Honda City facelift spotted testing in Brazil

Honda City is set to be refreshed with a facelift model later this year. The sedan was recently spotted on a road test in Brazil. The test mule was draped in heavy camouflage. However, the cutouts revealed some details about the cosmetic tweaks along the front and rear sections of the upcoming sedan. Honda has not confirmed a timeline for the launch of the City facelift yet. It is expected to start road tests in India soon.

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Honda City facelift: What do the spy shots suggest?

Spy shots of the Brazilian test mule suggest a wider and bolder grille for the Honda City facelift. The front bumper seems to have gone through some rework as well. The LED headlamps sport a new design. They may follow the design language of the new Honda Civic. Not many changes are expected along the sides of the sedan. The facelifted version will retain the profile of its outgoing model. However, it will get a new design for its alloy wheels. At the back, the LED tail lamp, tailgate, and bumper will be refreshed.

Inside, the Honda City facelift will get a premium finish for its dashboard and a new colour theme for its cabin. Honda will upgrade the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system on the current model to a larger unit. It will support wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Reports suggest that the sedan will get ventilated front seats and a 360-degree camera as standard features. Other features like dual-zone climate control, adjustable rear headrests, an 8-speaker audio system, an air purifier, an electric sunroof, ambient lighting, wireless charging, and Level 2 ADAS are expected to make the cut.

No changes are expected under the hood as the Honda City facelift will retain the 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated, 4-cylinder, iVTEC petrol engine of the current model. This engine generates a maximum power output of 121hp and 145Nm of torque. It can be mated to a 6-speed manual or CVT gearbox. The strong hybrid version of the sedan puts out 126hp. It is mated to an e-CVT gearbox. The petrol-manual and petrol-automatic variants offer a fuel economy of 17.8km/l and 18.4km/l, respectively. Meanwhile, the strong hybrid variant has a mileage of 27.13km/l.

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Final Thoughts

The current Honda City lineup starts at Rs 11.95 lakh and goes up to Rs 18.38 lakh. The facelift model will demand a small premium over these prices. We expect it to be launched at a starting price of Rs 12.20 lakh. Upon launch, it will rival the likes of the Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Virtus, Skoda Slavia, and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz in India.