Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) launched the updated City Sedan and the refreshed Brio small hatchback last July 2023. The two vehicles are one of the constant best-sellers of Honda in the Philippine market, which is why the company is putting an all-out effort into marketing its refreshed models.
2024 Honda City Sedan and Brio RS
To do just that, HCPI organized a media drive featuring the 2024 City with Honda Sensing and the new Brio hatchback. Philkotse was among the publications that were invited to test drive the two new Honda vehicles from Bonifacio Global City (BGC) all the way to Batangas.
Can the two new Honda vehicles stand out in their respective segments? Does the subtle design update enough to attract potential car buyers? More importantly, can the new City and Brio deliver the same driving experience? These were the questions that were through my mind during the drive. To find the answer to all that, here’s Philkotse’s first impressions on the new 2024 Honda City and Brio.
First Leg: BGC to Batangas Racing Circuit onboard the 2024 Honda City Sedan
I was assigned to get on board the 2024 Honda City S, which is the mid-spec variant, that’s equipped with Modulo kits, which I find appealing. In some instances, I even consider the City S with Modulo kits more attractive and stylish than the top-spec City RS’s exterior since I find it to offer a more complete package in making the vehicle look sporty.
2024 Honda City Sedan with Modulo kits
The media convoy started to head out from BGC at around 9:30 a.m., just in time as the morning rush hour started to subside. The City’s comfortable ride still proved to be one of its main calling cards as it absorbed road imperfections well while I navigated through C5 to enter SLEX.
Driving the Honda City Sedan on the expressway
The City is still powered by the same 1.5-liter gasoline engine that delivers 119 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. The engine is still connected to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) – HCPI is no longer offering a manual gearbox option for the City Sedan.
Power delivery is not a problem for the City Sedan when you’re driving within the urban jungle. The 1.5-liter engine puts out adequate power while the transmission is smooth, giving you a pleasant driving experience. However, it’s quite a different story when you’re driving on the expressway.
The Honda City Sedan is equipped with Honda Sensing
Power and acceleration are still there when you’re cruising on the highway but overtaking slower vehicles should be planned for good measure. This is expected since the City comes with a CVT.
Despite that, the City Sedan is a smooth highway cruiser, and the addition of the Honda Sensing advanced driver assistance systems makes expressway driving safer and more convenient.
One of the features that I used while on SLEX is the adaptive cruise control (ACC), a feature that allows you to set your preferred speed while cruising on the highway. Since it’s adaptive, it adjusts the vehicle’s speed according to the vehicle ahead, allowing you to keep a safe following distance.
The City Sedan comes with adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist among others
The ACC is complemented by the lane-keeping assist, which applies steering torque to keep the City Sedan centered within the lane. It functioned relatively well even at sections wherein the highway road slightly tilts to the right or left. Another thing I appreciate is that the steering torque is not that intrusive when the lane-keeping assist is activated.
In terms of fuel economy, the 2024 City Sedan S with Honda Sensing posted 14 km/l (from BGC to STAR Tollway). Expect a more detailed fuel efficiency reading once we fully review the new City.
Second Leg: Batangas Racing Circuit
HCPI prepared a series of track activities to test out the driving capabilities of the new Honda City Sedan and Honda Brio. The first activity was the EcoSpeed Challenge where participants needed to drive the City and Brio on the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC) with the goal of recording the best lap time while at the same time yielding good fuel economy.
2024 Honda City Sedan on the track
The City Sedan is relatively stable and planted when taking wide turns around the track. I was able to drive through the series of turns with confidence, which was surprising since I didn’t expect that the City Sedan would handle that well when driven in a more performance-oriented manner. The same story goes with the Brio. It tackled the BRC’s corners relatively well, considering that it’s all stock.
The next activity was the Gymkhana where I drove the refreshed 2024 Brio RS on a specialized test course that featured tight straights, a slalom, and a wide U-turn. The Brio’s agility is highlighted in this activity as I drove through the course in a surefooted way.
2024 Honda Brio RS tackling the Gymkhana course
Driving through the slalom course was easy due to the Brio’s responsive steering wheel and tolerable body roll. This made me realize that the Brio is more than just a city dweller car – it can also withstand sudden steering maneuvers confidently.
The third activity was the Stability & Traction Experience where an instructor highlighted the City Sedan’s electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) tech by driving through a linoleum that was soaked in soap water. The instructor placed the City Sedan’s wheels (the two wheels on the right-hand side) in the soaked linoleum to demonstrate how the vehicle’s traction control works. The EBD tech also helped the City Sedan to maintain its stability by not slipping out while driving through the soaked linoleum.
2024 Honda City Sedan moose test
The last activity was the moose test, an evasive maneuver test that’s performed to determine how a car evades a sudden obstacle. The Honda City Sedan was used for this test, and it did manage to hold its ground as the instructor applied a sudden evasive steering maneuver to prevent hitting the cone.
Third Leg: Batangas to BGC onboard the 2024 Honda Brio RS
I was onboard the refreshed Honda Brio RS for the return trip to BGC. The driving performance is similar to what I’ve experienced on the pre-facelift version, which is expected. It absorbs road impacts within reason as I drive through provincial roads on the way to the STAR tollway. At the expressway, the Brio RS is stable with the steering wheel getting a tad firmer for better control.
2024 Honda Brio RS and City Sedan on provincial roads
What I appreciate the most is the addition of Apple CarPlay to the Brio’s seven-inch infotainment touchscreen as I can seamlessly use Waze for navigation while listening to my favorite Spotify playlist. The integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is something I consider essential since most of us probably own a smartphone.
