The subcompact sedan segment of Pakistan has just become slightly more competitive as Honda Atlas Cars Limited (HACL) has officially launched the 6th generation City in Pakistan.
Like several other vehicle launches that came before, the new City’s was also a digital launch, hosted by Aamir H. Shirazi, President of Atlas group, Hironobu Yoshimura, CEO of Honda HACL, 2.Aamir Nazir, General Manager Sales and Marketing, who told the viewers about the various aspects of the vehicle and also apprised the people about the company’s accomplishments over the years.
Although the current City is not the “latest and greatest” product in the market, it is now at least at a level playing field against its competitors i.e. the Toyota Yaris and the Changan Alsvin in terms of specs and features, which makes the competition between these vehicles a lot more interesting.
With that said, following are the attributes and features that the new Honda City has to offer:
Design
Although the 6th generation City’s design is “completely-refreshed”, the vehicle still isn’t worlds apart from its predecessor in terms of looks. The body of the car is still compact and has a sharp silhouette, with slightly different design elements all around.
The front fascia features a new pair of double barrel halogen headlights that are wrapped around halfway by the LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs), a new front grille and bumper design and a slightly revised bonnet design.
On the side, the viewer is greeted by a marginally refreshed front fender design and a few pronounced sharp lines that run across the length of the vehicle. The alloy rim design (in Aspire trim-level only) is also relatively sharper than the previous model. Plus, the chromed door handles add a more premium look to the side profile of the vehicle.
The rear end of the vehicle features a freshly designed rear bumper, taillights (Non-LED for Pakistan), a chrome strip between the taillights, a black garnish strip at the bottom of the bumper, all of which combined, makes a slightly busy rear design.
The vehicle is offered in 7 paint job options, namely; Urban Titanium, Taffeta White, Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, and Carnelian Red.
The opinion is split among the car buyers about the looks of the 6th gen Honda City because, while the design is modern, the overall look is a hodge-podge of various design elements. However, the sleek silhouette and the sharp lines on the body of the vehicle do beautify it quite a bit.
Interior
The hint of similarity to the previous model continues on the inside as well, as the vehicle has almost the similar design and layout as the 5th gen Honda City. That is not to say that the design and layout are bad, but the look is unquestionably a generation old.
Inside, you get a similar-looking steering wheel with the exception of multifunction control buttons mounted on the sides and a slightly redesigned dash that includes infotainment and climate control switches. Plus, like the previous generation, the dash seems to be made entirely of black and grey plastic trim pieces, making the car feel less premium.
The headliner, door panels, and seat fabric are cream-colored, making the cabin of the car slightly brighter, which adds to the roomy and airy feel of the interior.
The cabin space seems ample to seat a young family of 5 in ease and comfort, however, tall people might have trouble sitting in the back for long due to limited headspace. You do get the added comfort of rear air vents for A.C. if you opt for the aspire trim-level of the new City.
The boot space of the 6th generation city is 506 liters, which allows it to conveniently carry a decent amount of luggage, both on short and long journeys.
Weight and Dimensions
Like the design elements, the new City is also not much different in terms of weight and dimensions from its predecessor. The following are the measurements of the 6th gen Honda City:
| Particulars | Measurements |
| Length | 4,442 mm |
| Width | 1,694 mm |
| Height | 1,498 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,600 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 171.88 mm |
| Curb Weight | 1,029–1,165 kg |
Performance
The current generation of the Honda City in Pakistan has two engine options. One is a 1.2 litre, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 89 hp and 110 Nm of torque. The second one is a 1.5 litre, naturally aspirated, 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 118 hp and 145 Nm of torque. Both engines can be mated to either a 5-speed manual or a CVT transmission, depending on the variant.
The car’s suspension setup consists of a MacPherson Strut in the front and a Torsion Bar Coil-Spring suspension at the back. The car is also has ventilated disc brakes with an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) technology in the front and conventional drum-brakes in the back.
As per the road tests done by the international car magazines, the 1.2 variants are known to provide a fuel average of 13 to 16 km/liter while the 1.5 variants return about 10 to 14 km/liter.
Features
In terms of safety and convenience features, the 6th Generation City is a decent improvement from the previous model. The following are all the features that you get in each variant of the new Honda City:
The vehicle will be offered with a 3 year/75,000-kilometer warranty, whichever comes first.
Price
True to common speculation, HACL has kept the prices of the new City variants relatively high, which gives it a little bit of a disadvantage over its adversaries in the compact sedan segment. The following are the prices of the 6th gen Honda City variants:
| Variants | Prices (PKR) |
| 1.2 Manual | 2,599,000 |
| 1.2 CVT | 2,799,000 |
| 1.5 CVT | 2,899,000 |
| 1.5 Aspire Manual | 3,019,000 |
| 1.5 Aspire CVT | 3,174,000 |
Conclusion
Given the aforementioned elements and attributes of the vehicles, plus Honda’s solid brand loyalty, the 6th gen City is shaping up to be a solid contender in the compact sedan segment of Pakistan.
However, the visuals on the screen are much different compared to what the vehicle would look and feel like up close. Therefore, in order to become popular among the new generation of car buyers, the new City would have to please a tough crowd in terms of a value proposition.
But that too will have to wait, as the new Honda City won’t come out on the roads until March of 2022. Whether or not HACL will be able to maintain the hype of the new City until then, remains to be seen.
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