Here's an early look at the 2023 Honda City facelift bound for Malaysia - Will Sensing be made standard like Thailand?
Dinesh · Jul 18, 2023 07:49 AM
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Pictured here is the Thai-market City facelift in the new shade of Obsidian Blue.
Following its refresh in India and Thailand, the popular Honda City is due for a facelift soon in Malaysia and based on photos from the Thai launch, we’ve got a good idea of the enhancements in store.
The most notable upgrade for the Thai-market cars comes in the safety department, with Honda Sensing now available as standard across the range but now also includes the integration of low-speed follow (LSF) into the autonomous cruise control function (ASS). However, LSF is only reserved for the 2 higher-end e:HEV variants. It's yet to be confirmed if the Malaysian facelift exercise will see the same upgrades introduced.
Apart from that, the facelift also includes the addition of the lead car departure notification system (LCDN). It isn’t something new or revolutionary as you can even find it in the humble Perodua Myvi. The system notifies the driver when the car in front has moved forward from a full stop, making it useful in traffic or at traffic lights.
Honda Thailand has also added walk-away auto-lock function, that as the name suggests, automatically locks the car as the driver walks away from it with the key fob after parking.
Up north, the City is available in 5 variants with 2 powertrain options. The first is a 1.0-litre VTEC turbocharged engine making 122 PS and 173 Nm of torque paired with a CVT gearbox.
On the other hand, the other powertrain comprises a 1.5-litre Atkinson Cycle naturally-aspirated engine paired together with an electric motor. The two-motor full-hybrid Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) hybrid system that makes 109 PS and 253Nm of torque. A single-speed transmission (e-CVT) allows the petrol engine to clutch in for direct drive at high speeds as it’s more efficient.
Powertrain options for Malaysia has been a little different. The i-MMD hybrid is available here on the City RS but other variants are powered by a 1.5-litre i-VTEC DOHC, naturally-aspirated engine that makes 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque mated to a CVT.
Visual changes is spearheaded by the introduction of an all-new colour, Obsidian Blue, though Malaysia will likely get the shade of Stellar Diamond Pearl instead that's already on the new WR-V.
Stellar Diamond Pearl as seen on the new Honda WR-V.
It also includes a new front grille together with redesigned front and rear bumpers while the flagship RS variant is distinguished with the additions of side skirts. Depending on the variant, wheel options are either of a 15 or 16-inch design.
While the interior remains pretty much unchanged, a major upgrade comes in the form of the 4.2-inch coloured TFT LCD multi-information display that has been added to the 1.0-litre Turbo variants.
Amongst all the upgrades, Thailand now gets a feature that’s already available in Malaysia and that’s the remote engine start function. Locally, all but the base S variant has it though Thailand now gets it as standard across the range and the same can be expected here as well.
Malaysian pricing for the Honda City is as follows:
Honda City 1.5L S – RM 77,600
Honda City 1.5L E – RM 85,600
Honda City 1.5L V – RM 90,600
Honda City 1.5L V Sensing – RM 94,600
Honda City 1.5L RS – RM 108,800
Meanwhile, prices for the facelifted Honda City in Thailand range between THB 629,000 (~RM 82,500) to THB 839,000 (~RM 110,000).
“Better late than never.” Some despise it, others begrudgingly agree with it but he swears by it… much to the chagrin of everyone around him. That unfortunately stems from all of his project cars not running most of the time, which in turn is testament to his questionable decision-making skills in life. A culmination of many wrongs fortunately making a right; much like his project cars on the rare occasions they run, he’s still trying to figure out if another project car is the way to go.
