The outgoing Honda City Hatchback was the standard bearer for the safest, most practical, fuel-saving, affordable family hatchback. It’s not the cheapest hatchback model on the market but it’s easy to see where the extra money went to.

None of its competitors can even come close to matching Honda’s combination of fuel-saving powertrain technology and balik kampung-friendly space.

Fuel-saving or power? Why not both?

First, there’s the dual-motor 1.5-litre e:HEV full-hybrid, which offers a very electric vehicle-like driving experience, minus the hassle of charging. It sips just 3.6-litre/100 km, which translates to 27.7 kilometres for every litre of petrol burned.

While this may be a lab-tested figure, our real-world driving experience says the City Hatchback e:HEV RS can easily do below 4-litre/100 km in normal driving conditions. You can travel from KL to Penang and back again in just one full tank.

If hybrids are not your thing, there’s also the regular 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC, which packs the most power in its class, 121 PS / 145 Nm, versus the Toyota Yaris’ 107 PS / 140 Nm.

Despite the best-in-class power output, claimed fuel consumption remains at a very low 5.6-litre/100 km. In real-world driving conditions, buyers can expect a circa 7-litre/100 km (~14 km per litre).

It’s still the gold standard for the safest family hatchback in its class

When it comes to safety, the Honda City Hatchback sets the standard for others to follow. Its SENSING suite of advanced driving assistance systems has an improved wide-angle front camera that also detects vehicles in junctions, as well as children above 1 metre tall, and larger motorcycles. Competitor models offering similar features only works when the car is pointing straight and is only capable of detecting larger 4-wheeled vehicles.

In the new 2024 Honda City Hatchback, the SENSING suite is now a standard feature. Other manufacturers may limit such features only to higher range variants, but Honda has a self-imposed target of halving road fatalities involving Honda cars and motorcycles by 2030. As such, Honda Motor Co. does not allow Honda Malaysia to limit Sensing only to more expensive variants.

Like all SENSING features, this is an assist-only feature, and it does not replace the need for the driver to pay attention to the traffic ahead.

Also, did you know that Honda is the only car company that makes small, non-luxury B-segment cars to withstand collisions against larger SUVs? Where other manufacturers develop cars according to how NCAP crash test agencies assess cars, Honda gathers real-world collision data, and builds its cars to handle multi-car collisions, as opposed to single-car tests done in labs.

The Honda R&D centre in Tochigi is the first in the world to feature an indoor omni-directional multi-car collision test facility. All Honda cars regardless of price or size, are designed with Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) in mind, so occupants in small cars are accorded minimum protection against collisions with larger SUVs. No NCAP agency in the world makes this a requirement. This is an internal target set by Honda.

Like a new hair cut, the new 2024 look is a refresh for a trusted partner

The new look 2024 Honda City Hatchback is still the familiar design that we first saw in December 2021.

The new 2024 model is differentiated by a different front bumper, honeycomb grille, as well as a new set of 16-inch alloy wheels.

Prices of the new 2024 Honda City Hatchback have yet to be announced, but the outgoing 2023 model are priced as below:

• 1.5 S: RM 78,900
• 1.5 E: RM 86,900
• 1.5 V: RM 91,900
• 1.5 V Sensing: RM 95,900
• 1.5 e:HEV RS: RM 109,900

We expect the confirmed prices for the new 2024 Honda City Hatchback to be announced next month. Bookings are now opened at authorized Honda dealers nationwide.

This post is sponsored by Honda Malaysia.