Honda City Diesel Preview
Honda is believed to have recently reduced production of the City in a bid to free up assembly line space for the Amaze diesel. However, a more plausible and well known reason is that Honda will unveil a completely new version for the global markets, in India, on November 25. It is expected to get a new design and also be offered with a diesel engine giving Honda a firm chance to book itself a place in the C-Segment of the Indian car market.
Exterior
The 2014 Honda City is expected to imbibe many features of the ‘Exciting Design H!!’ language that characterises the recently unveiled Jazz/Fit premium hatchback. It is expected to get a similar fascia but like the Amaze and the Brio, we believe that Honda will modify the grille slightly to differentiate both cars. Honda could also retain the same side profile and rear end as the current car but with sportier touches. New exterior design features are likely to include LED brake lights (like the ones found on the Accord) and new design for the alloy wheels and indicators mounted on the OVRMs.
Honda is believed to have increased the length and consequently the wheelbase in a bid to increase interior space. We hope that it will adapt the same lines as the current car but in a more sportier design in a bid to make the City appealing to a wider audience. However, the reality is that apart from spy shots of heavily camouflaged cars spotted testing in China, we have no idea of what the car looks like. There is also no official word from the Japanese automaker on the unveiling of the car so we can only speculate on what the new model will be like at this moment.
Interiors
Inside, we expect that much of the design elements will be taken from the new Jazz/Fit due it being based on the principles of the design language as well as in a bid to keep the costs down. However, for the Indian markets, we expect that Honda will retain many of the features and design elements from the current car. This means a black dashboard, beige upholstery for the lower spec models and leather for the top-end diesel and petrol variants. The rear seats are now likely to get a blower and bottle holders making it only the third car in the segment to do so.
Feature list
The City despite being a well-known face in the C-Segment had to always contend with having a rather small feature list as compared to its rivals. Eventually to counter this, Honda introduced the AVN package with the top spec V variants. This is now likely to become a standard feature in the top spec diesel and petrol variants of the new car.
Variants
The new Honda City will get all the standard variants that are there in the current car. We believe that there will also be a new top spec VX variant which will be available with both engines and gearbox options.
Engines
The bit we are most interested in is that Honda is likely to offer the new City with the same 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that powers the Amaze sedan. It is expected to have the same output as the Amaze and this means 98bhp and 200Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. However, there is also a possibility that Honda may introduce the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine which is in the recently launched UK spec CR-V diesel. It produces 116bhp and 300Nm of torque, a respectable figure for a C-Segment sedan. The petrol on the other hand will continue to be powered by the 1.5-litre i-VTEC mill that produces 116bhp and 146Nm of torque. It is mated to a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic.
When do we get to see it on the roads?
Reports suggest that Honda dealers have already started taking bookings for the new City but deliveries are only expected to begin just ahead of the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The City is expected to have a high amount of localisation and may be exported to many other countries from the Indian plant. It is likely to be priced in the range of Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 11.50 lakh for the top spec diesel variant.
When launched, the new Honda City will compete in the C+segment with the Renault Scala, Nissan Sunny, Chevrolet Sail, Fiat Linea, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid and the Volkswagen Vento. Honda is expected to offer the diesel engines only in the S, V and most likely a VX variants all of which will be priced Rs 1 lakh more than their petrol equivalents.
| TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS | ||
| ITEMS | City Petrol | City DIESEL |
| ENGINE | ||
| Configuration | 4-Cylinder inline | 4-Cylinder Inline |
| Valvetrain Type | SOHC | DOHC i-DTEC |
| Displacement (CC) | 1497 | 1498 |
| Maximum Power (ps/rpm) | 116 @ 6600 | 98 @ 3600 |
| Maximum Torque (nm/rpm) | 146 @ 4800 | 200 @ 1750 |
| TRANSMISSION | ||
| Type | 5 - Speed MT / AT | 5 - Speed MT |
| SUSPENSION | ||
| Front | McPherson strut with stabilizer,coil spring | McPherson strut with stabilizer,coil spring |
| Rear | Torsion beam axle with stabilizer, coil spring | Torsion beam axle with stabilizer, coil spring |
| Steering Type | Rack & Pinion Power steering | Rack & Pinion Power steering |
| BRAKES | ||
| Front | Disc | Disc |
| Rear | Drum | Drum |
| TYRE | ||
| Size | 175 / 65 R15 | 175 / 65 R15 |
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