Here's All You Need To Know About The All-New 2020 Honda City

On one of those rare occasions where a car can literally break the internet - Honda Thailand has officially pulled the covers off of the 5th-generation all-new Honda City before it hits showrooms over there starting 24th December 2019.

The new model introduces a more grown-up design – akin to the larger Civic and Accord models – a new infotainment interface system called Honda Connect, a new 1.0-litre turbocharged engine, and for the first time ever, an RS variant.

Mr. Pitak Pruittisarikorn, Chief Operating Officer, Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd., said, “Honda City has been the main contributor to driving Thailand’s automotive industry in the city car segment as it continuously set new benchmarks, becoming like an icon for this class of automobile.”

He added, “As a result of Honda City’s achievements and its significance over the past two decades, developing the next-generation Honda City was very challenging, as we aimed to come up with a better-developed model than the previous ones and every other model in this class, along with new value-added by advanced technology features and a lower price for every variant.”

The City’s exterior was designed to deliver a sportier appearance with sharp character lines – which are married to a more fastback-style silhouette (like the Civic) – and features projector headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), LED Tail Lights, Chrome Front Grille, Shark Fin Antenna, and newly-designed 15-inch alloy wheels, depending on variant.

The RS variant adds to that an array of aesthetic parts including a Gloss Black front grille with RS logo emblem, front bumper and grille, LED Headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), LED Fog Lights, Black power-retractable wing mirrors with turn indicators, Gloss Black trunk spoiler with an “RS” logo, and new sporty-design 16-inch Alloy Wheels. The RS also exclusively receives the Ignite Red exterior colour.

Honda claims that the already purposeful and brilliantly packaged interior has been made even more spacious, with better ergonomics for occupants. The thoroughly redesigned dashboard is offered with a black interior or leather seats with a two-tone ivory/black interior, and a Piano Black console and chrome door handles – depending on variant. The RS variant takes the sportiness further with a newly designed suede leather seats with red stitching, and a Multi-Information Display (MID) with red illumination.

Also new is the Honda Connect application which provides a seamless connection between the car and a smartphone and offers additional features such as remote vehicle control, driver monitoring, speed alerts and even a "Find My Car" function.

Elsewhere, the in-car infotainment system features an 8-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

Perhaps the biggest news is the introduction of a new 1.0-litre 3-cylinder, 12-valve, VTEC Turbo engine which produces a maximum 122 PS at 5,500 rpm and maximum torque of 173 Nm between 2,000 to 4,500 rpm. Honda claims new engine provides driving performance superior to the 1.5-litre engine of the previous generation and torque equivalent to a 1.8-litre engine. The engine is mated to a CVT-type automatic transmission with 7-pseudo ratios (and paddle shifters depending on variant) for spirited driving.

The all-new Honda City meets the EURO 5 standard and has a CO2 emission rate of only 99 g/km. This engine is compatible with E20 fuel. Fuel economy is rated at 23.8 km/liter.

The City is supplied as standard with six airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), and Multi-angle Rearview Camera.

Prices for the Thai market range from THB 579,500 (RM80.1k) for then “S” variant to THB 739,000 (RM102.5k) for the “RS” variants. Prices are lower than the corresponding variants of the outgoing model. Honda Thailand has also introduced an array of Modulo accessories for buyers who would like to further customise their cars.