2014 Honda City First Look
Can better fuel economy and sharp looks save the City?
Imthishan Giado
Pity the poor City. It’s a subcompact in a city where gas prices are cheap, people prefer huge SUVs and the dominant contender is the blandly dull Toyota Yaris saloon.
Instead of catering to the wind-up-windows rental crowd, Honda is hoping to woo young people with the new City which boasts sharper ‘sportier looks’, a more capacious interior and – in a segment-first – touch panels for climate and entertainment. Engine choices are a 118bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder with a CVT; gone is the old five-speed auto.
The looks have clearly evolved from the previous generation City, and we’re going to see a version of this new face on the next Civic. During our brief walkaround, I got a chance to check out the back seat which Honda claims offers more rear legroom than the current Camry!
They’re right. The money has definitely gone into the rear because it’s a comfortable, airy place even for the six-foot-plus and boasts its own rear vents to boot. Up front, the new dash is crisp and modern though the usual hard plastics abound.
We heard a lot about the appeal of the new touch panel (which includes HDMI, Bluetooth, two USB pors and three power outlets) but I didn’t come away hugely impressed. The piano black finish smudged easily, the responsiveness was only average, there is no haptic feedback at all and the whole thing was barely visible in strong sunlight. Same goes for the touch-climate controls – such a commonly used item should be always be a knob or a button, not something you have to feel for on the dash like a clumsy teenager on his first date.
We’ll be getting the City in shortly – look for our full verdict then.
2014 HONDA CITY – THE SPECS
How much?
DX AED 57,000
LX AED 59,000
EX AED 66,000
Engine: 1.5-litre four cylinder, 118bhp @6600rpm, 470lb ft @ 4200rpm
Transmission: front wheel drive, continuously-variable transmission
Fuel economy: 5.7L/100km (est)
Performance: 0-100kph 10.5 seconds, Top speed 190kph
Weight: 1075kg