2024 Honda Brio RS on the highway
In terms of fuel economy, the Brio RS posted 10.5 km/l from Batangas to BGC, which is a mixture of provincial roads, expressway driving, and afternoon rush hour in Taguig City. Expect a more detailed fuel efficiency reading once we fully review Honda’s new subcompact hatchback.
Initial Verdict
The City Sedan and the Brio still have the qualities that can help them compete competitively in their respective segment. The design updates may be subtle but the addition of new technologies gives the two Honda vehicles a new arsenal to attract potential car buyers.
Honda Brio RS and City Sedan
This is especially true in regards to the 2024 Honda City Sedan wherein the Honda Sensing tech is standard on all variants. Honda Sensing allows you to have safer drives while giving you comfort especially when you’re cruising on the expressway. Pricing for the Honda City Sedan ranges from Php 973,000 to Php 1,128,000.
The story might be a bit different when you look into the Brio. As we all know, it lacks some of the features that are present in the new Brio that debuted in Indonesia which includes the engine push start button and the revised instrument cluster.
2024 Honda Brio RS
If you ask me, I can live without those features as the Brio still drives well. Plus, the addition of Apple CarPlay is more important–at least on my end. In terms of pricing, the Honda Brio has a starting price of Php 735,000 while the top-spec RS Black Top retails at Php 863,000.
How about you? What do you think about the new City Sedan and Brio? Is it worth your money?
Know more about Honda City 2024
The 2024 Honda City is a subcompact sedan. In the Philippine market, its four variants are City E, City S, City V, and City RS—the prices for these range from Php 973,000 to Php 1,148,000.
Size-wise, the refreshed City for 2024 is 4,580mm long, 1,748mm wide, and 1,467mm in height. The RS trim is a bit longer at 4,589mm. All trims then get a wheelbase length of 2,600mm and a ground clearance of 134mm.
Under its hood is a 1.5-liter inline-4 gasoline engine capable of making up to 119 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to its front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Locally, the Honda City competes against the Toyota Vios, Mitsubishi Mirage G4, Mazda3, Nissan Almera, Hyundai Accent, MG 5, etc.
Honda City Launch
The refreshed 2024 Honda City was introduced to the Philippine market on June 13, 2023. It was launched locally with four available variants: the E, S, V, and RS.
Of note, the 2024 model updates the seventh-generation GN model which was initially introduced back in 2019.
Honda City Exterior
On the outside, the Honda City’s top-spec trim gets LED headlamps and the stylish RS kit which provides a high gloss black finish for many of its parts. All come standard with LED daytime running lamps, and LED taillights.
The City then sits on a set of 16-inch alloys for the RS. The V and S meanwhile, gets 16-inch or 15-inch alloy wheels respectively. The S uses a set of 15-inch steel wheels.
Other equipment available to the City includes power-folding side mirrors, side mirror integrated signal lamps, a trunk lid switch, a trunk spoiler, and an automatic on/off for the headlamps.
Honda City Interior
The City can comfortably seat up to five occupants which are then kept cool by an automatic or manual climate control system depending on the trim. The RS gets more convenience features in the form of a rear seat armrest, and rear seat accessory ports. It also has more cupholders numbering 4.
The model’s top-spec trim likewise has the fanciest-looking interior. This is because it gets leather-clad seats, and RS trim finishes. Plenty of bits of the City RS cabin also get a red contrasting color.
For the driver, this Honda sedan gets a 4.2-inch TFT color meter, an analog gauge cluster, a urethane steering wheel, and a tilt and telescopic steering column.
Technology & Safety Features
Providing entertainment aboard the Honda City is an eight-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For the RS, this display is linked to a total of eight speakers.
Safety for all City variants is handled by the Honda Sensing suite. This includes adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, lane keep assist, road departure warning, lane departure warning, auto high beams, and a lead car departure notification warning.
Standard safety equipment for this Honda model includes ISOFIX child seat anchors, anti-lock braking, stability control, speed-sensing door locks, and dual front airbags. Only the RS and V trims get a reverse camera. All variants get side airbags, but only the RS gets side curtain airbags.
Platform & Chassis
The Honda City uses a front-engine, front-wheel-drive chassis under the Honda Global Small Car Platform. Ride comfort is provided by McPherson struts for the front and a torsion beam suspension for the rear.
Braking for this model is provided by front discs and rear drums. It also uses a hand-operated manual parking brake.
Honda City Engine & Drivetrain
The 2024 City carries over the 1.5-liter found on the pre-facelift model. At maximum, this engine can churn out 119 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. Power is sent to its wheels via a CVT.
Honda City Q&A
1. Does the Honda City come offered with a front-wheel drive option?
Yes, it does.
2. Which Honda City variant has a sunroof?
The sunroof is not available on any variants of the Honda City, even the top-spec model.
3. Is the Honda City a fuel-efficient sedan?
Yes. According to the fuel efficiency test result by the Department of Energy, the Honda City consumes roughly 26.02 km/l.
4. Is the Honda City Philippines a good car?
Definitely. The Honda City is considered one of the most exquisite handling cars in its segment. Moreover, it is backed with a comfortable ride quality thanks to its sorted suspension setup of independent MacPherson struts with a stabilizer up-front and an H-shaped torsion beam with a stabilizer at the back.
5. Is the Honda City classified as a sedan?
Yes. The Honda City is the entry of Honda Cars Philippines Inc. to the subcompact sedan segment in the Philippine market.
₱ 973,000 - ₱ 1,128,000
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