The all-new Honda City Hatchback has finally arrived in Malaysia, a year after it launched the 5th gen Honda City in our local market. This is Honda’s answer to the Toyota Yaris and it boasts several best-in-class features for the segment.
The Jazz which has been the most affordable compact car option from Honda Malaysia will be replaced by the City Hatchback. Their manufacturing facility in Melaka had rolled off the last Jazz in October after selling over 100,000 units spanning three generations. It is worth noting that the new Honda Jazz is still available in other markets including Japan and Europe. As the name suggests, the new hatchback model is predominantly based on the City so you can expect a high percentage of similarities from the sedan version.
Similar to the Honda City, the new hatchback comes in either a 1.5L petrol and a 1.5L Hybrid option. The key highlight is the Honda City Hatchback RS which features a 1.5L Sports i-MMD e-HEV Powertrain that produces an output of 109PS and 253Nm of torque which Honda claims to be equivalent to a 2.5L naturally aspirated engine. Meanwhile, the other variants get a 4-cylinder 1.5L petrol engine that pushes 121PS and 145Nm of torque.
The i-MMD Hybrid powertrain is not just powerful but is also a very efficient hybrid engine where the electric motor isn’t limited by the battery. Featuring a dual-motor setup for power generation and propulsion, the Honda City Hatchback RS’s 1.5L 4-cylinder petrol engine can generate power directly to the electric motor for maximum torque and efficiency. The petrol engine drives the front wheels only while cruising at highway speeds which is its most efficient situation.
Honda claims that the City Hatchback RS has a rated fuel efficiency of 3.6 litre / 100km which is 27 km per litre. In theory with the most optimal situation, the City Hatchback RS could deliver close to 1,000km from a single 40-litre full tank. As the electric motor is driving the car most of the time, the RS model has a lower top speed of 175km/h, versus 195km/h for the petrol version.
Exclusive to the Honda City Hatchback RS is an Electric Parking Brake. This frees up more space on the centre island and it also comes with an Auto Brake Hold function which activates the parking brake when the car comes to a complete stop. Also exclusive to the RS are disc brakes for the rear. The City Hatchback petrol variants still come with a manual hand brake lever and are equipped with rear drum brakes.
The Honda City Hatchback RS offers an impressive array of autonomous driving and safety features with the inclusion of Honda Sensing. Similar to the City RS on the Sedan, the hatchback RS offers Lane Keep Assist, Collision Mitigation Braking System and Adaptive Cruise Control which works from 30km/h and above.
Another standout feature is Honda LaneWatch which allows you to view your blind zone when turning to the left. When you activate the turn left signal, you can get an exterior view via the integrated camera mounted below the left side mirror. LaneWatch can also be switched on manually by pressing the button on the signal stalk. Although the full Honda Sensing features are only offered on the RS, Honda Malaysia has included LaneWatch for the V variant petrol model.
In terms of airbags, the V and RS models get a total of 6 while the lower two models get 4 airbags. Other safety features such as Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) are included as standard across the range.
The Honda City Hatchback E variant and above comes with an 8” touch-screen infotainment display that supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
The RS model also gets a semi-digital instrument cluster with a 7″ TFT screen. The digital screen can be used to display various information including the power flow view. The RS model also comes with a remote engine start feature which allows you to start the car before getting in.
Exclusive to the City Hatchback RS are rear air-conditioning vents which are great for our hot Malaysian weather. Unfortunately, this feature is not available on the petrol variants but you do get extra space to store your phone and other loose items.
To provide greater versatility over the sedan, the City Hatchback gets Honda’s iconic ultra-seats from the Jazz. It is available as standard across all City Hatchback variants. The ultra-seats allow you to fold the rear bench up for tall mode or have the seats fold down completely flat to carry longer items.
Despite being longer and wider than the Honda Jazz, the City Hatchback actually comes with a boot that’s 20% smaller. The outgoing Jazz’s boot has 363L capacity while the City Hatchback’s boot is 289L. Unlike the City sedan (Petrol: 519L, Hybrid: 410L), the boot capacity is the same for both petrol and hybrid models on the City Hatchback.
The Honda City Hatchback comes in a total of 4 variants but Honda Malaysia has only revealed the pricing for the petrol versions. Below is the official pricing in Malaysia:
The car comes with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty, while the Lithium-Ion battery on the Hybrid model comes with an 8-year unlimited mileage warranty.
Overall, the Hatchback is priced at about RM1,300-1,500 more than the sedan model. The current Honda City sedan starts from RM74.191.27 for the S variant while the V variant without Honda Sensing is priced at RM86,561.45.
As a comparison, the current Jazz S is priced at RM72,511.54 while the Jazz E is going for RM78,161.82. Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line Jazz V is priced at RM84.955.45.
The Honda City Hatchback RS will be available in early 2022 and the official pricing will be announced closer to the delivery date.
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