Honda City 2023-2026

The Honda City has been one of the longest-running and most respected nameplates in India, a sedan that people often buy with their heads, but eventually end up loving with their hearts. It has never relied on flashy gimmicks or over-the-top styling to grab attention. Instead, the City built its reputation on qualities that genuinely matter in everyday life: comfort, refinement, space, reliability and an easy-going driving experience.

Honda has now launched the City facelift, giving it a second mid-cycle update in its 5th generation avatar, which debuted in 2020. The updates are thoughtful, practical and clearly aimed at making the sedan feel fresher, more premium and better equipped. At the same time, Honda also seems to have acknowledged that the competition has become significantly more aggressive. Rivals like the Hyundai Verna are already updated, while the Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus twins are also expected to receive updates soon.

The updates to the Honda City facelift are immediately noticeable from the front, where Honda has clearly tried to give the sedan a sharper and slightly more aggressive personality. The redesigned grille now looks wider and cleaner, while the smoked-effect LED headlamps and connected DRLs add a more modern touch to the fascia. The revised bumper, with its larger air intakes and sportier lower section, also helps the City look more planted on the road.

Move to the side, and the City continues to retain its familiar silhouette. The sleek sedan proportions still look timeless, especially in a market crowded with bulky SUVs. The newly designed 16-inch alloy wheels add some freshness to the profile, while the clean shoulder line and long wheelbase continue to give the car a sophisticated appearance.

At the rear, the updates are more subtle but still effective. The revised LED tail lamps now get a fresh light signature, while the updated bumper with diffuser-like elements adds a hint of sportiness. Honda has also added a neat-looking spoiler and retained the shark-fin antenna, both of which help make the rear look slightly more premium and youthful than before.

With this update, the dashboard layout remains clean, simple and extremely user-friendly. Honda has also tried to improve the cabin experience with better materials, ambient lighting and a larger infotainment screen, making the interior feel more upmarket than before. Thankfully, practical touches like physical AC controls have been retained, and they still feel satisfying to use in daily driving conditions.

But the biggest highlight remains the rear seat. Even today, very few cars in this segment manage to offer this level of rear-seat comfort. The legroom is generous, under-thigh support is excellent, and the near-flat floor makes the middle passenger feel less compromised.

If your family spends long hours on the road or if you occasionally prefer being chauffeur-driven, the City still nails the comfort factor brilliantly.

Features

The larger 10.1-inch touchscreen now feels far more contemporary and finally matches what buyers expect in this segment. Equipped with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as expected, while features like ventilated front seats and ambient lighting genuinely improve the everyday experience.

The wireless charger, connected car tech, cruise control and auto-dimming IRVM add to the convenience factor, but what deserves appreciation is Honda’s focus on usability over gimmicks.

Not everything is perfect, though. Features like powered seats and a fully digital instrument cluster are still missing, especially when some rivals offer them.

Honda has strengthened the City’s appeal further by improving the safety package. You now get a 360-degree camera, which could make parking and tight-city manoeuvres easier.

Apart from that, the sedan continues with six airbags, ESC, TPMS and hill-start assist, along with Honda’s Level-2 ADAS suite. Features like adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation assist make the City feel much more sophisticated than before.

The City facelift is yet to be tested by Bharat NCAP.

When it comes to practicality, the Honda City facelift continues to impress with its generous 506-litre boot space. The luggage area is not just large on paper, but also very usable in the real world, thanks to its deep and well-shaped layout.

It can comfortably accommodate a full set of suitcases along with a couple of soft bags and smaller backpacks without feeling cramped. The wide opening and flat loading area also make it easier to organise luggage efficiently, especially during long family trips or airport runs. You can even stack suitcases neatly over one another, allowing better utilisation of the available space.

The hybrid variant, however, gets a slightly smaller 410-litre boot due to the placement of the battery pack underneath. While there is a noticeable reduction in overall capacity compared to the standard petrol version, the space on offer still remains practical enough for most family requirements.

