2022 Honda City Hatchback 1.5 V Sensing Review

The competition in Malaysia's B-segment hatchback market is intense, with young families and first-time car buyers leaning towards models that balance practicality, features, and fuel efficiency. As a popular choice in this market segment, the 2022 Honda City Hatchback 1.5 V Sensing highlights its core selling points, including the LaneWatch blind spot monitoring, the Honda Sensing safety suite, and flexible space, attracting significant attention. In this review, we conducted a test drive to focus on evaluating its dynamic performance, practicality of features, and whether its space meets market expectations.

In terms of appearance, this car continues the youthful design of the City series, featuring Honda’s family-style chrome grille at the front paired with sharp LED headlights, resulting in high overall recognition. The car's side profile exhibits smooth lines, with an arc extending from the A-pillar to the rear, enhancing its sporty feel. The 16-inch alloy wheels have a simple and stylish design that complements the car's proportions. At the rear, the spoiler and through-type taillight design enhance the visual layers, and the chrome trim on the lower section of the rear bumper adds a touch of sophistication.

Inside the car, the interior adopts a symmetrical layout, with the center console covered in soft-touch materials that feel refined. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system sits atop the center console, featuring a simple and user-friendly interface, supporting both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for convenience in daily use. The instrument cluster combines dual circular analog gauges with a central display screen, showcasing basic information like fuel consumption and speed with clear readability. In terms of features, a single-zone automatic air conditioning system, keyless entry/start, and an 8-speaker sound system come standard. The front seats are manually adjustable, made of leather materials with thick padding for good support.

Regarding space, the car's dimensions measure 4345mm x 1748mm x 1488mm (length x width x height), with a wheelbase of 2600mm. The rear legroom is above average for its class, with a 175cm tall passenger able to sit with approximately two fists of space between their knees and the front seats, while headroom remains ample. The trunk offers a capacity of 289L, and the rear seats can be folded in a 60:40 split, expanding the space enough to accommodate a stroller or large luggage, meeting the daily travel needs of families.

The powertrain is equipped with a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine delivering a maximum power output of 121PS and a maximum torque of 145Nm, paired with a CVT transmission. During daily driving, the power delivery is smooth, with responsive acceleration during takeoff. When in sport mode, throttle response becomes more aggressive, with a quicker rise in RPM, making it suitable for overtaking or highway cruising. In terms of fuel consumption, the official combined fuel consumption is 5.6L/100km, with an actual fuel consumption of approximately 6.5L/100km in urban conditions and 5.2L/100km on highways, meeting expectations.

The chassis uses front MacPherson strut independent suspension and rear torsion beam non-independent suspension, with a tuning preference leaning towards comfort. When going over speed bumps or uneven roads, the suspension effectively absorbs vibrations and keeps the body stable. The steering system is accurate with minimal play, and body roll is well-controlled during cornering. At high speeds, the steering wheel feels stable, instilling confidence. In terms of noise insulation, the cabin does a good job of minimizing noise, with almost no engine noise at low speeds. At high speeds, wind and tire noise increase slightly but remain within an acceptable range.

The safety configuration is the highlight of this car. The Honda Sensing safety suite includes features such as lane keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control. In actual tests, the lane keeping assist system can accurately identify lane lines and automatically correct the direction, while adaptive cruise control is convenient to use on highways, reducing driving fatigue. In addition, six airbags, a reversing camera, and rear parking sensors also enhance driving safety.

Overall, the 2022 Honda City Hatchback 1.5 V Sensing performs outstandingly in terms of configuration, space, and safety features. Compared to its counterparts, the Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2, its Honda Sensing safety suite and flexible space are more advantageous. This car is suitable for young families who value safety and space, as well as individuals who need to balance daily commuting with weekend trips. If you pursue balanced performance, rich configurations, and good fuel economy, this car is worth considering.