Honda Continues to Bring New Tech to the Mass Market with the All-New City RS e:HEV

Malaysians are power-hungry – at least in the area where cars are involved, and Honda is well aware of this after having conducted numerous customer surveys and studying the market. Responding to this call, Honda Malaysia offers the All-New City RS e:HEV, setting the record as the first country in the world to unveil this variant, an indicator of just how important this market is to the company.

The All-New City RS e:HEV is a game changer for the B-segment in Malaysia as it is packed with new technology that ideally should be first introduced in higher models.

What Technology Did Honda Include?

The most obvious and significant is an ALL NEW, WORLD-PRIEMIERE POWERTRAIN. The City RS e:HEV is accompanied with a highly efficient 2-motor hybrid system accompanied by a 1.5L DOHC i-VTEC intelligent Multi‑Mode Drive (i‑MMD) system.

Note my choice of words above – I would venture to say the All-New City RS is more of an electric vehicle (EV) assisted by a gasoline engine, rather than say that it is conventional hybrid, and here are some of the reasons why:

A conventional hybrid drive train would have an engine as the main driving force, with a less powerful electric motor to assist. With the Honda City RS, the car always starts off in electric mode (EV mode) and the engine comes in to assist when the user needs more power (sensed through accelerator pedal input).
The i-MMD system switches seamlessly between three driving modes – EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive, for efficient power delivery depending on the situation. The switching is automatic and in most cases will go unnoticed by the driver. EV drive refers to pure electric drive; Hybrid Drive refers to a combination of engine and electric drive, and Engine Drive refers to a unique feature of drive coming only from the engine – this feature is usually not found in conventional hybrid systems. Honda discovered that at high speeds, the engine is the best way to propel the car.
The Atkinson-cycle engine will assist as a generator for the main motor’s battery on a normal drive, and take over during high speed driving. In a conventional hybrid system, the engine provides the main propulsion, and charges up the battery (usually) under deceleration and braking.
The i-MMD system also allows the driver to use the Deceleration Selector Paddles for power regeneration and to decelerate the vehicle without stepping on the brake pedal.
The Atkinson-Cycle 1.5 litre engine produces 109PS which is on par with other vehicles in its class, but the spoiler is the class-leading torque of 253Nm. When combined with the Electric Continuous Variable Transmission (e-CVT), it delivers a powerful and smooth acceleration that is equivalent to torque from a D-segment naturally aspirated engine.

In terms of performance, the City RS can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 9.9 seconds, and on average can consume about 3.6L/100km, or run 27.77km/l.

What Other Tech Does The City RS Have?

Including another first-in-segment feature is the enhanced Honda SENSING technology. This is the most complete advanced safety feature in the B-segment. Honda SENSING was developed to realize the vision of a collision-free mobile society by utilizing a front wide view camera to better recognize road boundaries during day and night driving. The suite of driver assistance safety systems in Honda SENSING include:

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS)
Road Departure Mitigation (RDM)
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Auto High Beam (AHB)

Furthermore, the Honda LaneWatch system is also included. This is a camera-based advanced safety technology which helps to monitor blind spots through the infotainment system. For example, when you signal to change lanes to the left, the camera view from the left mirror is displayed on the infotainment screen so that you can see cars and motorbikes in your blind spot.

Also another first introduced by Honda Malaysia in the City RS e:HEV variant is the innovative Honda CONNECT technology. It utilizes smart Telematics Technology to bring connectivity to a whole new level for owners. Honda CONNECT is app-based and allows owners to have remote vehicle control. Through the app, owners can start the engine, switch on air-conditioning, lock and unlock the doors and control the lights. Beyond that, owners will also have access to diagnostic support, service reminders, locate the vehicle and geo fencing. It also has Automatic Collision Detection System and call for emergency assistance, or send you an alert when the alarm is triggered. This advanced and integrated communications system is available 24-hours and functions to ensure Safety, Security and Convenience to Honda owners – providing peace of mind, convenience, a sense of pride and also the Joy of Owning a Honda car.

What Else is There?

The exterior of the All-New City RS e:HEV variant has an exclusive trim to make it stand out from the other variants. This includes New Gloss Black Front Grille, Exclusive Lower Front Grille, New Rear Bumper with Diffuser, New Gloss Black Trunk Spoiler and New Gloss Black Door Mirrors. Complementing this cutting-edge appearance are New LED Headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), New LED Fog Lights with Garnish, New LED Taillights as well as Dual-Tone 16-inch Alloy Wheels, and Solid Disc Brakes at the rear.

Inside the City RS e:HEV, there are high quality textures and a premium feel. This variant also features a 7-inch Interactive Thin Film Transistor (TFT) meter cluster in addition to Sport Pedal Pads and Ultrasuede® Seats (combination leather) and Red Stitching at interior areas. Additionally, an 8-inch Display Audio with Apple CarPlay^TM and Android Auto^TM Connectivity is also available in the RS e:HEV variant (Disclaimer: Android Auto™ will be available upon its official launch of the service in Malaysia).

Safety

Honda doesn’t compromise on safety features with the All-New CITY. The All-New CITY has been awarded with the “ASEAN NCAP Excellent Award category – Consistent 5 Star” at ASEAN NCAP Grand Prix Awards 2020. This model has shown its excellence in terms of safety and continuous 5-star safety rating of its 3rd, 4th and 5th Generation. Through this remarkable achievement, Honda has continuously highlighted on safety as this aspect is always the brand’s firm commitment and priority to realize a collision-free mobile society and safety for everyone.

The City RS e:HEV variant is equipped with Six Airbags, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Rear Seat ISOFIX I-SIZE Type and New Rear Seatbelt Reminder. Other additional safety features in this variant include Reverse Sensors with Multi-angle Reverse Camera and Auto Brake Hold (ABH) which enables the vehicle’s stationary position to be held with only a push of a button.