Honda City

Honda City was launched early March at a starting price of ₹11.49 lakh. The petrol-only Honda City is offered in four variants - SV, V, VX and ZX - with the prices maxing out at ₹15.97 lakh. There are multiple colour options that have been carried forward but the Obsidian Blue shade is brand new. While the diesel engine option has been dumped, the City e:HEV - strong hybrid - has also received a facelift and is priced at ₹18.89 lakh and ₹20.39 lakh for the two variants. All of these prices are ex-showroom.

2023 Honda City: What are the styling updates on the outside?

As mentioned, the Honda City is offered in multiple colour options but the Obsidian Blue hue truly brings about all the styling updates to the fore. And while these may be cosmetic updates, they still are a welcome change. The latest Honda City, therefore, gets a more prominent grille with honeycomb pattern. The bumpers at the front are also tweaked while the LED headlight units are now the ones that were seen on the City e:HEV when it was first launched last year.

The Honda City has a slightly stretched length - by 35 mm - but it is the design on the 16-inch alloy that is likely to catch max attention. The dual-tone machine-cut alloys give the car a certain flair that has previously been missing. The lower variants, however, will get a comparatively simpler alloy design on the 15-inch wheels.

The update details on the Honda City at the back require a bit more closer inspection for these to be noticed and include a sportier rear bumper. The sedan is touted as the sportiest to look at in its segment by the company and while it is true to some extent, the 2023 Honda City still is far more mature than exuberant in its appearance. And that may be a good thing for many potential buyers.

Honda has always excelled in offering a spacious and well-appointed cabin on the City and the 2023 Honda City carries forward all of these. There is no change as far as the seats, dashboard layout or screens are concerned but the company has added a few more features here.

The addition of a wireless phone charging unit is great but on the petrol-only model, it is a removable tray over the cupholders which needs to be plugged in to the 12V socket when in use. At other times, it can be paced away in the glove box - a little weird considering I won't be able to charge my phone and enjoy my coffee at the same time. But I am still glad Honda has finally woken enough to offer the charging pad. Also glad that the ambient lighting set up has been updated, there is now a PM2.5 air filtration system and wireless support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

None of these feature additions are revolutionary so no real points to Honda for innovation or providing a wow factor. But I would have been bitterly disappointed had these now-essential features been skipped once again and so, kudos.

Elsewhere, the cabin continues to have pleasing upholstery hues, decent levels of space, appreciable seat cushioning and an airy cabin with a conventional sunroof. Honda also says the main infotainment screen has received some technical update to improve the resolution but the problem of the glare persists. The feed from the side and rear cameras too remain rather low-def.

Honda Sense, the company's version of Advanced Driver-Assistance System or ADAS, makes its debut on the petrol-only model. Remember, it was already available in the City e:HEV since last year. Personally, I am not a fan of ADAS in Indian conditions on any car but I will keep my reservations aside for the sake of this review.

Honda Sense, for the uninitiated, makes use of a primary camera on the windshield to scan the road ahead for vehicles, bikes and even pedestrians. On the new Honda City, we tested some of the many features on a secluded stretch of road and found the Collision Mitigation System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control to be functioning on point. The last three highlights were also tested on the Delhi-Agra Taj Expressway during the course of the review. The car continues to give necessary visual warnings to demand your attention so for all those looking to play cards or UNO assuming this is a self-drive vehicle, tread carefully.

2023 Honda City: How is it to drive

Nothing has changed mechanically on the new Honda City and therefore, here is a 1.5-litre petrol engine that is satisfactorily familiar. The only update here is that the engine is now compatible with E20 ethanol-blend fuel. On the move though, the Honda City continues to have its familiar strengths and follies.

The petrol unit still offers 121 hp of max power and 145 Nm of peak torque. On our review unit, the engine was mated to the CVT unit and during the course of our drive within Noida and Greater Noida, the Honda City fared in familiar ways. The sedan has a mature drive character and marches forward instead of racing ahead. As an executive mid-size sedan, this has always been its core strength. The CVT unit ticks the numbers when it needs to and weaving the City in and out of city traffic and over bad roads is fairly easy.

It is when the City is being hustled is where the City gets unnerved. Push the throttle and there is still a fair bit of reluctance to excite the person behind the wheels. The otherwise well composed cabin begins to seep in some of the engine groan and some of the follies of the CVT become evident once again. As pointed out previously - and by many - the Honda City is best for the mature driver but will likely come short for the thrill-seeker.