[RahulNagaraj]

Honda Cars India launched the 5th-generation City sedan in the Indian market back in July 2020. The 5th-gen iteration of the mid-size sedan is available in three variants: V, VX and ZX, all offered with a choice of petrol and diesel engine options. All three petrol trims also come with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, while the diesel comes standard with a manual gearbox.



Fast forward to May 2022, Honda introduced the e:HEV (Hybrid) version of the City in the Indian market. The new Honda City Hybrid comes exclusively in the top-trim and features two electric motors, paired to the petrol engine. The hybrid powertrain is offered with the CVT automatic transmission as standard.

So, if you were to buy the Honda City which engine option would you pick & why?



Starting off with the petrol, Honda offers the City sedan with a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated unit. It produces 119 BHP @ 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm @ 4,300 rpm and is paired with either a 6-speed manual or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).



Here are GTO's observations after driving the Honda City 1.5L petrol, "Beautiful, FANTASTIC, delicious 1.5L petrol engine. This is the BENCHMARK naturally-aspirated petrol in India, no matter what engine size. You will ENJOY revving it. Owners will need the willpower of God to not redline it to ~7000 rpm at every opportunity they get. In particular, you’ll love the experience of shooting from 5,000 – 7,000 rpm in “full Vtec mode”. The 1.5L petrol is silky smooth all the way to 7,000 rpm." Read GTO's full observations - here.



The Hybrid powertrain is the latest offering from Honda on the City. It comes powered using the same 1.5-litre NA petrol engine but is paired with two electric motors, offering a combined output of 124 BHP and 253 Nm. The powertrain is mated to a CVT as standard and offers three driving modes: EV, Hybrid & Petrol.

At slow speeds in town, the City hybrid is effortless to drive. It tries to stay in EV mode as much as possible and occasionally, you will faintly feel the IC engine turn on to charge the battery and then, turn off again after a while. If you prod the accelerator a little more to close a gap, the IC engine kicks in and provides the required shove. Out on the highway, the City Hybrid responds to throttle inputs in a more linear manner. At around 80 km/h you can see a small symbol light up on the power flow meter indicating that the clutch has engaged the engine directly. Speed changes are more linear with throttle inputs and you can effortlessly cruise at triple-digit speeds. Read the full official review of the Honda City Hybrid - here.



Moving to the diesel, the Honda City sedan is powered by a 1.5-litre unit, which produces 98 BHP @ 3,600 rpm and 200 Nm @ 1,750 rpm. It is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard.

[GTO]

My choice for the Honda City would be the 1.5L CVT. Butter-smooth automatic, one of the best naturally-aspirated petrol engines in the country and a sedan that's a genuine all-rounder. Sucks that the Diesel doesn't get the CVT like the Amaze & the Hybrid is overpriced.

[attinder]

Another vote for Petrol CVT. Just two days back I switched form a swift vdi to zx cvt. Loving it so far.

[Shreyans_Jain]

The 1.5 iVTEC mated with the CVT gets my wholehearted vote. Proven long lasting powertrains that is refined, efficient and peppy enough. I’ve had the diesel for over 175k km. Apart from good fuel efficiency and reliability, there is nothing to like about this engine. It is crude, noisy and has average performance which starts tapering off as the years and miles pile on. Nothing great here. As for the hybrid, it is hilariously overpriced for the economy benefit it offers, especially considering the loss of boot space. I also have concerns over the long term reliability of this complicated powertrain in harsh Indian conditions.

[avira_tk]

We got a ZX CVT to replace our decade old Fiesta (excellent car by the way). The City diesel is not an upgrade from the TDCI on the Ford, the ten year old engine is smoother than the Honda diesel.

The hybrid compromises on boot space, absolute no go when it's the primary car. The diesel doesn't get an auto and even if it did, the pricing would make the petrol good value. The 1.5 vtec is probably the longest running engine brand in India, glad to finally get to experience it.

[lsjey]

I voted for the Hybrid City. If it was an option at the time I was buying my 5th Gen City, I'd have bought the Hybrid. There is the reality that the Hybrid will reduce your boot space, no spare tyre and would have costed more. But it would have been the option that would have appealed both to my heart and my head.

Regards,
lsjey

[AYP]

If I have to keep the car stock, I'd go for the 1.5 i-Vtec. However, the 1.5 diesel with a stage 1 tune can produce 130Hp and 250NM of torque. Add to it, the fact that the odds of owning a diesel is looking bleak in the future, makes the 1.5 i-Dtec my choice for the poll.

[car_guy1998]

As a user of preowned 4th gen City Diesel, which has run 135k Kms, voted for 1.5 iVTEC as the engine is smooth and free-revving and in fact, this engine is one of my favourites.

I had TD'ed both Hybrid and regular version on the same day and although I liked the drivability of the Hybrid version, what worried me was its boot space and price, which is 24L OTR, Hyderabad.

