We already know that Honda Car India is currently working on a mid-life facelift for the Fifth-Generation City. Now, latest reports suggest that the new sedan will arrive in showrooms from the 2nd of March 2023 . Test drives are set to begin a day later, with prices also expected to be announced during the same time. We take an in depth look into this upcoming sedan and the upgrades that it will have to offer.
2023 Honda City Facelift: Exterior Design and Interior Features
Being a midlife upgrade, changes on the exterior design of the Honda City will be limited strictly to the visuals. The updated sedan is expected to provide a new front end with sleeker headlights and grille, redesigned front and rear bumpers, and a set of new alloy wheels.
Recent media reports also suggest that the City facelift will offer new features although full details have not been revealed yet. It will likely get a new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, and Honda Sense ADAS-tech. Honda is also planning to reshuffle the City’s variant line-up with the update.
2023 Honda City Facelift: Powertrain Details
The 2023 Honda City Facelift will be offered as a petrol or strong-hybrid only sedan. There will be no diesel as part of the model due to the upcoming RDE norms coming into effect from April 2023. In addition to this, the petrol and hybrid powertrains will also be upgraded to meet the new BS6 phase-2 norms as well as be E20 fuel compliant.
The facelifted City is going to be offered with a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. The powertrain will be capable of producing a maximum power output of 120 bhp with 145 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties will be handled by a 6-speed manual or a CVT automatic gearbox.
As for the City e:HEV strong-hybrid, it will be powered by the updated 1.5-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol-electric motor, pumping out 109 bhp with 145 Nm of peak torque. Transmission option here would be an e-CVT automatic gearbox.
2023 Honda City Facelift : Pricing and Rivals in India
According to reports, the 2023 Honda City is expected to be priced about Rs 1 lakh more than the outgoing model, which is currently priced between Rs 11.87 lakh - Rs 15.62 lakh (ex-showroom). Talking about the strong-hybrid, it costs Rs 19.89 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-end only trim. It is also being speculated that Honda is likely to add more variants for the City e:HEV that is set to be priced lower and will bring down the gap to the petrol models.
Upon launch, the New Honda City Facelift will rival the likes of the Škoda Slavia, VW Virtus, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the Hyundai Verna. The Ciaz recently received an update for 2023 with added safety features while an All-New Hyundai Verna is just around the corner.
Read Also: Honda City Facelift Expected Launch by March 2023