Even with the reduced capacity, the hybrid can still accommodate a full suitcase set consisting of small, medium and large bags, along with one or two additional soft bags. That said, there are a few compromises. The hybrid version misses out on 60:40 split-folding rear seats, which slightly limits flexibility while carrying larger items. It also does not get a full-size spare wheel.

The Honda City gets a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally-aspirated (NA) petrol engine which can be had either with a 6-speed manual or a CVT (continuously variable automatic transmission). The City Hybrid comes with a 1.5-litre strong hybrid petrol engine which is available only with a CVT.

This is a responsive engine with good drivability. The vibrations are kept to a minimum and you can get a relaxed drive experience.

City Performance

In the city, you can cruise at low speeds in third or even fourth gear and even when you want quick acceleration, the engine responds without any hesitation. As a result, its performance is effortless as gear shifts are kept to a minimum. The gear shifts too are slick and the light and progressive clutch makes driving in the city a comfortable affair. This engine is also a good option for chauffeur-driven owners, as the power delivery is progressive and smooth, resulting in controlled head-nod.

In terms of fuel efficiency, you can get around 13-14kmpl in the city.

Highway Performance

On the highway, this engine does get noisy when worked hard and it also lacks the outright punch that is offered by the turbo-petrol rival cars like the VW Virtus and Skoda Slavia. So high-speed overtakes will warrant a downshift or two and you will have to rev the engine up as well. It may not have the immediate punch of a turbo-petrol but the engine is rev happy and sounds good too. . You can easily enjoy inter-city cruises and sitting at triple digit speeds won’t be a hassle.

You also get a CVT option with the engine. It will prove to be a great option for people who mainly drive in the city but in terms of fun on the highway, it won’t really excite you.  

On the highway, you can get a fuel efficiency of around 18kmpl.

The Honda City can be had in 5 variants: SV, V, Sport, VX, and ZX. The automatic transmission is available from the one-above-base V variant.

SV

• Gets halogen headlamps, LED DRLs, LED tail lamps, and 15-inch steel wheels with covers.

• The cabin gets fabric upholstery, dual-tone interiors, and a height adjustable driver seat.

• Features include automatic climate control, all power windows, and electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs

• It gets an infotainment package with an 8-inch touchscreen, wired Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, and a 4-speaker sound system.

• Safety kit includes 6 airbags, ESC, TPMS, rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera.

V

• Base variant for the automatic transmission

• Exterior gets halogen fog lamps and 15-inch alloy wheels.

• Cabin gets chrome inserts on inside door handles, AC vents, and hand brake knob.

• Additional features include remote engine start (CVT only), paddle shifters, and wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay.

• Safety kit gets auto headlamps and Level 2 ADAS features.

Sport

• Gets black treatment on the exterior with grey 15-inch alloy wheels.

• Comes with an all-black cabin that offers black leatherette seats with red inserts and stitching.

VX

• No major changes to the exterior or interior save for rear sun shades.

• Feature additions include a wireless phone charger, a single-pane sunroof, and an 8-speaker sound system.

• Safety kit gets a lane watch camera.

ZX

• Gets LED headlamps, LED fog lamps, and 16-inch alloy wheels along with faux carbon-fibre inserts.

• Cabin gets beige leatherette seats and one touch up/down for all windows.

• Feature additions include ambient lighting in the footwell and door handles, a 7-inch semi-digital driver’s display, and auto folding ORVMs.

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• If you’re on a budget, you can go for the base SV variant as it covers all the basics and comes with a good infotainment package. Go for the V trim if you want an automatic transmission.

• The VX variant is the most value for money as it gets a good looking exterior, and almost all features you will need. Go for the top-spec ZX variant for a more premium cabin.

The Honda City facelift may not be revolutionary, but it feels like the kind of update that existing City fans, and even potential new buyers, will genuinely appreciate.

It looks sharper, feels more premium inside, gets better features and continues to deliver the comfort and refinement that have always been its strongest qualities. More importantly, it still feels honest and easy to live with.

At a time when the market is obsessed with SUVs, the City quietly reminds you why sedans still make so much sense. It remains comfortable, elegant, spacious and refined in a way that many SUVs at this price simply are not.

And perhaps that’s exactly what makes the facelifted City feel even more special today.