Here the City cribs from the Civic again: The cockpit has a simple, uncluttered layout, one that puts the driver at the centre of the action. The steering wheel is leather with red stitching, has lovely-feeling buttons and shift paddles (only on the RS).
The instruments aren’t fully digital – almost a rarity these days – but clear and easy to read, while the infotainment system is thoroughly modern. It’s a 7.0-inch touchscreen system (made by Alpine) and while it isn’t the brightest screen around (it washes out a little in bright daylight) it does have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Also, the RS gets a better eight-speaker sound system whose quality is quite good, especially considering most compact sedans do no better than a smartphone when it comes to blasting tunes.
While you’ll notice where the cost-cutting happens, you never quite think, “Really? They thought to save cost THERE?”. For example, there’s lots of hard, black plastic on the upper dash and doors, but it feels and looks more minimalist and durable rather than rattly and penny-pinched.
Standard equipment includes keyless entry/start, the infotainment system and good sound, full LED lights. Like other compact sedans, the lights, wipers, and mirror dimming are all manual, though the City does have a minor feature competitors don’t: Remote start, where you can start the engine while standing outside the car – watch our video review for a demo of that.
The City RS has a decent feature set but not an amazing one, and we lament the omission of active safety features, especially considering the Koreans are starting to offer them at this price point too.
2020 Honda City 1.5 RS Review
1. Introduction
2. Design and appearance
3. Interior and features
4. Space and practicality
5. Driving Experience
6. Competition and Pricing
7. Conclusion and Video Review
