Honda City Key Features Explained: What Keeps The Iconic Sedan Relevant!

Although the sedan market has shrunk over time with just about 10% contribution in the overall sales, if there is one name that has stood the test of time, it has to be the Honda City. Almost synonymous with the segment owing to its superb reliability and a worthy fuel economy, this sedan echoes class with an almost timeless design across all generations. But in this section, we take you through the top feature highlights of the Honda City which spreads across four variants- SV, V, VX, and the ZX, in the same hierarchy. Not just this, we will also be looking at its rivals side by side to see how they fare against its tech quotient. But before moving any further, if you want more such detailed yet crisp snippets, make sure to join our 91Wheels WhatsApp Group community of petrolheads to never miss out on any updates from the automotive world.

Also Read- Tata Altroz Key Features Explained: Sunroof To Flush-Type Door Handles

1. ADAS

Honda City is one of the most affordable models in the market today that gets an ADAS suite of assistive features. Available right from the second base V model onwards at Rs. 13.15 lakhs ex-showroom with features like lane departure warnig, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, emergency collision braking, and more.

Variants Available: V variant onwards

Competitors With Same Features: Only the Hyundai Verna offers an ADAS suite in the C-segment sedan, along with the Honda City.

2. Single Pane Electric Sunroof

Honda City, even with its previous generation, offers a single-pane electric sunroof, a much-desired feature currently in our domestic market. It makes its way from the VX trim onwards.

Variants Available: Available from the VX trim onwards

Competitors With Same Features:

• VW Virtus offers a single-pane electric sunroof from its Topline trim
• Skoda Slavia gets this from the Signature trim onwards
• Hyundai Verna also keeps it as an offering from the S variant, which is the second base model; however, if you want a voice-assisted sunroof, you will have to opt for the SX(O) trim and onwards.

3. Rain Sensing Wipers

Honda City offers yet another modern feature, which is the rain-sensing wiper. As soon as the sensor placed on the windshield detects a pour, it automatically turns on the wipers. While this is a modern feature, I find it a little gimmicky considering the split second that it takes to manually turn on the wipers. So it is essential? No. Feel-good? Yes!

Variants Available: Equipped on the top-spec ZX variant.

Competitors With Same Features:

• Slavia gets this from Signature trim onwards
• Virtus offers rain-sensing wipers from the Topline 1.0L variant onwards
• Hyundai Verna, though a pretty feature feature-rich sedan, surprisingly misses out on this one.

4. Lane Watch Camera

Another feather in the cap of the Japanese sedan is the lane watch camera that automatically switches on when you shift the indicator for the right direction, assisting in ironing out the blind spots. You can, interestingly, also switch it on with a dedicated button on the indicator shift stick.

Variants Available: This handy feature is available from the VX trim onwards

Competitors With Same Features: No other rival offers this safety feature; however, Verna, Slavia, and the Virtus offer a rear parking camera

5. 8-Inch Infotainment Touchscreen Display

Honda City keeps rolling with a modest 8-inch display unit that feels a bit dated and not to mention, is the smallest in its segment. Although the touch response is decent and also offers wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, the interface and the unit feels lacking, especially when compared to the contemporaries.

Variants Available: This screen size is available as standard across the range, but the base SV variant does not offer any wireless smartphone projection.

Competitors With Same Features:

• Virtus offers a more advanced and bigger infotainment screen with wireless phone projection, measuring 25.65 cm
• Skoda Slavia also offers a bigger infotainment screen of 25.4 cm
• Hyundai Verna also scores above the City with a screen size of 26.03 cm, being the biggest of them all.

6. 8-Speaker Sound System

The City offers a respected set of 8 speaker system consisting of 4 speakers and 4 tweeters, making up for a satisfying listening experience. While the sound output feels good, if you are opting for lower variants, you will have to do with just a regular 4-speaker setup.

Variants Available: You will find this from the VX trim variant onwards, priced at Rs. 14.22 lakhs ex-showroom.

Competitors With Same Features:

• Virtus comes with an 8-speaker set-up right from its base Comfortline 1.0L.
• Slavia also gets an 8-speaker setup from the Signature variant onwards.
• Hyundai Verna gets a premium Bose surround sound system with a total of 8 speakers from the SX+ variant onwards.

7. Semi-Digital Instrument Console

The top-spec ZX variant gets an intuitive semi-digital instrument cluster with the speedometer still getting the needle gauge, the tachometer dial, on the other hand, is a digital unit that displays a range of other details, including a G-meter, which is a nice touch that gives you that sporty feeling. Notably, the VX trim, which earlier used to offer this same cluster, now only offers a traditional analogue console.

Variants Available: Comes with the Top-spec ZX trim.

Competitors With Same Features:

• VW Virtus offers a more advanced, fully digital instrument console from its
• Skoda Slavia also offers a fully digital driver's display with its Monte Carlo and Prestige trim
• Hyundai Verna is known for its fully digital driver's display, with most of its models and the Verna also getting it as standard across all trims.

Missing Features That Could Have Been Offered In This Price Range

• Wider Tyres: The top-spec ZX variant comes with a 16-inch wheel and a tyre of 185/55-R16, which feels a bit undersized given its power on tap and the general stance. Virtus, for reference, comes with a 205/55 R16 on its top-spec trim that adds much more confidence on the highways and feels planted while cornering.
• Ventilated Seats: The Hyundai Verna gets front ventilated and heated seats from the SX+ trim onwards, where the Slavia and Virtus offer front seat ventilation. In a country like ours, this feature needs to be democratised soon and rather than being seen as a luxury, it can be re-categorised as a necessity.
• Better Sound System: Although the 8-speaker sound system feels okay, but considering the price point at which the City retails, it should offer a better sound system.

Comparison Of Features