Honda City e:HEV vs Honda City Petrol: Price, Features, Specification

Interested in the New City? Honda Cars India has made your choice harder by offering more powertrain options.

The newly revealed Honda City e:HEV is the first sedan in its segment to get a strong hybrid powertrain. This being the major highlight, the vehicle has no direct competition besides its ICE counterpart, the regular Honda City Petrol. Unlike the regular City, the Hybrid is only offered in the top-of-the-line ZX trim. We compare both these trims to determine which could be the next best new car option for you.

Honda City e:HEV vs Honda City Petrol - Exterior and Interior Design:

In regards to the exterior design, both these sedans have their distinctive identities. The hybrid when compared with its ICE sibling exhibits a sporty appearance, similar to the international spec RS trim with new Honda solid wing face grille with e:HEV signature blue H-Mark Honda logo, new trunk lip spoiler and a rear bumper diffuser offering carbon fibre finish. For the cabin, the manufacturer has given the e:HEV a two-tone interior theme in the form of Ivory and black. On the other hand, its petrol counterpart does not offer these features in regards to its exterior design. Coming to the interiors, the regular city provides black and brown cabin.

Honda City e:HEV vs Honda City Petrol - Features and Safety Equipment:

Honda City e:HEV comes loaded with an upgraded feature list over the regular City. To begin with, as soon as you enter the car, a new 7-inch HD full-colour TFT meter console welcomes you. The new display is responsible for providing information like e:HEV power flow meter, Honda Sensing Support alongside other updates and warnings. To make the executive sedan future proof, the automaker has thrown in Honda Sensing Technology, which is basically a host of ADAS features like Lane Keep Assist, Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Road Departure Mitigation System (RSM), Adaptive Cruise Control and auto high beam. Other important upgrades over its standard counterpart include rear disc brakes, AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System at low speed EV Mode), electric parking brake among others. On the flip side, the regular 5th Gen City is devoid of features like all 4 disc brakes, electronic parking brakes, Honda Sensing Technology and more. However it also gets some nifty features like Lane Watch Camera, multi angle rear camera, TPMS among others. 

Honda City e:HEV vs Honda City Petrol - Performance and Fuel Efficiency:

The normal Honda City comes fitted with a 1.5 litre i-VTEC petrol engine mated to a 7-speed CVT transmission that produces 121 bhp of power output and 145 Nm of peak torque. On the other hand, the City e:HEV boasts of a 1.5 litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine mated to two electric motors producing a combined output of 126 bhp and 253 Nm of peak torque. In this case, the power so delivered has increased by 5 bhp while the torque has gone up by a massive 108 Nm.

Surprisingly with a bump up in power, the fuel efficiency has also improved making it the best in the segment. The mileage figure is somewhat similar to small hatchbacks standing at 26.6 kmpl in comparison to the regular version that delivered 18.4 kmpl. So what you get here is the best of both worlds; a supremely powerful sedan with exceptional fuel efficiency. Apart from this, the City hybrid gets three driving modes namely Pure EV, Hybrid and Engine.

Honda City e:HEV vs Honda City Petrol - Verdict:

Now since you have all the essential information regarding both these sedans, decision making could be a bit tricky. But before we get to what you ideally should be thinking about, it is worth mentioning that Honda Cars India is offering 8 years standard warranty on the lithium-ion battery pack in addition to a 3 years/unlimited kilometres warranty for City Hybrid with the option to extend it further. Now back to the all-important question: what makes more sense. In our view, the regular Honda City is an amazing sedan and you really cannot go wrong with it considering its price point. Given that, the introduction of Honda City e:HEV has added an element of newness to the model line-up. But, its expected premium price will surely disappoint many prospective buyers. However for those extra bucks what you gain to benefit is more power, amazing mileage and a host of modern day features, making it a good addition to your garage.