The motoring industry is not letting the pandemic get the best of them as they launch one car after the other. Last night was Honda’s turn and they didn’t hold back, putting out two new cars. After six years or so, Honda finally introduces a new generation in the all-new Honda City, with the upgraded CR-V in tow in a show of force.
The Ambitious Sedan
Despite the popularity of crossovers nowadays, Honda is sticking to their guns and made major changes on their bestselling model with “Ambitious Sedan” as their running theme. The result is a sedan with advanced features and a very sporty look.
Sleek is a term Honda took seriously, cutting the all-new City’s height by 10mm, while the length increased by 113mm, the width 55m, all while retaining the same wheelbase. LED Daytime running lights and taillights are standard across the range, with their signature character lines on the side rounded up by 15 or 16-inch alloys; no steel caps even for the base model! The RS and V trims also get an additional multi-view rear camera with dynamic guidelines.
Inside, everyone gets a push-start button, audio and telephone button on the steering wheel, and Honda finally returns the knobs on the aircon controls, clumping it together with a digital display across the range. The RS and V trims also get additional vents for the rear passenger and cruise control. There’s also an 8-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay but it’s not available for the S MT trim.
Running the all-new City is a new 1.5L DOHC i-VTEC that puts out 119 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. It’s paired to a CVT or a 6-speed manual for the base model.
Safety features for all models include front and side airbags, Vehicle Stability Assist with Agile Handling Assist, ABS with EBD and Emergency Stop Signal, speed-sensing door locks, and engine immobilizer. Having these across all trims gave the all-new City a 5-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating.
The RS Treatment
If you want something with more flair and amenities, look for the City with an RS badge on it. It has the smoked black grille, protruding fog light housing, 16-inch RS design wheels, lip spoiler on the trunk, full LED headlights and fog lights, leather and suede interior, 4 tweeters for better audio, side curtain airbags, paddle shifters, and remote engine start.
The all-new Honda City is available in four variants with special introductory prices good until December 31, 2020.
S MT – Php 838,000
S CVT – Php 878,000
V CVT – Php 968,000
RS CVT – Php 1,048,000
Beefed-up CR-V
The CR-V gets a few toys too but most of them are on the functional side, with only few aesthetic changes. There’s now a chrome strip on the lower half of the bumper, as on the side of the car with a new design on the wheels. There are roof rails up top, while the fog lights are now LED and the taillights are tinted. These are implemented across the lineup but the SX trim gets an additional sequential turn signal in front and hands-free power tailgate at the back.
Inside, leather upholstery is now standard for all models, and almost all of them have the 7-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, save for the V Diesel variant. The SX also gets wireless charging, 8-way power driver’s seat, 4-way front passenger seat, and a wireless charger. Nothing much has changed visually save for the addition of a wireless charger for the SX trim.
The S trim, which is one step below the top of the line SX, gets the most benefits in this update as it inherits the standard power tailgate and Honda Sensing technology from its more expensive brother. Collision Mitigation Braking System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low Speed Follow, Lane Keep Assist, Road Departure Mitigation, and Auto High Beam can now be found in the S model. Just like the City, the refreshed CR-V gets a 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating for its safety features.
The new CR-V is now available in all Honda dealerships and also has a special introductory pricing until December 31.
2.0 S CVT (5 seat) – Php 1,678,000
V Diesel (7-seater) – Php 1,713,000
S Diesel Honda Sensing – Php 1,888,000
SX Diesel AWD Honda Sensing – Php 2,158,000
