FULL REVIEW: 2020 Honda City RS - An ideal city car for the urban jungle

Disclaimer, Honda Philippines lent us the 2020 Honda City RS with a full gas tank and access to its two RFID cards. 

When the 2020 Honda City first came out, it was a radical redesign from its older version, as the newer one looked more like a much bigger Honda Civic that had been shrunken down to meet the subcompact sedan classification.

I was lucky enough to be one of the few to experience the new City a few weeks after its initial launch during a media drive event. I was excited to test its handling as many in the car community considered it an underrated performer. They were right, as the sedan wowed me with its new chassis and better mechanical grip.

It has been three years since I tried it, and now Honda Philippines has allowed me to try it again for this review to see if it's still an excellent choice for a daily driver in the urban jungle. 

Three years later and it still looks good

The unit that Honda Philippines lent to us has aged well. It's now roughly three years old and is still in good condition. Its paint has lost some shine but still looks good despite minor scratches and dents.

This unit is a good gauge of what you can expect to see with your Honda City as it ages. Its LED headlights still shined bright and retained their excellent throw and cut-off, but they still get drowned out in certain conditions, especially if the street lights are also LEDs.

The unique RS grille is still in good condition despite the minor scratches it has received over time from road debris. It still helps hold the sedan's overall sporty look, befitting its RS badging. 

The 16-inch wheels have held their own over the years with just a few barely noticeable scratches here and there as normal wear and tear.

The vehicle's rear still looked good with its uniquely shaped LED taillights and trunk lid spoiler found only on the RS model or as an accessory for the other City variants. 

Overall the City’s exterior has held its own through the years despite its age retaining its modern yet minimalist look. 

The minimalist interior

The Honda City has a minimalist interior design with few flash plastics or fancy materials on the dashboard. It comes with a few scratchy plastics and piano black plastic accents. They expectedly have gotten scratched up over time but surprisingly have kept their shine.

The red accent stitching in the vehicle is still there and has retained its subtle styling for the cabin of the City. 

Overall, the dashboard and cabin of the City wouldn’t look out of place against the more modern entries in the Philippine market today. Its fit and finish are excellent as there are still no creaks with its interior panels, and the durable plastics have stood the test of time and the use and abuse thrown at it as a test unit.

Just the right amount of technology

The Honda City has just the right amount of technology for its position in the market. As a first car or daily driver, you will want the basics of an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available. The touchscreen also serves as your display for the reverse camera.

Using the touchscreen is easy, with no menu juggling needed to use an application you want to change the infotainment system's settings.

The Honda sedan has these as standard for its entire variant lineup. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will let you connect your phone to the infotainment system, allowing you to answer Facebook, Viber, and regular text messages without using your phone. 

It also gives you access to navigation applications such as Waze, Google Maps, and other apps that let you stream music. 

Overall, the City RS has just the right amount of technology to keep you connected without being too overwhelming for the average driver.

Stellar safety

Regarding safety features, the Honda City has dual front, side, and curtain airbags. It also has ABS with EBD, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, speed-sensing door locks, ISOFIX anchor points, and a reverse camera. 

It also has a 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating proving that Honda put a lot of effort into making the City a safe car. 

Power/fuel economy

Under the hood, the City is powered by a dual overhead cam (DOHC) 1.5-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder gasoline engine, which pushes out 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque. It is mated to an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) that sends power to the front wheels.

The new engine is a step up over its older iteration as the new model comes with a beefier midrange which lets torque kick in much more quickly than before.

In the city, we could get between 8 to 11 km/l, while on the highway, we could get 16 to 18 km/l. Something to note is that Honda Philippines says that the Honda City can reach around 24 km/l, which is true if you drive it on the highway with very little traffic on the way. 

However, suppose you encounter slower-moving traffic on the highway; it can lower your fuel economy figure as you need to accelerate to overtake them. It will result in the below 20km/l fuel economy figures we encountered with the City during our highway testing.

The Honda City is still an ideal city vehicle as it is frugal on gasoline. It is also a more than capable highway cruiser as its CVT helps keep the revs low to help you save on gasoline. 

Price and verdict

The Honda City RS is priced at ₱1,093,000, which can be expensive for those working on a tighter budget. Other options, such as the Toyota Vios and MG GT, are more attractive alternatives if price is your concern.

However, if you want the balanced ideal first car with a sporty twist, the Honda City is your best choice. Its segment has the most naturally aspirated power, a sporty look, especially in its RS trim, and a 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating. It also helps that the City is fuel efficient, letting you travel over 400 kilometers on a single tank. 

Yes, the Honda City is pricy, but you get what you pay for with the sedan in terms of its refinement, durability, and power that it offers. 

The Honda sedan is also expected to get a refresh soon, adding more safety features to its spec sheet, making it more enticing to prospective buyers. 

Would the Honda City RS be an ideal first car despite the price point?

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