[ĐÁNH GIÁ NHANH] Honda City 2021 price from 529 million VND

With an unchanged price and many significant upgrades, Honda City 2021 seems to have all the elements to return to the sales race in the B-class sedan segment.

With the introduction of the first generation in 1996, Honda City was Honda’s first model developed towards the Asian region. Honda City’s design is researched and developed based on market characteristics and customer tastes in this area. After more than 20 years, Honda City has become Honda’s strategic car model in Asia and is honored to receive many prestigious awards such as Best sedan under 1,500cc in Thailand 2019, Best small car in Malaysia 2019, Gold award for small car of the year in Malaysia 2019.

In Vietnam, Honda City has always been a car model loved by consumers, as evidenced by the fact that within 3 years of 2018 – 2020, more than 25,000 4th generation Honda City cars were delivered to customers, helping this car model always be in the Top 3 best-selling cars in the B segment in Vietnam. However, with the rise of high-riding crossover models, as well as major changes in main competitors such as Vios or Accent, Honda City gradually fell out of the monthly best-selling rankings.

However, Honda Vietnam is determined to regain the market with a 5th generation Honda City version with many valuable changes. The car has 3 versions, 6 exterior color options in the Vietnamese market (G, L and RS) with selling prices of 529, 569 and 599 million VND respectively. The City L and RS versions with special red paint will be 5 million VND more expensive than the standard price. Honda City 2021 will be available at Honda dealers nationwide from January 2021, meaning it will not enjoy the 50% registration tax incentive.

Distinctive sporty exterior

Honda’s car models always possess an extremely youthful and stylish exterior design, in contrast to the calm, neutral look of fellow automaker Toyota. Honda City 2021 continues to apply the Solid Wing Face design language with a large chrome plate covering the entire width of the front of the car. On the RS version, this detail is painted glossy black, combined with hexagonal meshes to create a sporty mark for this most advanced version.

The impressive steering wheel combined with Honda’s signature split LED headlights creates an emotional face for the Honda City 2021. Other details such as the angled front bumper, carbon-patterned front splitter and clamshell-shaped hood with two strong ribs make the Honda City RS truly stand out compared to competitors in the same segment. I am willing to judge that the “face” of Honda City 2021 is the most beautiful and youthful in the B-sized sedan class.

The details that make up the City 2021 body design are still sharp and sharp like the previous version. We have a bold line running along the body of the car, extending from the headlight cluster to the brake lights, a style clearly inherited from the Honda Accord. The next highlight is the 16-inch alloy rims with a beautiful diamond-cut multi-spoke design, with Yokohama BluEarth 185/55R16 tires. This is a tire line with the same quality as the previous generation City’s Bridgestone Turanza line, but has slightly better wet road grip, in exchange for the BluEarth line being a bit noisier.

The new rims of Honda City 2021 have a quite thick design and cover a large part of the wheel surface, covering up the “disadvantage” that the rear wheel only has drum brakes. Whether drum brakes have any effect on the vehicle’s performance, we will find out later.

Going back to the rear design of the car, I personally find this a very valuable upgrade compared to the previous generation City. The C-shaped LED brake lights make the car look modern and eye-catching. Many people think that this light strip is “learned” from a German car model, but to me, that doesn’t matter much because at least the rear of City 2021 is much more beautiful than the 2020 version with halogen lights! Details such as the rear spoiler, vertical reflectors or carbon-patterned rear diffuser make the City more attractive to young people. Of course, the above “aerodynamic” details are only aesthetic.

Spacious and comfortable interior

Honda City 2021 has overall dimensions of length, width and height: 4,553 x 1,748 x 1,467 mm respectively. These parameters are all better than two direct competitors, Hyundai Accent and Toyota Vios. The car’s wheelbase reaches 2,600 mm, equal to the Accent and more than the Toyota Vios (2,550 mm). When I sat directly in the interior compartment of the City, I felt that the rear compartment was much more spacious than the Korean car and equivalent to its compatriot Vios. In general, in terms of interior space, Honda City can fully meet the needs of carrying 4 adults daily, or 5 adults when traveling short distances.

