2022 Honda City Petrol Manual - Driven

Currently in its fifth generation, the Honda City takes on the rivals like the Hyundai Verna, Maruti Ciaz, Skoda Slavia and upcoming VW Virtus

The fifth-Gen Honda City made its Indian debut in 2020 and since then, it has been one of the best-selling sedans in the segment. While the car promises to offer an impressive and comfortable in-cabin experience, the brand-new i-VTEC engine also adds improved and refined performance.

But is the Honda City still as good as its predecessors and should you still consider it right now? Especially when we have newer and more powerful turbo-sedans in the market, apart from the constant onslaught of SUVs as well? Here is our detailed Honda City petrol manual review that will answer many of your questions.

2022 Honda City Petrol Manual – Driven

• Year: 2022
• Make: Honda
• Model: City
• Engine: inline-4
• Horsepower @ RPM: 65
• Torque @ RPM: 107
• Displacement: 1.5 L
• Price: INR 1123000
• Price: Premium
• car segment: small family cars
• size: Mid-Size
• Purpose: Family Cars
• body style: sedan

Here's how the Honda City stacks up against the competition

Love it

• Premium and attractive styling
• Comfortable and spacious cabin
• Refined and powerful petrol motor, fuel-efficient diesel engine

Leave it

• The suspension is slightly too soft for the driving enthusiasts
• Touchscreen system looks aftermarket and difficult to read in the daytime
• Sunroof could have been bigger

The all-new fifth-generation Honda City now gets an updated design, new cabin, improved powertrain, and a longer features list

The new Honda City not only gets an all-new exterior design. In addition to this, the all-new City also offers an improved and premium cabin that makes it a great choice for those looking for a refined, good-looking, feature-rich, and reliable sedan in the segment.

Exterior Design

Upfront, the new Honda City features a more mature and a premium styling

The new hood and the bumper complement the design and give the Honda City a more premium look than before. Needless to say, the fit and finish levels are great.

Exterior Highlights

• 16 Inch Dual Cut Alloy Wheels
• 16 Element LED Headlamps
• Chrome Door Handles, Chrome Grille

To begin with, the new City now wears Honda’s global corporate face. The front end is dominated by a larger chrome grille and nine-element LED headlights that not only look great but are also equally functional, offering a fantastic illumination in the dark.

The side-profile looks smart and Honda has nailed it with the design of the City

Move to the side and you will notice that the new City has now grown in the size and is almost as long as the Honda Civic. The new dual-cut 16-inch alloy wheels look great and suit the overall character of this vehicle. The silhouette looks proportionate and in all dimensions, the Honda City does have a sleek, attention-grabbing side-profile. Do notice the large windows and chrome door handles.

The rear looks subtle and elegant, thus giving the Honda City a visually appealing stance

The new LED taillights might remind of the much-expensive BMW 3-Series while the bumper does help in toning down the aggressive design.

It is the rear of the Honda City that is the highlight of the exterior and will be appreciated by many. Overall, the new fifth-gen Honda City does look great and I must admit that I am sold on those looks and styling cues.

How Good Is It On The Inside?

The front seats are extremely comfortable and offer impressive visibility

The seats, on the other hand, are extremely comfortable and accommodating.

Interior Highlights

• Semi-Digital Instrument Console
• Rear AC Vents
• Front Arm Rest

The Honda City is one of the most premium offerings in the segment. The new premium dashboard has a smart layout. The new infotainment system does have a lot to offer and the screen sits flush on the dash, however, do keep in mind that the glossy surface is a fingerprint magnet. The brightness could have also been better for easier visibility during the daytime.

The semi-digital instrument console comes with multiple modes and displays useful information to the driver

A highlight of the cabin of fifth-gen Honda City is the new semi-digital instrument console that not only looks premium but also offers a long list of features and information.

The new G-Force meter is something that will definitely gain your attention and in all. You will definitely appreciate this new instrument console when compared to the older iterations of the car. Another important feature has to be the lane-watch camera that comes in handy while negotiating heavy traffic and while navigating through tight lanes. (How does it work?)

The multi-way adjustment for the driver seat will help you easily find an appropriate driving position. The lumbar support, however, could have been better. The steering wheel looks great and feels nice to hold, all thanks to the premium leather. In addition to this, the new climate control panel is easy to operate and the switches feel premium and tactile to operate.

It is the rear seat experience that the Honda City shines in and offers segment-leading experience to the buyers

The rear seat of the Honda City is undoubtedly the best in the segment. Not only will you get acres of legroom, but the seat itself is comfortable and the recline angle is near perfect.

My family absolutely loved the rear seat of the City and appreciated the overall comfort levels. More on this later. What further enhances the rear set experience are the dedicated AC vents and a foldable arm-rest.

You will also appreciate the rear blind that does help in reducing the sunlight. The sunroof, however, is not very big. Moving in and out is easy but the SUVs are better in this department.

Overall, the cabin of the Honda City is not only comfortable and spacious but also scores high in the practicality and ergonomics department, thus making it the best package in the segment. The large glasshouse helps light to flood in and make the cabin feel nice and airy.

Engine and Performance

It has grown in terms of size and is now as big as the Honda Civic

I drove the petrol manual and will reserve my impressions about the diesel MT and the Petrol CVT for next time.

