2020 Honda City review, road test

We put the fifth-generation City through our comprehensive tests to find out how it performs in the real world.

Published on Sep 28, 2020 07:00:00 AM

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This latest City’s suspension has gone even softer than before, resulting in a very compliant ride quality. It absorbs bad roads with a sense of maturity, and road shocks are absorbed so nicely, they don’t make their presence felt in the cabin. Even the sharpest potholes emanate mere muted thuds inside, and the suspension components do their job quietly and very competently. As a result, the new City has the nicest low-speed ride quality in its class. At expressway speeds, too, it remains composed and predictable, but when you up the pace, due to a peculiarly hollow rear section of the car, it doesn’t feel as planted or as reassuring as its European rivals. This hollowness also filters in a lot of road noise from the rear into the cabin, especially while driving over a wet surface.

Ride comfort is excellent; handling, although predictable, is quite uninspiring.

The first-gen model earned a reputation for being engaging to drive; but over the years, the City has matured into a comfort-oriented sedan with a more balanced approach. Most owners will be happy with its light steering that weighs-up well at speed, but those who enjoy driving will be left wanting for more feel and feedback. That said, the turn-in is quite sharp and the front end changes direction rather confidently too. Despite the narrow, 185mm tyres, there’s plenty of fun to be had while chucking it around on a winding section of road, but a wider set of rubber would further enhance the experience. There’s also a G-Force meter on the digital instrument cluster that displays up to 0.5 Gs, and can be a really fun tool when you are attacking corners or driving in a spirited manner.

In terms of braking, an earlier bite point would have been nicer, but the brake pedal feel and weight are very easy to get accustomed with. The overall braking performance has improved, and the car stops much earlier and in a shorter distance than before, under panic braking from 80kph.