SMOOTH RIDE ON SPORT HYBRID

THE City is one of Honda’s most popular B-segment sedans. As of last year, the largest market for Honda City is India, accounting for over 25 per cent of global sales.

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd launched the Honda City here in March last year. It was so well-accepted by Malaysians that the company achieved its onemonth booking target of 2,000 units just 10 days after the launch.

The company then introduced the 2017 Honda City Sport Hybrid i-DCD in July last year. Malaysia was the only country outside of Japan to have the Sport Hybrid i-DCD system.

We spent some time with the Honda City Sport Hybrid and walked away impressed.

Powering the Honda City Sport Hybrid is a 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine, hooked to a seven-speed dual clutch shift-by-wire transmission and an electric motor. It produces 135hp and 170Nm of torque, which is equivalent to a 1.8-litre engine.

The Honda City Sport Hybrid measures at 4,442mm in length, 1,694mm in width and 1,477mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,600mm. It has 40 litres of fuel tank capacity and 536 litre of boot space. With a weight 1,188kg, it is 69kg heavier than the petrol models due to the hybrid components.

Like the Honda City Grade E variant, the Sport Hybrid is fitted with 16-inch wheels, halogen headlights with daytime running lights, LED tail-lights, shark fin antenna, auto-folding side mirrors, chrome door handles, keyless entry with push start button, rear air-conditioning vents, paddle shifters, unique instrument cluster, rear armrest with cupholders, cruise control, touch panel climate control, fabric seats, 6.8-inch infotainment system and six-speaker sound system.

The City has four airbags, reverse camera, anti-lock braking system, electronic brake distribution, vehicle stability assist, hill assist system and ISOFIX child seat mounting points.

The Honda City Sport Hybrid is covered by a five-year unlimited mileage warranty with 10,000km service intervals.

There is also an additional eightyear warranty for the lithium-ion battery.

Although the Honda City Sport Hybrid looks like the petrol variant, it