[Durango Dude]

City 1.5 CVT is my choice have had it for 5 years, now and is a bliss to drive. Honda has 2 generations of the City selling side by side and 3 iterations in all. The most VFM is the 4th generation with the recent value addition is a great driver's car with only a manual transmission. Wonder why Honda went an deleted features in their recently launched 5th gen City. They do all the things essential to go against the market sentiment. Had they had a CVT variant in the 4th gen City it would have cannibalized sales of the 5th gen

[xcentrk]

Originally Posted by GTO

My choice for the Honda City would be the 1.5L CVT. Butter-smooth automatic, one of the best naturally-aspirated petrol engines in the country and a sedan that's a genuine all-rounder. Sucks that the Diesel doesn't get the CVT like the Amaze & the Hybrid is overpriced.

I have been planning to buy new City for quite some time but I couldn't decide between which option to choose? 1.5 Petrol MT or CVT? My current ride is puny 1.2L Xcent which served me decently for 8 good years. I like revving this little motor. Driven City(last 2 gens) multiple times and I love revving the silky petrol.

Do I get the satisfaction of MT in CVT? How good will it perform in hilly terrains or 2 lane overtakes? Lot of these questions is swaying my decision towards MT, but I couldn't forget the comfort the CVT offers.

My usage is 70:30 city:highway with 4-5 trips to my hometown in a year. Which one should I go with? I will keep my Xcent as well and keep it as city car.

[Shome]

Voted for Hybrid, subjective to my use case.

I will not consider the City as an enthusiast's car, it's high speed dynamics are nothing to rave about, stability at 120kmph is mediocre. If I were to buy a C2 sedan, with all the new expressways coming in, I would tilt towards better highway dynamics. The chassis just does not do justice to the gem of an engine, the NA one i.e.

Also, in metros, where and when are we going to experience the rev happy engine, maybe 20% of the cars lifetime or ownership time? The city therefore is a people mover, for family functions, going to office in peak traffic, maybe to the market etc.
The hybrid though slightly expensive is suited perfectly for this purpose. Will take care of my pocket in terms of consumption in stop go traffic over long term, while giving me 90% of the NA performance if and when needed

p.s. - I will not consider the City at all, the above is just for the engine preference.

[aniket13]

If your running is medium-to-low: - Honda City Petrol MT/CVT. Proper fun to drive, low-maintenance, reliable sedan. My personal vote as well.

If your running is High: Honda City Diesel - some mind-numbing FE figures posted by fellow Bhpian owners on this forum. But misses out on the auto-transmission option.

Extremely high usage in city traffic, specifically Tier 1 city only:Honda City Hybrid. Honda City Petrol CVT is pretty frugal for a 1.5L roaring engine. Mild traffic situations would return pretty acceptable FE so not worth going for the Hybrid. Plus FE would be nearly comparable with the Hybrid on Highways with an added advantage of boot space. Not commenting on ADAS as I'm not sure (nor experienced) with its usability in our conditions.

[aniket13]

Originally Posted by xcentrk

I have been planning to buy new City for quite some time but I couldn't decide between which option to choose? 1.5 Petrol MT or CVT? My current ride is puny 1.2L Xcent which served me decently for 8 good years. I like revving this little motor. Driven City(last 2 gens) multiple times and I love revving the silky petrol.

Do I get the satisfaction of MT in CVT? How good will it perform in hilly terrains or 2 lane overtakes? Lot of these questions is swaying my decision towards MT, but I couldn't forget the comfort the CVT offers.

My usage is 70:30 city:highway with 4-5 trips to my hometown in a year. Which one should I go with? I will keep my Xcent as well and keep it as city car.

Your usage literally screams Honda City Petrol CVT. Overtakes are a breeze with paddle shifts, plus they add the "fun element" in the not-so-fun CVT for many. No issues whatsoever in hill-driving. However, you could never get the same satisfaction as revving its manual counterpart to glory - you need to extensively TD both the transmissions and judge it against your preferences (comfort vs performance, etc).

Mods: please merge the back-to-back posts.

[xcentrk]

Originally Posted by aniket13

Your usage literally screams Honda City Petrol CVT. Overtakes are a breeze with paddle shifts, plus they add the "fun element" in the not-so-fun CVT for many. No issues whatsoever in hill-driving. However, you could never get the same satisfaction as revving its manual counterpart to glory - you need to extensively TD both the transmissions and judge it against your preferences (comfort vs performance, etc).

Thanks for the reply. I yearn for more performance and revv hard the iVTEC. But with recent construction work in my Tier-2 city, traffic becomes unbearable. I am torn between CVT or MT because I like MT but the traffic makes me think about CVT. Damn! even with marriage I never had to think so hard to choose one!

[aniket13]

Originally Posted by xcentrk

Thanks for the reply. I yearn for more performance and revv hard the iVTEC. But with recent construction work in my Tier-2 city, traffic becomes unbearable. I am torn between CVT or MT because I like MT but the traffic makes me think about CVT. Damn! even with marriage I never had to think so hard to choose one!

Paddle shifts certainly help bridge the gap, although it's still not fully comparable to the experience you'd get in the MT. You have already experienced the manual, I would suggest you go for the CVT for the added comfort in traffic.