Honda Malaysia just launched its latest B-segment sedan on our shores, the 2020 Honda City. Four different variants of the sedan are offered in Malaysia, including the range-topping RS e:HEV variant. In fact, this is the global debut of the hybrid model, and Malaysia is the first market to receive it.
At least, that will be the case once the RS variant of the City is actually available in Malaysia. Unfortunately, this hybrid model will only arrive here sometime in January 2021. Honda Malaysia has not revealed the price of the RS model either, and given that it will only be delivered next year, it will not enjoy the 100% sales tax exemption.
Of course, Honda did reveal the local pricing of the other three variants of the fifth generation City. The base S trim costs RM74,191.27, while the E and V models go for RM81,664.82 and RM86,561.45 respectively. These prices are with sales tax exemption applied, which is why the figures look a little odd.
As per the government’s original announcement, the 100% sales tax exemption will only be valid until 31 December 2020. Once this is over, here’s how much you would have to pay for the new City – Honda Malaysia was kind enough to provide us the prices of the City with and without tax exemption in the table below.
| Honda City Variant | Price with sales tax exemption | Price without sales tax exemption | Price difference |
| S | RM74,191.27 | RM76,800 | RM2,608.73 |
| E | RM81,664.82 | RM84,800 | RM3,135.18 |
| V | RM86,561.45 | RM89,800 | RM3,238.55 |
These three variants of the City are powered by the same 1.5L DOHC i-VTEC engine that outputs 121PS and 145Nm of torque, and it is paired to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with drive sent to the front wheels. As for the RS e:HEV model, it features a Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) powertrain that delivers 109PS and 253Nm of torque.
Aside from that, the RS City is also the only variant to get Honda Sensing, a suite of driver assistance safety systems. These include Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Mitigating Braking System (CMBS), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), and Auto High Beam (AHB).
While the other three models of the City don’t get Honda Sensing, their safety equipment are still quite good. Standard safety equipment across the range include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), ISOFIX anchor points, and rear seatbelt reminder.
However, in terms of airbag count, only the RS and V trims get six airbags; the E and S models get four airbags instead. Aside from that, the former two are also the only variants to get Honda LaneWatch, which uses a camera mounted on the left side mirror to show what’s on the left side of the car (through the infotainment screen) whenever the driver signals to the left.
Other noteworthy equipment of the new City include keyless entry with push start button, rear air-conditioning vents, and 15-inch wheels, though the higher-end RS and V trims get larger 16-inch wheels with different designs. The City comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support as well, but this is not offered on the base S model.
To recap, the fifth generation Honda City starts from RM74,191.27 to RM86,561.45. After the tax exemption period is over, it will go from RM76,800 to RM89,800 instead. The range-topping RS e:HEV model, on the other hand, will only be available in Malaysia sometime in January 2021.