Face-lifted Honda City Launched In Thailand – Mild Visual Tweaks, Honda Sensing For All Grades

Latest Thai-spec Honda City 1.5 e:HEV RS.

The face-lifted version of the current-gen Honda City compact sedan has entered the Thai market this week. As expected, this mid-cycle refresh sees the a host of mild visual tweaks inside and out, plus the addition of Honda Sensing active driver assist (ADAS) across the board in all grades.

In Thailand, the refreshed City sees five variants in total available and the choice between two powertrains, those being a 1.0-litre 3-cyl VTEC turbo petrol plus CVT setup and the familiar 1.5-litre e:HEV plus E-CVT hybrid setup. Take note, the 1.5-litre i-VTEC 4-cyl petrol mill we Malaysians are perhaps familiar with isn’t offered in this market.

Sporty flagship e:HEV RS features a new honeycomb grille insert, lower apron, plus a
prominent faux rear diffuser.

Styling updates see the adoption of a new slimmer chrome bar in the front fascia that’s matched with a new multi-slat grille insert design and lower intake for non-RS variants. Sporty RS-grade models instead get a honeycomb pattern grille, along with skid skirts, fog lamps with black enclosure trim pieces, and a different lower apron.

Other notable styling revisions include a new rear bumper, with the RS models gaining a prominent faux rear diffuser to match with the black boot lid spoiler. Notably, the same finish is applied to the shark fin antenna and side mirror caps too.

Styling tweaks on board are minimal too, but there are changes to upholstery materials, where as 3-cyl variants in Thailand also gain a new 4.2-inch TFT multi-info display.

On board, styling changes in the cabin are equally light, and there are several new features. All 3-cyl variants gained a new 4.2-inch TFT multi-info display panel whilst RS-trimmed variants get combination leather and synthetic leather upholstery replacing the previous leather-suede combo. SV-grade models, on the other hand, now sport dark red synthetic leather centre console  trim and door panels.

As you can probably guess, the biggest change lie in kit list with the entire line-up now brimmed with the Honda Sensing ADAS suite. This adds Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation System with Lane Departure Warning (RDM with LDW), Auto High-Beam (AHB) and Lead Car Departure Notification System (LCDN) as standard.

Though Honda Sensing ADAS is now standard across the board in all variants in Thailand, only the range-topping 1.5 e:HEV RS gets the Honda LaneWatch feature pictured.

Included too is an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) feature which, in the e:HEV variants specifically, has been bolstered with a new low-speed follow function added. As for the Honda LaneWatch camera feature, this is reserved solely for the range-topping 1.5 e:HEV RS hybrid variant sold in said kingdom north of our border.

After Thailand, other ASEAN markets are set to welcome a similar refresh - Malaysia too.

With its arrival in the Thai market, introduction in other ASEAN markets are expected to follow suit – ours included. Given what we’ve seen for Thailand, we can expect the Malaysia-bound face-lifted Honda City to feature similar revisions with on board specs, particularly with the Honda Sensing suite primed across the board.

With that note, it’s almost certain that we can expect a price bump as well when the model officially launches. Word from the grapevine is that this is slated to happen shortly after the introduction of the WR-V compact crossover SUV.