Facelifted 2023 Honda City Launched, Petrol Variant Now Gets ADAS

• 2023 Honda City launched in India between Rs 11.49 lakh and Rs 20.39 lakh. 
• New base-spec SV and V trim introduced for petrol and hybrid variants, respectively.
• Prices of existing variant have been hiked by up to Rs 50,000.
• Design changes include reworked grille, new alloys and tweaked bumpers.
• New features include wireless phone charger, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, ambient lighting and rain-sensing wipers.
• ADAS now extends to the petrol-only model.
• Gets just the 1.5-litre petrol and strong-hybrid powertrain options.

Honda Cars India has launched the facelifted City compact sedan in the country at Rs 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom). Even though design changes are minor, there are still plenty of updates here as there are two new entry-level trims (one each for the hybrid and petrol) and feature additions and rejigs. Plus, the 1.5-litre diesel engine has been removed from the lineup currently. 

Take a look at the variant-wise prices here:

Thanks to the introduction of new base trims, the starting price of the City petrol has dropped by Rs 38,000, while the hybrid trim is now more accessible by Rs 1 lakh. That said, prices of the other existing variants have seen a price hike of up to Rs 50,000.

Coming to the facelift bit, you need a magnifying glass to spot the changes on the 2023 sedan. Up front, the revised grille with a slimmer chrome bar and redesigned bumpers do enough to keep things fresh. In profile, the sedan rolls on new 16-inch alloys, while the rear end now features a spoiler and updated bumper.

Oh, and there’s a new Obisidan Blue colour that now joins the existing lineup, which includes red, white, grey, silver and brown colourways. 

On the inside, things remain more or less the same as the pre-facelift sedan. However, the revised seat upholstery and colours do give the cabin a fresh lease of life. It also gets a couple of new features, including a wireless phone charger, ambient lighting, wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and rain-sensing wipers. Still no ventilated seats, though. 

One important update though is the fact that the City’s standard petrol variants will also get ADAS, features that were earlier limited to the strong-hybrid option. The suite includes features like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, auto high-beam assist and frontal collision avoidance system. 

With the latest facelift, Honda has ditched its 1.5-litre diesel engine due to low sales. It will continue as a petrol-only model with its 121PS, 1.5-litre petrol and 126PS, 1.5-litre strong-hybrid powertrains, both updated to meet more stringent RDE emission norms. The petrol engine gets a six-speed manual and CVT while the strong-hybrid engine gets an e-CVT. 

With all these updates, the facelifted Honda City renews its rivalry with the Skoda Slavia, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, VW Virtus, and the upcoming 2023 Hyundai Verna, set to be launched on March 21.