It’s an ‘energetic hatch’ and all that jazz
HONDA CARS Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) introduced last week its all-new City Hatchback in a virtual event streamed via HCPI’s Facebook page. With the debut of the new subcompact hatchback, Honda is expanding its popular City sedan lineup. The Philippines’s first-ever City Hatchback is also poised to take the mantle from Honda’s beloved Jazz subcompact hatchback.
Compared to the sedan’s concept of “Ambitious Sedan,” the new City Hatchback was derived from Honda’s “Energetic Hatchback” concept, which exudes a more active and energetic character. While sharing attributes in terms of comfort and premium quality with the sedan, the City Hatchback aims to provide a fun, sporty yet versatile vehicle that would complement the diverse needs of customers.
The City Hatchback further underscores its sportiness by presenting a sleek exterior design combined with a low height and generous width to present an assertive feel.
The new City Hatchback retains the same 2600mm wheelbase similar to that of the City sedan. However, given its hatchback body style, this City is 21mm taller and 204mm shorter (in length) than its sedan counterpart. This is due to the removal of its rear trunk overhang, giving it a sporty exterior look while maintaining a generous and flexible cargo capacity.
Available only in a lone RS variant, the new City Hatchback shares some flagship RS design elements together with the sedan, further strengthening its impression of its sporty characteristics. Up front, the City Hatchback comes with an RS Design front bumper and RS Design high-gloss black front grille with RS Emblem, complemented by full LED headlights and LED daytime running lights similar to that of the RS sedan.
At the side, the high-gloss black power-folding side mirrors and 16-inch two-tone Berlina black alloy wheels further contributes to the car’s strong side profile. At the rear, sporty styling cues such as the RS Design rear bumper with diffuser, glossy black tailgate spoiler and full LED taillights give the City Hatchback a sporty and upmarket feel.
The City Hatchback extends its “Energetic” concept into the vehicle’s cabin. The car features a spacious interior complemented by upscale materials similar to the sedan’s. Comprised noticeably of suede and leather seats, black interior trim with red stitching and accents, leather shift knob and steering wheel with audio controls, front and rear center armrests, sports pedals and multi-information display with red illumination, the new City Hatchback’s interiors embody a premium feel to complement its sporty RS Design exterior.
Given its hatchback styling and configuration, the new City Hatchback inherits the Jazz’s ingenious ULTR seating configuration which allows the rear seats to be folded flat or flipped up, giving the car the versatility to quickly adapt to a wide variety of passenger and cargo-hauling needs. ULTR features four adjustable modes:
• Utility Mode: With the two rear seats folded flat, the vehicle can carry two passengers and accommodate large cargo items in the rear storage area.
• Long Mode: With the front passenger seat fully reclined and rear passenger seat folded flat, the vehicle can carry two passengers and accommodate long cargo items such as surfboards.
• Tall Mode: With the rear seats folded upward, the vehicle can accommodate tall items that need to remain upright, such as a large plant or tall luggage.
• Refresh Mode: When removing the front-seat head restraints, moving the seats all the way forward and tilting the seatbacks all the way back, the Refresh Mode allows the front and rear seats to be connected, providing a comfortable place for two people to relax.
On top of its premium yet sporty and versatile interior, the all-new City Hatchback also boasts an array of various technology features such as an eight-inch advanced touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and WebLink connectivity; an eight-speaker (4+4 tweeters) system; and a new A/C system with rotary knobs, digital display and illumination.
The City Hatchback also features a One Push Start System with Smart Entry Keyless Entry System and Remote Engine Start.
Powering the City Hatchback is a 1.5-liter four-cylinder DOHC i-VTEC engine that produces 121ps at 6,600rpm and 145Nm of torque at 4,300 rpm. The engine is mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with paddle shifters. Honda’s Eco Assist System, which consists of the Econ mode and Eco-Coaching Ambient Light, is available to help promote fuel-efficient driving.
Honda also gives utmost priority to safety. Standard in the City Hatchback are a G-Force Control (G-Con) body structure that helps to protect the vehicle’s cabin during collisions from any direction, vehicle stability assist (VSA) with agile handling assist (AHA), emergency stop signal (ESS), anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), hill start assist (HSA) and multi-view rear camera with dynamic guidelines. The City Hatchback also comes with six air bags (dual front air bags, front driver and passenger side air bags, and side curtain air bags). The City Hatchback boasts a five-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating.
The new City Hatchback is now available with an SRP of P1.115 million (exclusive of a P13,000 Safeguard Duty cash deposit) and comes in four colors: Ignite Red Metallic, Meteoroid Gray Metallic (a new color), Platinum White Pearl (for an additional P20,000), and Brilliant Sporty Blue Metallic (available in June).