Honda City Hatchback vs City Sedan: Spec-to-spec comparison

The Honda City Hatchback made its Malaysian debut earlier this month almost a year after it was introduced in the global market. It is a flat-back version of the iconic City sedan, just like the Toyota Yaris, which is a hatchback version of the Vios. Honda retails the car at a starting price of RM 75,670 (on-the-road, without insurance) that makes it slightly dearer than the sedan. So, does it offer more features or a better experience, let’s know in our spec-to-spec comparison of the City Hatchback vs City Sedan.

Variants and Prices

Honda offers the hatchback in four and sedan in five variants. Their prices are as follows -

Variants	City Hatchback	City Sedan
S	RM 75,670	RM 74,191
E	RM 83,080	RM 81,664
V	RM 87,860	RM 86,561
V Sensing	Not available	RM 90,212
RS	To be announced in early 2022	RM 105,950

It is to be noted that the above-mentioned prices are on-the-road, without insurance, and inclusive of the ongoing SST rebate.

Dimensions

Specs	City Hatchback	City Sedan
Length	4,345 mm	4553 mm
Width	1,748 mm	1,748 mm
Height	1,488 mm	1467 mm
Wheelbase	2,600 mm	2,600 mm
Boot space	289 (when rear seats up) 841 (when rear seats down)	519 litres

Size-wise, the City hatchback is 208 mm shorter and 21 mm taller than the sedan, however, the width and wheelbase of the two models are identical. The sedan seems perfect for the five adult passengers, while the hatch is suitable for working people and first-time car owners, who frequently navigate through busy roads of the city. The latter is easier to drive in tight corners and also more convenient to park.

When it comes to boot space, the City hatch offers a whole lot of space of 841 litres in the Utility mode of ULTRA seats. It accommodates bulky items such as a bicycle by flattening both rear seats.

Features

Specs	City Hatchback	City Sedan
Headlights	LED (Projector Halogen as standard)	LED (Projector Halogen as standard)
Daytime running lights	LED	LED
Tail lights	LED	LED
Wheels	16-inch alloy (15-inch as standard)	16-inch alloy (15-inch as standard)
Door handles	Body-colour	Body-colour as standard (Chrome in higher variants)
Keyless entry and push-start button	Yes	Yes
Remote Engine Start	Yes	Yes
Paddle Shifter	Yes	Yes
Cruise Control	Yes	Yes
ULTRA seats	Yes	No
Instrument panel	7.0-inch TFT display (Analogue as standard)	7.0-inch TFT display (Analogue as standard)
Infotainment system	8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto	8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Air-conditioning	Single-Auto (Manual as standard)	Single-Auto (Manual as standard)
Rear AC vents	Only in top-spec RS	Available as standard
Upholstery	Leather (Fabric as standard)	Leather (Fabric as standard)
Airbags	6 (4 as standard)	6 (4 as standard)
Advanced-driver assistance systems	Honda SENSING (FCW, CMBS, LDW, LKAS, RDM, ACC, AHB), Honda Lane Watch camera (in higher variants)	Honda SENSING (FCW, CMBS, LDW, LKAS, RDM, ACC, AHB), Honda Lane Watch camera (in higher variants)

After comparing the features of the two cars, we can say the two cars are identical in this regard with very few differences. The hatch comes with ULTRA seats, which are ergonomically designed seats that can be folded in multiple ways offering more legroom and more flexibility in seat and luggage configurations. These include four modes - Refresh, Long, Tall, and Utility. Another notable difference is the lack of standard rear AC vents in the hatchback.

Engine specifications

On the mechanical front also, the City sedan and hatchback models are identical. The available powertrain options include a 1.5 litre DOHC i-VTEC four-cylinder and a hybrid setup. The former kicks out a maximum power of 121 PS at 6,600 rpm along with a peak torque of 145 Nm of torque at 4,300 rpm. It is mated to a CVT gearbox. The hybrid trim, on the other hand, is equipped with a 98 PS/127 Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine and an electric motor delivering 109 PS/253 Nm.

Summing up

In the end, we conclude that the chopped-up CIty is a fuss, free car whose shorter body makes it agile. It also offers more flexibility in seat and luggage configurations. The sedan, on the flip side, is larger with a bigger boot when all seats are in place. Both come with their own pros and cons, so ultimately, the choice depends on your lifestyle.

Also read: Honda teases the new Civic Type R ahead of debut in 2022