The new Honda City RS e:HEV makes its world debut in Malaysia, as announced by Honda Malaysia. Honda probably chose this country to debut the City RS e:HEV because the City line has been a best seller in Malaysia through and through for many years. Based on the fifth-generation City, the new hybrid City gets the special attention and more exclusive upgrades.
As previously featured, the new City RS e:HEV becomes the first ever Honda to carry the Honda CONNECT, a smart Telematics technology for connectivity and such. For more information about the Honda Connect, see this link.
Honda City RS e:HEV: What’s the buzz
In looks, the car is considered eye-catching with its blacked-out front grille, lower grille, rear bumper with diffuser, spoiler and door mirrors in black. The body color is two-toned for obvious reasons. The headlights, foglights, DRLs and rearlights are all LED with garnish. Lastly, dual-tone 16-inch wheels are fitted to make the car more dynamic than a regular City. Even as a hybrid variant, the City is intended to look good thanks to its RS derivative.
Beneath the bonnet
The City RS e:HEV has a 2-motor hybrid system paired with a 1.5L DOHC i-VTEC intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) system and e-CVT transmission. This offers 109PS and 253Nm of torque, a benchmark for this segment. Three drive modes are available EV, Hybrid and Engine, selectable at a push of a button on the steering wheel.
Inside, the car comes with a more premium feel than a regular City with these goodies: 8-inch display screen, 7-inch meter, padded shifters on the steering and Ultrasuede seats with red stitching.
Safety is taken care of by the proprietary Honda SENSING and a host of standard equipment available with the standard City. The Honda SENSING suite comprises Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Mitigation Braking System, Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Auto High Beam (AHB).
The City RS e:HEV has three colors (Passion Red Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic and Platinum White Pearl) with a retail price of RM105,950.45. For a closer look, visit your nearest Honda dealer.