The Honda City e:HEV hybrid sedan has been unveiled in India. Now it's the first time Honda will offer the City with a full-fledged hybrid system in India and the only car from the brand to have received a similar treatment was the Honda Accord, back in 2016. While the standard Honda City is being offered in three trim levels in India- V, VX and ZX, the City e:HEV will be available only in the range-topping ZX variant. And only the latest fifth-generation City gets the hybrid tech while the fourth-generation car that's still on sale in India will come only with combustion engines as standard.
Also Read: Honda City e:HEV Hybrid Sedan India Debut: Highlights
Honda has started accepting bookings for the City e:HEV.
Under the hood, the Honda City e:HEV will source the same 1.5-litre, four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine from the standard sedan, but this time around, the petrol mill is assisted by an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack integrated in its boot. The combined power output here is 124 bhp while the system belts out 253 Nm of peak torque, out of which 127 Nm are generated by the petrol engine. Of course, the hybrid tech has also made the City e:HEV more fuel efficient and the overall fuel economy has bettered by around 40 per cent at a claimed 26.5 kmpl. And that despite the weight addition of around 110 kg. The Honda City e:HEV also gets three drive modes - EV, hybrid and petrol, which can be toggled via a rotary knob and the car runs on complete electric power in the EV mode when you're gentle on the throttle. The Honda City e:HEV also gets updated disc brakes at all corners.
However, the boot space too has been compromised to an extent to squeeze in the battery pack. You get 410 litres of luggage space in the Honda City e:HEV which is 96 litres lesser than what you get in the standard Honda City that offers 506 litres of boot space. The car also looks identical to the standard car in terms of design and even the cabin remains unchanged. On the inside, the tacho meter has been replaced by the new hybrid meter that shows when the car is running on electric power, when it's sourcing more power from the petrol motor and when energy regeneration is happening. It also gets electric parking brake with auto hold system and ambient lighting. The new Honda City e:HEV also gets more safety features like lane change assist, pedestrian alert and adaptive cruise control. One of its core rivals - the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is also offered with a mild-hybrid tech in India but the Honda City e:HEV gets a more advanced hybrid system.
