Compare Honda City Old vs New: What Has Changed In The 2020 Honda City?

by Harish Kumar | 28/11/2019
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The 2020 Honda City is very different in comparison to the old City model. Here is the detailed comparison report between the new vs old Honda City.

1. 2020 Honda City vs Old Honda City: Prologue

The 2020 Honda City is set to enter India towards the end of the next year. Recently, the 2020 City has been unveiled at Thailand, hinting at how the next-gen car would look like when it arrives in India. The City moniker has been a long-serving and a popular car name in the Indian market. The current-model Honda City, even though it's a brilliant car, has started showing its age in the eyes of modern tech-savvy buyers. With the push of many other younger players in the segment, like Honda Amaze, Ford Aspire, or the best-selling Maruti Swift Dzire, Honda has none other choices than upgrading the Honda City with new advanced features and technology.

next-gen honda city exterior design front angle

Upcoming 2020 Honda City

Just like what we expect from the new-gen City, the new executive sedan will get substantial changes over its current generation. The exterior design of the 2020 Honda City receives a host of cosmetic changes for a better visual appeal compared to the 2017 Honda City. The interior has been thoroughly revised as well and surely, we are going to see a new engine sitting under its skin due to the BSVI’s implementation. In this article, we pit the 2020 Honda City against its older version to see how these cars compare with each other on paper and what does the former have to offer on the table.

2. 2020 Honda City vs Old Honda City Dimensions: Which is bigger?

The new-gen Honda City will get increased proportions as against the old-gen model as per the details revealed in Thailand.

 Dimensions 2020 Honda City (Thailand)  Current Honda City  Difference 
 Length  4,553 mm  4,400 mm  + 113 mm
 Width  1,748 mm  1,695 mm  + 53 mm
 Height  1,485 mm  1,495 mm  - 10 mm
 Wheelbase  2,589 mm  2,600 mm  - 11 mm
 Ground Clearance  NA  165 mm  NA
 Kerb Weight  NA  2,600 mm  NA

Internationally, the 2020 Honda City has a considerably grown-up size as it is essentially 113 mm longer, 53 m wider than the predecessor. However, the sedan now sits lower than the older one by 10 mm and its wheelbase has been shortened by 11 mm as well. We expect the India-bound 2020 Honda City would get the same sizes as the international-spec vehicle. Currently in India, the Honda City is measuring at 4,440 mm long, 1,695 mm wide, 1,495 mm high along with the wheelbase of 2,600 mm. The Honda City ground clearance is yet to be revealed while that of the old Honda City is at 165 mm.

Also Read - 2020 Honda City: What To Expect From The Next-Gen Model

3. 2020 Honda City vs Old Honda City Design: Which is better looking?

Exterior Design Comparison

If you have been following IndianAuto, you will have already seen a host of spy shots and speculative rendering of this upcoming sedan. Now the 2020 Honda City has just come under the spotlight from which we get an idea of how the India-spec 2020 Honda City would look. From our obvious sense, the 2020 City bears a resemblance to the Honda Amaze and Civic siblings in regards to the appearance. That means the next-gen City is more inclined towards the elegance and neatness in comparison with the sharp bold stance of the older generation.

2020 honda city exterior rear quarters

2020 Honda City - Rear-Three Quarter Design

Still, we see the sharp lines and creases on the car’s side profile, running from the front door to the back and eventually merging with the tail lamps, but they are a tad sleeker than that of the older model. The 2020 Honda City features a flatter nose compared to the previous version with the presence of a square-ish grille and a bold horizontal slat upfront. The new-gen car comes with a pair of large wrap-around headlights embellished with LED projector treatments, daytime running lamps along with angular fog lamp housing. However, what seems to take a bit away from the front look of the new City is the simply-styled bumper.

2020 Honda City Revealed | India Launch Soon (Hindi)

As for the side profile, the new Honda City for Thailand sits on a set of multi-spoke diamond-cut alloy wheels shod with 185/60 R15 sized tyres. However, we expect the India-spec sedan to get a larger tyre size instead.

current honda city red rear angle

Current-gen Honda City - Rear-Three Quarter Design

Another change in the new City placement of the ORVMs, which are door-mounted instead of the window-mounted like the current. At the back, it comes up with a 3D design, new tail lamps which are said to be completely new LED units. However, the fifth-gen City now misses out on the chrome strip connecting the taillamps as featured in the current-gen City.

