There’s a reason why they chose to show the rear first, because that’s the view unique to the hatchback. The front end seen here is identical to the City sedan, specifically the range topping City RS e:HEV, because the hatch you see here is also an RS hybrid.
The catchline of the day is “Outshine all else” and the highlighted feature is the automatic LED headlamps. Aside from the bright eyes, the RS face features a gloss black front grille and “eyebrows”, black honeycomb mesh, carbon-pattern trim on the front lip and sportier “toothed” front fog lamp garnish. The fog lamps are also LEDs. Of course, there’s an RS logo on the grille, and the H emblem is blue-tinged for hybrids.
The wheels seen here look similar to the dual-tone 16-inch alloys on the sedan City RS e:HEV, which are paired with 185/55 tyres. The rear end shows double-strip LED signatures as well as “RS” and “e:HEV” emblems on the same side.
One more thing. It could be just us, but the red paint seen here seems a little different to the usual Passion Red Pearl offered by HM, which looks slightly orangey under the sun. In Thailand, the City Hatchback is available in a more cherry-like red hue that’s called Ignite Red Metallic – could this be a new colour for Malaysia?
Here’s a recap of what to expect. The is the hatchback sister of the fifth-generation City, effectively the replacement for the third-generation Jazz in our region. Like how our Toyota Yaris is a “Vios Hatchback”, this is a City without a boot, so to speak.
At 4,349 mm long, it’s 204 mm shorter than the RS sedan, while the 1,488 mm height is up 21 mm. No difference in width and wheelbase, which remain at 1,748 mm and 2,589 mm respectively. Compared to the outgoing Jazz, the City Hatch is longer and wider, but less tall. The Jazz’s wheelbase is 59 mm shorter.
In Thailand, the City Hatch is available in both e:HEV hybrid and eco car form. The latter uses a 1.0 litre three-cylinder turbo engine (122 PS/173 Nm) paired to a CVT. Over in Indonesia, this model does not have to do eco duties (Brio is Honda’s LCGC offering there) and therefore comes with a 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine with 121 PS/145 Nm. This DOHC i-VTEC unit is our City’s engine, but Indonesians get an extra six-speed manual option on top of the CVT.
The hybrid’s intelligent multi-mode drive (i-MMD) powertrain replaces the previous generation i-DCD. The system consists of a 1.5 litre Atkinson-cycle DOHC i-VTEC four-cylinder engine with 98 PS and 127 Nm, working in conjunction with two motors. The engine functions mainly as a generator with the help of an integrated electric motor, which also acts as a starter.
A larger second motor, which churns out 108 PS and 253 Nm, sends drive to the wheels. The engine can provide direct drive during high speeds as it’s more efficient than the motor in that situation. The hybrid sedan has a 0-100 km/h time of 9.9 seconds and a 173 km/h top speed, while claimed fuel consumption is 3.77 litres per 100 km, or 26.5 km/l.
Although all the teasers so far have been of the e:HEV hybrid – possibly because of its sportier RS appearance – our guess is that Malaysia will also be getting the City Hatchback with the 1.5L NA engine and CVT, as per the non-hybrid City sedan.
Click on these links to check out the what our Thai and Indonesian friends get – 1.0T Thai eco car, Thai-spec e:HEV RS, Indonesia-spec 1.5L RS. Also check out our review of the sedan City RS e:HEV. What do you think of the upcoming new Honda City Hatchback?
