The fifth-generation Honda City has received its second facelift in India, with the updated B-segment sedan making its debut in the country today. As far as changes go, the most talked about will undoubtedly be the radical new face, so let’s focus on that first.
As leaks have shown over the past few days, the new City’s front end now features sleeker bi-LED headlamps that visually blend into a full-width honeycomb grille, the latter seeing the end of the chrome bar found on the outgoing model.
The new ‘Blade-Eye’ headlamps sport segmented daytime running lights that double as indicators and meet with an added light bar running across the sedan’s face, sandwiching the repositioned Honda badge that now sits just ahead of the bonnet shut line – this is not standard for all trim levels.
Elsewhere, the redesigned bumper sprouts “fin-like” elements that lead into vertical air curtains at the edges, while the central intake is upturned to match. With these changes, the new City’s face appears sharper and more aggressive when compared to the first facelift.
Moving to the rear, you’ll find a new bumper with a large mesh centre section as well as reflectors placed at the corners. The taillights appear to be carried over wholesale and retain the same U-shaped light signature. In profile, the City looks similar to what it was before, although the 16-inch aero-blade wheels are new.
The same also applies to the interior, with the design of the dashboard being nearly identical to the outgoing model. Revisions here include a 65% larger touchscreen head unit that now measures 10.1 inches diagonally and no longer sits flush in the area between the central air vents, while ambient lighting gets added for a more upmarket feel. The latter shines through a 3D patterned-trim on the dashboard and is complemented by footwell lighting.
A welcomed feature, particularly given our climate, is front-seat ventilation, which Honda says is more effective cooling reaching 40% more area. The City in India also gains a 360-degree camera with moving object detection, with the button to turn it on being located at the end of the left light stalk.
In India, the new City will continue to be offered with a 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated inline-four petrol engine making 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque, paired with a CVT or six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels. There’s also an e:HEV hybrid powertrain based around a 1.5 litre NA four-pot running on the Atkinson cycle making 100 PS and 131 Nm
This is augmented by an electric traction motor rated at 109 PS and 253 Nm, with another electric motor acting as a generator for the lithium-ion battery. With an E-CVT sending drive to the front wheels, the e:HEV mostly runs as an electric vehicle (EV) but the engine can be clutched in to directly power the front wheels when needed.
The new City comes in four trim levels, namely the SV, V, ZX and ZX+, each with their own powertrain options. The SV can only be had with a 1.5L NA/6MT for 1,199,900 rupees (about RM50k), while the V, which gets the 1.5L NA with a CVT or 6MT, ranges from INR1,329,900 to INR1,429,900 (RM55k to RM59k).
Meanwhile, the ZX also gets the 1.5L NA and the same two transmission, with pricing between INR1,525,900 and INR1,625,900 (RM63k and RM67k). The top ZX+ trim can be had with all powertrains and goes for between INR1,614,900 and INR2,099,900 (RM67k and RM87k).
Looking at the kit list, the SV comes with the automatic Blade-Eye bi-LED project headlamps, 15-inch steel wheels, fabric seat upholstery, an eight-inch Advanced Touchscreen Display Audio head unit, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, four speakers, steering-mounted controls, a multi-angle rear-view camera, six airbags, the usual array of passive safety systems, hill start assist, keyless start, a 4.2-inch multi-info display as well as automatic air-conditioning with rear vents and PM2.5 filter.
The V builds upon the SV by gaining clean lenses for its LED taillights, 15-inch multi-spoke alloys in grey, Honda Connect with smartwatch compatibility and Alexa integration, wireless AA/AC, Honda Sensing and keyless entry.
Stepping up to the ZX adds the light bar at the front, an electric sunroof with slide/tilt function, 16-inch aero-blade alloy wheels, black exterior accents, leather upholstery in two-tone Ivory White and black, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, premium-look interior trim, ambient lighting, footwell illumination, the larger 10.1-inch head unit (called Floating Touchscreen Display Audio), Weblink connectivity, four more speakers (eight total), LaneWatch, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a wireless phone charger, LED interior lighting and a rear sunshade.
At the top of the range, the ZX+ comes with the same aero-blade wheels as the ZX, albeit in a Berlina Black and Dark-Clear Cut finish instead of Shark Gray and Bright-Clear Cut. The top trim also gets a sportier seat design, a 360-degree camera, ventilated front seats and a seven-inch multi-info display in the instrument cluster.
Colour options include Crystal Black Pearl, Radiant Red Metallic, Obsidian Blue Pearl, Platinum White Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic and Meteoroid Gray Metallic. Each purchase comes with a standard three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, extendable to seven years/unlimited mileage or 10 years/120,000 km. Hybrid variants gain a five-year, 100,000 km warranty on hybrid system components, while the lithium-ion battery is covered for eight years/160,000 km.
GALLERY: 2026 Honda City facelift (India market)
GALLERY: 2026 Honda City facelift launch event in India
GALLERY: 2026 Honda City facelift brochure (India market)
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