new Honda City Hatchback is equipped with a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder DOHC i-VTEC engine mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). This power mill can dish out around 119hp and 145 Nm of pulling power. The engaging driver experience is taken care of the paddle shifters. The Eco Assist System, which consists of the ECON mode and Eco-Coaching Ambient Light, is also available in the all-new City Hatchback.

The all-new City Hatchback shares the 2,600mm-wheelbase of its sedan twin. However, it is stands 21mm taller and is 204mm shorter than its counterpart—attributed to the removal of a rear overhang that gives it an athletic look.

Giving us another reason to be happy about it is that HCPI brought the RS variant, dropping the base and mid-variety S+ and SV.

Since it is an RS, the all-new City bears some RS design elements similar to those seen on the sedan's RS equivalent.

The City Hatchback RS has an RS Design Bumpers (front and back) and RS Design High Gloss Black front grille with RS Emblem, complemented by full LED headlights and LED daytime running lights that express an integrated solid wing face similar to that of the RS sedan.

The view on the side shows the high gloss black power folding mirrors and 16-inch two-tone Berlina Black Aluminum Alloy. It is rear sports a diffuser, high-gloss black tailgate spoiler and full-LED taillights.

On the inside, more similarities between the two body types can be seen: suede and leather seats, black interior trims with red stitching and accents, leather wrapped shift knob and steering wheel with audio controls, front and rear center armrests, sports pedals and multi-information display with red illumination.

Further, the rear seats can be folded flatly or flipped up, giving the all-new City Hatchback the versatility to quickly adapt to a wide variety of passenger lifestyle and cargo hauling needs.

These seat adjustment modes are as follows:

• Utility Mode: with the two rear seats folded flat, the vehicle can carry two passengers and accommodate large cargo items in the rear storage area.
• Long Mode: with the front passenger seat fully reclined and rear passenger seat folded flat, the vehicle can carry two passengers and accommodate long cargo items such as surfboards.
• Tall Mode: with the rear seats folded upward, the vehicle can accommodate tall items that need to remain upright, such as a large plant or tall luggage.
• Refresh Mode: When removing the front-seat head restraints, moving the seats all the way forward and tilting the seatbacks all the way back, the Refresh Mode allows the front and rear seats to be connected providing a comfortable place for two people to relax.

Aside from that, the All-New City Hatchback is equipped with an eight-inch touchscreen display that has Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and WebLink connectivity, linked to a total of eight speakers.

It also features its push-start system with smart keyless entry system and remote engine start.

Its myriad of safety features include G-Force Control (G-CON) body structure, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Agile Handling Assist (AHA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Multi-view Rear Camera with dynamic guidelines.

Moreover, six airbags (dual front, side and side curtain) comes with the all-new City that help it achieve a five-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating.

Available in four colors: Ignite Red Metallic, Meteoroid Gray Metallic (New Color), Platinum White Pearl* (additional ₱20,000) and the forthcoming Brilliant Sporty Blue Metallic (to be available June 2021), the all-New City Hatchback is being retailed at ₱1.115 million. The said amount, HCPI clarified, is “exclusive of ₱13,000 Safeguard Duty Cash deposit.”

Photos from Honda Cars Philippines Inc.

Also read:

First look: All-new Honda City and new CR-V

Here's the Newest Honda City 2020

CAR COMPARISON: 2019 Toyota Yaris vs 2019 Honda City