After much teasing, previews, and hype surrounding the Honda City Hatchback, Honda Malaysia today launched the 2022 All-New Hatchback for the Malaysian market, priced from RM75,670
According to Honda Malaysia, the Hatchback is “A Step Above” in its segment, combining cutting-edge styling with a sporty feel and trendsetting advanced features.
Honda has announced four variants of the City Hatchback, including the much anticipated City Hatchback RS e:HEV. Underneath the City Hatchback's hybrid variant is the V, E and S.
All four variants are priced as follows:
- S: RM75,670
- E: RM83,080
- V: RM87,860
- RS e:HEV: TBA early 2022
Although the City Hatchback seems like a more compact vehicle than the City Sedan, it is taller by 21mm (1,488mm) and has the same width as the Sedan (1,748mm). The significant difference is in the length, as the Hatchback is shorter by 208mm (4,345mm).
Despite being shorter, the 2022 City Hatchback will come with the much-coveted Honda Jazz seating arrangement called the 4-Modes ULTRA Seats. This practical and versatile feature allows the rear seats to be folded flat or flipped up in four configuration modes, Utility, Long, Tall and Refresh, to suit different storage space needs by maximizing the rear space creatively.
Just like its Sedan counterpart, the City Hatchback is offered with two entirely different powertrains across its range. The more familiar S, E, and V variants are powered by the venerable 1.5L DOHC (previously single-cam SOHC) i-VTEC powertrain, which produces a healthy 121PS of power and maximum torque of 145Nm. The engine is mated to a CVT-type automatic transmission.
The halo City Hatchback RS e:HEV variant is powered by Honda’s cutting-edge Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) powertrain, which combines an internal combustion engine (ICE) with two electric motors, and a high-power lithium-ion battery pack.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Honda's i-MMD powertrain, it works differently than a traditional hybrid, as the system allows the City Hatchback RS e:HEV to be predominantly driven using its electric motors and a combination of the motors with the ICE engine to power the car seamlessly.
In certain situations, the ICE engine can also be called upon to drive the vehicle independently of the electrical motors, such as high-speed cruising. The i-MMD does this courtesy of an Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) located underneath the boot, where the system can regulate between the three driving modes of EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive in the most efficient manner.
The i-MMD powertrain also does not require a traditional gearbox, instead, it uses an e-CVT transmission unit to deliver 108PS and a best-in-class peak torque of 253Nm – equivalent to that of turbocharged cars with the same capacity – to the front wheels.
Interior
At the centre of the dash, the top three variants launched receive an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display with support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The only difference between the Hatchback and the Sedan is the seats at the rear where the Hatchback has received the famed 4-Modes ULTRA Seats as mentioned above.
The 7-inch semi-digital instrument cluster is exclusive to the RS variant.
Apart from that everything is pretty much similar, but the V variant does get black leather seats with white pipings to give it a touch of sportiness. The E and S receive fabric seats. The range-topper RS e:HEV gets a mix of suede and leather seats with red accents.
Safety
A further highlight of the City Hatchback RS e:HEV includes Honda's LaneWatch system (also featured on the V variant), which features a camera mounted to the passenger side wing mirror to alert the driver of vehicles in the car’s blindspot. The RS e:HEV also gains an Electric Parking Brake (EPB), just like the Sedan. The V and the RS e:HEV variants get 6 airbags while the E and S get 4.
The City Hatchback RS e:HEV will also be offered with a complete suite of Honda Sensing advanced safety features, as follows:
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
- Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
- Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS)
- Road Departure Mitigation (RDM)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Auto High Beam (AHB)
As for the equipment highlights of each model, refer to the picture down below:
Just like its Sedan sibling, the Hatchback RS e:HEV comes with Honda CONNECT, a system that utilises the onboard computing power and connectivity features in conjunction with a backbone of internet services to deliver a new dimension of vehicle interactivity – such as Vehicle Diagnostics, Remote Applications, Security Applications, Vehicle Tracking and Support Services – at the touch of a button.
Colour
There are five colours available for the S, E, and V variants, including Crystal Black Pearl, Lunar Silver, Platinum White Pearl and the newly added, Ignite Red Metallic and Meteoroid Gray Metallic.
The top RS e:HEV variant is only offered in Platinum White Pearl, Ignite Red Metallic and Meteoroid Gray Metallic.
Warranty
The City Hatchback is offered with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty, inclusive of 5 free labour services (within 100,000km/ 5 years). The lithium-ion battery in the City Hatchback RS variant is protected by an 8-year, unlimited mileage warranty.
Keyword: 2022 Honda City Hatchback Launched - 4 Variants Available, from RM76k