FIRST LOOKS

Subtle changes to body panels give the City a sleeker look

When Honda launched the second generation of the City in Malaysia in April 2003, Toyota also brought out its first generation of the Vios. The two models – conceived as affordable models for Asian markets – competed in the same segment and the stage was set for a very interesting battle between two leading brands. Two and a half years later, the Vios has stayed ahead of the City and this outcome is perhaps the result of two different product strategies.

In conceiving the City, Honda chose to emphasise practicality with innovative styling while Toyota, predictably, stayed with a somewhat conventional styling approach with a performance slant more evident. Though the City – with over 25,000 units sold – did not beat the Vios, it cannot be said that it has been a failure either. It has found many buyers among the more mature segment for whom practical design is more appealing while the Vios has endeared itself to younger buyers. In fact, a year after the City made its debut, Honda Malaysia added the more powerful 1.5-litre 16-valve VTEC variant to the line-up, addressing the performance difference more credibly.

Honda Malaysia’s MD, Y. Mizuno, acknowledges these issues as having been contributory to the City not matching the Vios and points to how Honda has taken in the consumer feedback and used it for the development of the mid-term facelift. With this new model, launched today, Honda Malaysia is expecting to draw younger buyers – but without turning off the mature ones with kids and families.

Front portion of bonnet has been raised 30 mm so there is a less bulbous appearance	The new rear light clusters	Optional bodykit includes side skirts and different bumper

Instrument panel now lights up on its own, gear position indicator moved to left side

For the new City VTEC, the designers have replaced the ULTRA seat feature with two storage compartments under the rear seats

Practical ULTRA seat idea is still offered in the City i-DSI

The approach taken has been firstly to change the profile of the car slightly to give a ‘sleeker’ look. The basic bodyshell is unchanged in size but with a new front end shape, the nose has moved out a further 65 mm and the bonnet line is also more gentle, with the front portion 30 mm higher than before. The rear end has also been visually extended so the overall profile now has less of that ‘bulbous’ look that characterised the previous City.

As would be expected of a mid-term facelift exercise, there are cosmetic changes in the grille, headlights, bumpers and rear lights. Foglights are also incorporated in the bumper for both versions now (City 1.5 i-DSI and City 1.5 VTEC). Additionally, both versions get 15-inch alloy wheels (6-spoke for i-DSI, 7-spoke for VTEC) and the door mirrors can be retracted at the push of a button.

For those who want more sportiness, Honda Malaysia also offers a bodykit with a different grille, bumper profile, side and rear skirts and a rear bootlid spoiler.

The cabin’s overall layout is unchanged but that’s good since it was already well conceived. However, there are a number of details changes in certain areas which can be said to add value to the model. Some, like the ventilation control dials and the incorporation of the City logo on the shifter, are purely cosmetic but others such as the cardholder (good for the toll or parking card) next to the handbrake lever are thoughtful new touches. Also new on the City VTEC is the self-illuminating instrument panel with electro-luminescent displays for extra clarity in all lighting conditions.

When the City was first launched, it introduced the ULTRA seat, a feature where the rear seats could be flipped up 90 degrees to create space for tall objects. It was a clever idea and the designers even added grocery hooks on the underside (very practical for our teh tarik bungkus culture!). However, surveys revealed that while those with families loved the feature, it was not much used by younger single owners.

So this time round. City Chief Engineer Saito and his team came up with another great idea – storage boxes under the rear seats. Two compartments have been created in the hump that the seats are on and can store various types of items. This feature is only on the City VTEC as it is expected that this version will be bought more by younger buyers while the City i-DSI still has the ULTRA seat. Incidentally, Honda has files 6 patents for the underbox design.

On the technical side, there don’t seem to be any significant changes although Mr Saito said that there are small changes here and there. The objective for this new model has been to provide a sportier feel and apparently, the suspension settings have been adjusted to achieve that. The shift program for the CVT has also been re-mapped for the same reason, perhaps offering more brisk acceleration.

Undersides of bootlid and bonnet panels now have insulating sheets	New wheels for the City and on the City VTEC, disc brakes are still standard at rear

Two new colours added to the line-up for the new City

Previous City VTEC

The engine line-up is still the same with two 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engines, one being the fuel-efficient i-DSI 8-valve engine with two sparkplugs and the other being a SOHC 16-valve VTEC. Power outputs remain unchanged and as before, only a CVT is available and the driver has the option of driving on full-automatic or manually shifting through 7 virtual gears. Given that Honda Malaysia hopes to win more younger buyers, perhaps a manual transmission would not be a bad idea.

In terms of safety features, the City is comprehensively equipped with dual front airbags, ABS +EBD + Brake Assist; on the City VTEC, rear disc brakes are also standard.

Though still using the 2004 tariffs (the 2005 tariffs which were to have been applied from July 1 2005 seem to no longer be pursued by the government), the new City has a price increase. Honda Malaysia sources explain that some aspects of production costs have risen and therefore a new price is necessary. With 100% insurance, the new City i-DSI has a pricetag of RM84,300 while the new City VTEC is RM89,300, increases of 2.9% and 2.7%, respectively, over the previous prices.

Honda Malaysia expects the new City to continue to be its best-selling model and to sell at a rate of 1,000 units a month. This model is now sold in 33 countries around the world and the units made at the factory in Thailand are even exported to Japan where the model is sold as a Fit Aria. Combined volumes of the first (launched in 1996) and second generation models has passed the 510,000 unit mark.

Scenes from the launch of the new Honda City this morning