The Honda City Hybrid has been officially announced
by Honda Malaysia (HM), with a price of RM 89,200 on-the-road without insurance.
Like the Jazz Hybrid, Malaysia
is the only market outside of Japan to officially introduce the City Hybrid.
The Grace Hybrid, as it is known in Japan, was launched earlier this month.
The Honda City Hybrid shares the same
hybrid powertrain as the Jazz Hybrid. That means a Sport Hybrid i-DCD system
that combines a 1.5 litre engine with idle stop, a seven-speed dual-clutch
automatic gearbox with an integrated electric motor, a lithium-ion hybrid
battery and an electric driven compressor.
The engine used here isn’t the one found in the
regular City facelift, but a unique Atkinson cycle DOHC i-VTEC unit with 110 PS
and 134 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. Combined with a 30 PS/160 Nm
electric motor, the system produces a combined 137 PS and 170 Nm of torque, as
per the Jazz Hybrid.
Honda claims that the Sport Hybrid i-DCD
(Intelligent Dual-Clutch Drive) system delivers performance equal to that of a
conventional 1.8 litre naturally-aspirated engine (the Civic 1.8 makes just 4
PS/4 Nm more), with much lower fuel consumption. The claimed official figures
are 4.0 litres per 100 km for the Jazz Hybrid and 3.9 litres per 100 km for the
City Hybrid.
The City’s sedan body with a 536-litre boot aside
(no reduced capacity for the hybrid), technical differences from the Jazz
Hybrid include 16-inch wheels with 185/55 tyres (175/65 R15 on the Jazz) and a
larger turning radius of 5.7 metres (versus 5.26m).
On the equipment front, the City Hybrid has slightly
more kit than the cheaper RM 87,500 Jazz Hybrid. The sedan gets a shark fin
antenna, chrome door handles, auto folding wing mirrors, rear air con vents,
steering paddle shifters and a rear armrest with cupholders. All the above are
not offered with the Jazz Hybrid, as are remote trunk release and rear USB
ports.
As the one below the range topper, the City Hybrid
lacks the City V’s LED headlamps and foglamps, leather seats/steering/gear knob
and curtain airbags (leaving four bags, front and side). Of course, it does get
some unique to hybrid items such as a special instrument panel display and a
hybrid-specific stubby gear lever.
Colour options are Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern
Steel Metallic and White Orchid Pearl. The City Hybrid comes with a five-year
unlimited mileage warranty with 10,000 km service intervals, as per the regular
City. There’s an additional eight-year warranty for the lithium-ion hybrid
battery.