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March 2, 2023

Honda Shows Off Refreshed 2023 City Sub-Compact Sedan


Just three years after its global debut (and two since its Philippines launch), Honda has refreshed the City sub-compact sedan with cosmetic updates and better equipment than ever.

Showing you just how competitive the B-segment sedan segment is, Honda has tweaked the City’s styling. The overall effect is subtle, but side-by-side with the pre-facelift City, it’s clear that some work has been done at the front end. The Solid Wing face grille is now slimmer, while the grille itself has been updated with either vertical slats or a honeycomb pattern depending on the variant. The bumpers have been tweaked with the rear-end now getting an integrated diffuser design and relocated reflectors. New alloy wheels (still 15 or 16 inches in diameter) complete the changes.



Like the exterior, the City’s changes inside are minimal. For the Indian market, where the 2023 City made its global debut, it has now tech features. The highest variant resembles an executive sedan spec-wise with its sunroof and rear sunshade. It also has a 7-inch full-color TFT meter display, rain-sensing wipers, wireless Apple CarPlay, and an 8-speaker sound system.

Upping the luxury even further, leather seats (in beige no less) adorn the cabin. The same material is also found on the soft-touch knee pad and the door lining/arm rest area too. The AC vents have satin metallic detailing and ambient lighting adds a dose of sophistication at night.



In terms of safety, the Honda City now benefits from Honda Sensing, the brand’s suite of advanced driver assist systems. The updated system fitted in the City nets drivers the usual functionalities such as Collision Mitigation Braking, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Keeping Assist, Lead Car Departure Notification, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Automatic High Beam. For 2023, the system has been updated with Low Speed Follow, a feature not even found in the Honda BR-V.

Powering the City remains the same 1.5-liter normally aspirated 4-cylinder engine with 121 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. But for those who want to go hybrid, the City e:HEV offers an electrified 1.5-liter with 98 horsepower coming from the internal combustion engine 109 horsepower from the electric motor (total output 126 horsepower). Torque reaches up to 253 Nm from zero rpm. This version also gets four-wheel disc brakes and an electronic parking brake.

16 comments:

  1. Oh how the Honda City fell. This car used to be desirable and good looking back in the day. Now it looks bloated and unattractive.

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    1. The L15 is almost decade old engine too by the way, not only the 2NR.

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    2. Tho the 2NR is more older than L15, 3 or 4 years difference if I'm not mistaken

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  2. Did honda make electronic parking brakes look like the traditional mechanical parking brakes?

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    1. it's still mechanical, I don't think Honda ever did electronic parking brakes to the City line up

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    2. The City e:HEV (hybrid) shown in India already has an EPB with auto hold. It's also the only model to have 4-wheel disc brakes.

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    3. So which is better, the old mechanical handbrakes or the EPB w/ Auto Hold?

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    4. From a safety point of view? EPB. From a "feel" and repair point of view though, it's the mechanical.

      EPB removes the guess work of whether a parking brake is properly engaged or not because there are simply two modes: on and off. Plus, some carmakers are able to put additional safety overrides like automatically engaging the EPB when the car is in Park or when the car rolls away...you can't do those things with a mechanical parking brake.

      On the other hand, the mechanical parking brake provides a better mechanical feel for the driver because there's a lever. It's also less complex to repair as an EPB typically will require you to engage a "service mode" to properly repair/fix the rear brakes. I know a lot of cars that have been damaged by neighborhood "talyers" not knowing that they have to engage this service mode.

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    5. Thanks. very informative. :)

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  3. I don't know but I feel the pre-facelifted City looks better for me.

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    1. The 2009 -2013 City was the best looking to be honest. At least that one injected a little bit of sportiness and sophistication. Now this looks like a typical 3rd world bloated sedan.

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  4. Geely Emgrand is catching up with its segment and is now competing head to head with honda city in terms of size, specs and value for money.

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    1. Emgrand is underpowered compared to city and the turbo almera. Emgrand also overpriced

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    2. As of last year Geely Emgrand total sales is at 1458 and Nissan Almera is 1467 hindi nagkakalayo and pls take note emgrand was launch only last year Feb 2022 while almera was on Oct 2021 im terms of exposure lamang pa almera dyan pero ang numero ay numero. Let's see this year.

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    3. Mura pa noon emgrand, ngayon mahal na

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  5. MG GT price nya 1.015M syempre mas madaming features yun kesa sa Honda City S at 953k, kung 1M na price level na rin lang mag honda city rs or nissan almera tol na ako kesa mag mg

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