After months of spyshots and leaked photos, the 2023 Honda City facelift makes its global debut in India. The City has become a favourite among buyers in the subcontinent for 25 years and put the H brand on the Indian map.

Visually in front, the updated City gets a new sporty front grille with a diamond chequered flag pattern, a newly designed front bumper with carbon-wrapped lower moulding, and sporty fog lamp garnishes.

In the back, the City facelift receives a redesigned rear bumper with a sporty carbon-wrapped diffuser and a body-coloured trunk lip spoiler. Adding to the sporty yet premium feel for the Indian-spec City facelift are newly designed 16-inch dual-tone diamond cut multi-spoke alloy wheels.

The facelifted City also gets a brand-new colour, Obsidian Blue Pearl which is offered on both the petrol-powered and e:HEV petrol-electric hybrid variants.

Also read: Like your Honda City in this Obsidian Blue Pearl colour? Tell Honda Malaysia

A major update for the Indian-spec City is the addition of Honda Sensing advanced driver assist safety (ADAS) suite on the higher-spec petrol variants. On the pre-facelift, this is only offered on the e:HEV variants in India. These features include:

• Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
• Road Departure Mitigation System
• Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS)
• Lead Car Departure Notification System
• Auto High-Beam

On the City e:HEV, the ACC feature comes with the addition of a Low-Speed Follow function that helps to maintain a safe distance from the preceding vehicle while driving at low speeds or stop-and-go traffic. This feature is not on the existing Malaysian-spec City e:HEV RS or City V with Honda Sensing.

Also read: Insurance body: Windscreen replacement for cars with ADAS costs 4x more, improper calibration post-repair a concern

As the City is considered a premium car in India, the interior is pretty plush with two-tone beige and black colours for the petrol variants and two-tone ivory and black combination for the e:HEV variants.

Depending on the variants, the Indian-spec City facelift is offered with the following features:

• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Wireless charger
• One-touch electric sunroof
• 7-inch digital TFT display
• Rain-sensing auto wipers
• Ambient lighting

Powertrains offered on the updated Indian-spec City remain the same from the pre-facelift. Petrol variants are powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre i-VTEC DOHC (121 PS/145 Nm) which is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission or “7-speed” CVT automatic transmission. Yes, a City that allows you to row your own gear still exist.

Also read: Here's why the manual transmission still matters

As for the City e:HEV, it is powered by the same 1.5-litre Atkinson-cycle DOHC i-VTEC engine that is paired with a couple of electric motors. Combined, the hybrid system produces a maximum of 126 PS/253 Nm and is paired with an eCVT gearbox.

Also read: Review: 2021 Honda City RS e:HEV – Hybrid perfomance for the common man

Also offered in the Indian-spec City is Honda Connect which can work with smartphones, smartwatch devices, Alexa remote capability, and OK Google.

Prices for the City petrol in India start from INR 1.15 million (~RM 62k) all the way to INR 1.6 million (~RM 87k) while the City e:HEV is priced between INR 1.89 million to INR 2.04 million (~RM 102k-111k).

With the updated City making its debut in India, it is only a matter of time before the facelift enters Malaysia but it won’t be so soon as Thailand have yet to launch it. Currently, the existing Honda City is priced between RM 77,600 to RM 108,800.

Also read: From Axia to Vios, these 8 cars are coming to Malaysia in 2023 and could cost less than RM 100k!