The Honda City is available with three powertrain options –

• 1.5L Petrol Manual
• 1.5L Petrol CVT Automatic
• 1.5L Diesel Manual

The power and torque output delivered by the 1.5 petrol of the Honda City stands at 121 PS and 145 Nm respectively while the diesel on the hand delivers 100 PS and 200 Nm of maximum torque.

Moving on, the 1.5-L i-VTEC petrol engine now is an all-new version and hosts a number of updates that have made it much better than before. This is the 1.5-L i-VTEC motor that now features a DOHC setup for the first time. It also gets the dual-cam setup not only helping in improving the top-end of this engine. But the refinement levels are extremely impressive. With a redline of a little over 7000 rpm, you can easily cross 105 km/h on the speedo in second gear!

The Honda City now shares a lot of its underpinnings with the Civic and boasts similar dimensions

Furthermore, the low-end has improved and the six-speed manual gearbox is a delight to operate. The clutch is light but the travel is on the longer side. The manual transmission is a great choice for anyone who enjoys pushing the car hard and the new petrol engine has made the City a lot more fun from behind the wheel. However, this engine is not as wild as the VW’s new 1.0-L TSI motor, but the City’s mill still has its own strengths and pulls cleanly till 6,500-7,000 rpm.

Ride and Handling

Honda claims that the new City now drives better and offer a long list of changes and update that make it better than before

The Honda City now gets a much improved and mature suspension setup that will definitely remind you of a German car.

Honda claims that a lot of changes have been done to the fifth-gen Honda City. The chassis is now stiffer than before and incorporates high-tensile steel. While the suspension has been heavily worked upon as well. The result? The ride quality is great and you will notice only a marginal amount of body roll when attacking corners.

However, the straight-line high-speed stability is great and the car does not feel nervous, even at the early triple-digit speeds. You will notice some vertical movements, especially at the rear. For the segment, it caters to, the suspension setup offered with the Honda City is definitely impressive and I will not be afraid to say that it indeed is the best in the segment.

The steering too is great and offers a commendable feel and feedback. It is light at slower speeds and weighs up decently well as the speed climbs.

The changes made to the chassis of the car have made the fifth-gen City more agile and you will love to push the car around. The engine does get a little vocal when pushed hard but in a sporty manner. The rev-limiter comes in at 7,000 rpm and it’s best to upshift at a little over 6,500 rpm to extract maximum performance.

The 16-inch dual-cut alloy wheels look great but I would have appreciated wider tyres

The range-topping City is offered with dual-tone 16-inch wheels that come wrapped in 185/55/R16 tyres. While they do look good, a lower-side profile means that you will have to be extremely careful on those bad sections of the roads. We would have liked wider tyres given the performance of this sedan.

The brakes are decent and the car maintains its composure under heavy braking. But, they lack the initial bite and could have offered a better feel. The 185 section tyres however could be replaced with wider 195/205 section tyres. In all, the new City is definitely a great driver’s car and offers an impressive driving experience. All these updates over the years have made the City a lot more mature and practical than before.

Safety

Here is a detailed Honda City petrol manual review that will help you know a lot of details about the new fifth-gen iteration of the car

• Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE™) Body Structure
• Six Airbags
• All 5 Seats 3 point Emergency Locking retractor (ELR) Seatbelts
• ISOFIX compatible Rear Side Seats with Lower Anchorage & Top Tether
• LaneWatch™ Camera
• ABS, EBD, Brake Assist
• Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Electronic Stability & Traction Control
• Agile Handling Assist (AHA)
• Hill Start Assist
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (Deflation Warning System)

Honda City Vs Hyundai Verna Vs Maruti Ciaz

Swipe up to read my full in-depth driven review of the Honda City.

Here's how the Honda City stacks up against the competition

The Hyundai Verna is not only smaller when compared to the Honda City, but also misses out on the rear seat space. It is the Honda City that offers a better in-cabin experience. The Verna does offer a more refined and powerful diesel engine while the buyers can also opt for the optional turbocharged petrol engine. While it’s a close competition between these two sedans, it is the Honda City that offers a better package when it comes to in-cabin comfort and quality levels.

The Maruti Ciaz now feels dated but does offer slightly better space at the rear, all thanks to a longer wheelbase and forward-set front seats. The cabin is comfortable but there is no diesel engine on offer. To sum it up, the Honda City definitely wins this comparison in my opinion and will be a better buy when compared to the Ciaz.

Final Verdict

The rear looks subtle and elegant, thus giving the Honda City a visually appealing stance

Honda has decently loaded the City with all the modern bells and whistles. The City will definitely keep you and your family happy when it comes to the features.

With rivals like the Hyundai Verna, Maruti Ciaz, the upcoming Skoda Slavia and the VW Virtus, the Honda City does have a strong competition in the segment but comes out as one of the best choices for those looking for a safe, practical, comfortable, powerful, and a visually appealing sedan that is backed by commendable after-sales support. The new petrol engine makes it an even better choice for driving enthusiasts.

While the rivals with the new turbocharged petrol motors may offer a more aggressive and wild performance, it is the Honda City that feels better and more engaging to drive.

With the current (Rs.11,23,000 – 14,98,000) ex-showroom prices, the Honda City will be a great car for you, and I personally will pick it not only over its direct rivals like the Verna, but will also consider the City over other offerings at this price point like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, etc.

What do you think about the new Honda City? Would you choose it over the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz? Let us know why in the comments below.

Keyword: 2022 Honda City Petrol Manual - Driven