In terms of interior design, Honda always knows how to make its products more special than competitors in the same segment. The interior of the car models they sell exudes a neat and elegant look but does not lack a bit of sportiness.

Stepping into the Honda City RS 2021, you will see commendable highlights such as a 3-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel with red embroidery, 4-way adjustable and integrated gear shift lever, 8-inch touch entertainment screen instead of 6.8 inches in the old generation, and supports Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Furthermore, the air conditioning control cluster with 3 round knobs has a very beautiful and convenient design – this is a design inherited from the Honda Accord. Right below the air conditioner cluster are 2 USB ports and 1 12V port, users can charge multiple phones and use other peripheral devices.

Regarding interior materials, I personally find that the leather-covered details on the City all have higher quality leather than competitors in the same segment, although the hard plastic parts are relatively rough and scratch easily. Another unfortunate omission is that the seat surface and back are only covered with felt fabric, although this detail is quite suitable for the sporty sound of the RS version. However, that is acceptable because after all, this is a B-class car priced under 600 million VND.

Compared to competitors like Accent or Vios, Honda City feels like you are stepping into a truly “full” car with full amenities. The car even has a 6-way power driver’s seat and an 8-speaker sound system. The rear passenger also has separate air conditioning vents and 2 12V ports. Although the car still uses a mechanical handbrake and a mechanical clock cluster (Accent has a full LCD clock), in general, the interior of the Honda City RS 2021 is a significant upgrade compared to the previous version.

Regarding safety features, the City G and City L versions have 4 airbags, while the City RS version has a full 6 airbags. The car also has many active safety features such as anti-lock braking system ABS, electronic balance VSA, electronic brake force distribution EBD, emergency brake assist BA, hill start assist HSA, Cruise Control automatic throttle. A 3-angle reversing camera is also standard equipment for City L and City RS.

Operability

Nearly every Honda representative in every segment offers a top-of-the-segment driving experience, and Honda City is no exception. All 3 new generation Honda City versions in Vietnam are equipped with a 1.5L DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder in-line engine, producing maximum power of 119 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and maximum torque of 145 Nm at 4,300 rpm, combined with a CVT automatic transmission.

The capacity parameters of Honda City are better than competitors in the same segment such as Accent or Vios while the weight difference between these 3 cars is only about 20, 30kg, so it is not difficult to understand that Honda City is the car that gives the best acceleration feeling. The 2021 version of City also uses a double camshaft (DOHC) engine, which is a major upgrade to the previous version’s single camshaft (SOHC) engine. However, the disadvantages of noise and vibration of the City’s new engine, especially at high rpm, seem to have not been completely overcome.

The test created in Dong Mo was relatively short, so my experience with the car was not long enough. However, in addition to the quite powerful engine, the other big impression I have with this car is its excellent suspension system. In a circular turn at a speed of 40 km/h, the car has excellent body control, not stalling like its two competitors Vios and Accent. Try driving at a speed of 50 km/h, the car also regains balance very quickly and doesn’t lose much speed. The steering wheel doesn’t feel much, but the City’s steering wheel still has better firmness and precision than its competitors. In short, this is the car that offers the most enjoyable driving experience in its segment.

Summary

Honda City is still the car model that provides the most exciting driving experience in the B-class sedan segment, where driving experience is not really a factor that car manufacturers focus on developing. It can be said that the experience behind the wheel is what makes Honda City different from the rest. The 2021 version also adds additional amenities to make the City design not “out of breath” compared to its Korean competitors, in addition to the spaciousness of the interior and the beauty of the exterior design. With prices starting from 529 million VND, it is difficult to find a car model that gives a good overall experience like the Honda City 2021.

Vi Pham (Tuoitrethudo)