All-new Honda City to go petrol-only at launch: Key details UNMASKED

The all-new 2020 Honda City will be launched in India shortly but the media drives of the car have been cancelled due to the Corona Virus pandemic. We do have some key details about the all-new Honda City sedan thanks to Team-BHP. Initially, Honda will launch the car as a petrol-only model, and the BS6 compliant diesel engine will be offered on the car after a while.

The petrol engine will be BS6 compliant, and is the tried and tested 1.5 liter-4 cylinder i-VTEC unit with 117 Bhp-145 Nm outputs. Smooth, utterly reliable and high revving, this engine will be offered with two gearbox options: a 6 speed manual that’s a step above the outgoing unit’s 5 speeder, and a CVT automatic. The diesel, when it is eventually offered, will get similar gearbox options.

Honda has yet to make the 1.5 liter, i-DTEC diesel engine BS6 compliant although the company has indicated that the diesel engine will also be offered once the BS6 norms come into force. So, it’s just a matter of time before the all-new City gets a diesel engine. This time around, the diesel engine will also gain a CVT automatic gearbox while a 6 speed manual will be standard.

In petrol trim, the all-new City is likely to be offered in 3 trims: V, VX and ZX. All three manual trims will measure 4,549 mm long, 1,748 mm wide and 1,489 mm high. Wheelbase of the manual trims are pegged at 2,600 mm while the CVT automatic petrol trims will have a 20 mm longer wheelbase. It’ll be interesting to see whether the longer wheelbase of the CVT trim liberates additional leg room. What’s clear though is the fact that the new Honda City will be significantly larger than the outgoing model in terms of length and width while height has reduced slightly.

Key features on the all-new City include traction control, vehicle stability control, tyre pressure monitoring system, 4 airbags, 5 headrests, 3-point seat belts, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, sunroof, cruise control and Alexa enabled telematics. The car is likely to be priced similar to the outgoing model. We expect the new City to start from under Rs. 10 lakh. The car will be aimed primarily at personal sedan buyers who seek style, refinement, spacious interiors, high reliability and a well-rounded feature set. Competitors of the new City include the hot selling Maruti Ciaz and the Hyundai Verna, which is all set to get a major facelift later this month.

 

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