Honda City Hybrid - A Sensible, Economical, And Fuss-Free Car

The Honda City will soon be available with a hybrid powertrain and more safety kit, but is it better?

- Rivan RS

With the Honda City e:HEV, the Japanese brand is venturing into the unknown. While India is not a stranger to strong hybrid technology, it has remained available only in the higher segments, namely in a Toyota or Lexus or two. A midsize-sedan with this sort of hybrid technology is a niche that Honda is capitalise on, as it promises a stupendously frugal drive (the City e-HEV has a 26.5 kpl claimed fuel economy), better performance, and it even has a level 2 autonomous safety suite.

Honda has added a few cosmetic changes to the car as well, to help differentiate it from the petrol and diesel City. The front fog light clusters have racy-looking black slats, there are new (and stylish) 16inch alloys, and there’s a prominent spoiler on the boot lip, too. The only other prominent exterior changes are that the Honda badges now have a blue highlight and that there’s an e:HEV badge above the right tail-light, both of which denoting the City’s new hybrid status. If you look at the headlight, there’s an attractive new concave headlights inserts, which does give the nose a new look.