In November last year, Honda Thailand introduced the City Hatchback and the City e:HEV RS. The hatchback is a five-door hatch version of the latest City, and it replaces the Jazz in ASEAN. The Thai-market City Hatchback was launched with the same 122 PS/173 Nm 1.0 litre three-cylinder turbo as the sedan there, also with a CVT. No e:HEV hybrid for Thai hatch buyers, until now. According to Headlightmag, the City Hatchback e:HEV RS is now available in the Land of Smiles.
No surprises here; it’s basically a combination of the City Hatchback with the hybrid powerplant from the e:HEV sedan, in sporty RS trim. The smallest version of Honda’s Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) hybrid system, uses a 109 PS/253 Nm electric motor that drives the wheels. It is juiced by a 1.5 litre Atkinson-cycle engine with 98 PS/127 Nm, plus an integrated electric motor acting as a generator and a starter. There’s no traditional gearbox driving the front wheels, but the DOHC i-VTEC unit can clutch in through a single-speed transmission to provide direct drive at higher speeds, where it is most efficient. The 0-100 km/h sprint is done in 9.4 seconds.
The 1.0T already has an RS variant, so the additions here are mostly hybrid-specific, plus additional kit for the range topper. It stands out with blue-tinged Honda logos, rear disc brakes, auto headlamps and a tyre repair kit (frees up space for the hybrid battery). The e:HEV RS is also the only hatchback to come with Honda Sensing driver assist features and a LaneWatch blind spot camera. Also exclusive to the e:HEV RS are an electric parking brake with auto brake hold, remote engine start, walk away auto lock, rear air con vents, and auto high beam. The meter panel is a hybrid-specific 7.0 inch display. This Brilliant Sporty Metallic blue colour is fresh.
The City Hatchback e:HEV RS is priced at 849,000 baht, which is 100,000 baht costlier than the Turbo RS. Sounds like a reasonable premium considering the long list of extra kit and hardware. In Thailand, Honda hybrids come with an additional five-year warranty for the HEV system and a 10-year warranty for the hybrid battery, unlimited mileage.