Also Read - This Old-Gen Honda Civic Has Been Modified To Look Like The Latest Model

Interior Design Comparison

In line with the ever-growing requirements of the enthusiasts, the interior of the new City has been massively updated for a higher upmarket feel. That said, stepping inside the cabin, the 2020 Honda City has an all-new dashboard layout that looks much straightforward with all the functions and controls that we want them to be.

new-gen honda city interior dashboard

2020 Honda City - Interior Design

old honda city interior dashboard layout

Current-gen Honda City - Interior Design

The interior design and tech of the car are shared with the newly-unveiled Honda Jazz which is unlikely to launch in India. A large touchscreen infotainment system dominates the centre console of the new Honda City model, along with a range of connectivity options like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth. That said, the new Honda City ditches the asymmetrical design of the old City model and goes for a more conventional approach. The Thai Honda City gets an all-black interior theme but the Indian version might come with a dual-tone scheme just like the current-gen model. The instrument cluster gets tweaked dials along with a multi-information display in-between. The new City’s dashboard gets soft-touch materials for a better quality in comparison to the Honda City old model.

Also Read - Cars At Auto Expo 2020 - Upcoming Cars, New Launches, Images, Specs

4. 2020 Honda City vs Old Honda City Features: Which Is More Convenient and Safer?

The 2020 Honda City comes with a longer list of features, thereby making it a safer and more comfortable car than the outgoing model. While retaining most of the existing top-spec City’s features, it endears itself with a range of safety bits, just making the roads a safer place.

Safety Features Comparison

On the safety front, the new Honda City 2020 comes with six airbags with dual-front airbags, side and curtain airbags, multi-angle rear camera view, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, hill start assist along with vehicle stability control among others. The current Honda City is available with dual front airbags for driver and co-driver, ABS with EBD, high-speed alert, rear parking sensors, etc.

Also Read - Safest Cars In India Under 10 Lakhs

Comfort Features Comparison

The 2020 City sedan features a new 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. The three-spoke steering wheel now sports mounted controls for volume, cruise control, Bluetooth telephony and there’s also a touch-panel based auto climate control on the table for a more user-friendly arrangement. The exact feature package of this new Honda car might be unveiled closer to the launch date, but we expect the Indian City to come with 12V accessory socket, two USB charging ports, three-spoke steering with leather wraps and, twin analogue dials, brushed-aluminium pedals, cruise control and more.

5. 2020 Honda City vs Old Honda City Engine Specifications: Which will offer better performance?

The new Honda City will be BSVI-compliant. The outgoing Honda City is presently available with a 119 HP 1.5-litre petrol engine along with a 100 HP 1.5-litre diesel motor unit. The petrol engine comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and a CVT while the diesel motor can be had with a 6-speed manual transmission. Expect the 2020 Honda City will retain all these engine setups but in the BS6 spec form. Transmissions are unlikely to be changed either.

2020 honda city image side profile

2020 Honda City - Side Profile

old honda city side angle

Current-gen Honda City - Side Profile

Also, the upcoming City will see an all-new 1.5-litre gasoline engine paired with Honda’s compact i-MMD mild-hybrid tech that has debuted in the new Jazz recently. However, Honda still keeps its mouth shut about details of the hybrid powertrain on the upcoming model. Notably, in the Thai market, the Honda City 2020 was unveiled with a new 122 HP 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine option mated to a CVT unit only. Nonetheless, this highly-fuel-efficient engine is not in the offing to enter India at the moment but could be brought in at a later stage.

6. 2020 Honda City vs Old Honda City Price: How much does the new City cost?

Price of new Honda City will be certainly much higher than the old one due to the upgrades. Now the current-gen City sedan is priced at around Rs 9.81 Lakh to Rs 14.16 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). We expect the new Honda City to falls in the range of around Rs 10 – 15 Lakh (estimated, ex-showroom).

 Model 2020 Honda City  Old Honda City 
 Ex-showroom Price  Rs 10 - 15 Lakh (unofficially, estimated)  Rs 9.81 - 14.16 Lakh
 On-road Price  NA  Rs 10.9 - 16.21 Lakh

7. Honda City: Other Competitors

Like the older Honda City, the upcoming Honda car will continue to compete against some rivals like Hyundai Verna, Toyota Yaris, Maruti Ciaz and Honda Amaze.

Other Competitors   Compare With Honda City
 Hyundai Verna  Honda City vs Hyundai Verna
 Toyota Yaris  Honda City vs Toyota Yaris

* Check out more Honda car comparisons to read more such detailed comparison articles from our experts

8. 2020 Honda City vs Old Honda City Verdict: Which model is worth buying?

Of course, Indian car buyers today are demanding more than what we did in the past few years. While the price is still a fundamental aspect for considering and buying a car in India, other affairs like design, safety, performance, fuel efficiency and comfort are also very important to an average buyer. The 2020 Honda City is expected to be launched amid much fanfare in our country. Also, in the used car segment, the older City is also amongst the top-selling car thanks to its high resale value and brand image. Therefore, if you're you are eyeing on buying a good used Honda City at attractive prices, you can browse thousands of listings of the City or other Honda cars available on Indianauto.com with ease. You can also check out our article on buying tips for used Honda City to aid you. Besides, we’re here to provide you with a number of detailed car comparisons which could be helpful to you to find your next perfect car.

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