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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?