2021 Honda City Sedan RS | Philkotse Philippines

The demand for sedans in the global market is decreasing as consumers prefer to own SUVs or crossovers. But that’s not quite the case when you look at the Philippine market. Sedans, specifically the ones that fall under the subcompact segment, are still one of the best-selling vehicle types in the market. In fact last year, a subcompact sedan is the best-selling model in the Philippines with more than 19,000 units sold.

One of the reasons why subcompact sedans remain relevant in the local market is their attractive pricing. Due to its popularity, this type of vehicle is one of the important models in several car brands in the Philippines like Honda.

The City is one of the staple vehicles that’s offered by Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI). Last 2020, it is the second best-selling Honda vehicle in the country with more than 3,000 units sold. HCPI wanted to carry the sales momentum of its subcompact sedan as it introduced the all-new Honda City that comes with a top-of-the-line RS variant. What can the 2021 Honda City RS offer you aside from its sporty look? Can it be a daily driven car? Here’s Philkotse.com’s full review of the 2021 Honda City RS.

The exterior of the all-new Honda City Sedan looks sportier as compared to the old model but the top-spec RS trim stands out from the bunch. The City RS comes with an exterior that’s sporty and sleek at the same time. But it’s not too flashy, giving you the right amount of swag from any angle.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan

The front end of Honda’s subcompact sedan shares a bit of similarity to its bigger sibling, the 10th-generation Civic. The sharp LED headlights, and the gloss black trim on the honeycomb grille is a nod to the 10th-gen Civic’s front, which is a design detail that I find appealing. I also like how Honda seamlessly integrates the LED daytime running lights, and the turn signal lights into the headlight cluster. The City RS also has LED fog lights that are accented by a prominent garnish that looks like cat whiskers.

The City RS comes with a prominent straight character line

On the side, the City RS has better styling cues than its predecessor. It is characterized by a sharp line that gives the vehicle a bold and composed finish when viewed from the side. This car also comes with power-folding side mirrors that are integrated with turn signals. The side profile of the City RS gets added style points because of its 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels.

Look at that distinctive LED taillights

The sporty and sleek design approach continues to be seen at the City RS’s rear. The distinctive LED taillights are the highlight of the vehicle’s rear end. Again, the taillights are not too flashy when it comes to the overall design but it has what it takes to make the City RS standout especially when driven at night. This subcompact sedan also has a large bumper, an RS-exclusive spoiler, and a diffuser with a carbon fiber sticker.

The 2021 Honda City RS gives you a sporty and sleek exterior design. It has the right amount of swag into it, and it’s quite difficult to pinpoint what I don’t like when it comes to the overall exterior of the top-spec City RS.

Well-arranged dashboard layout

Inside, the City RS Sedan has a black interior theme with red stitching. It has a straightforward dashboard layout that looks simple yet it makes the cabin more refined.

The arrangement of buttons on the dashboard is nice, and it won’t confuse you even if it’s your first time sitting inside the car. The buttons and vehicle functions are well-arranged, which gives you a clutter-free interior aiding in good forward visibility. Placed right at the center is the 8-inch infotainment touchscreen that comes with a crisp display. There’s also a glossy black trim, which adds texture to the hard plastic materials used on the dashboard. Speaking of which, the cabin of the City RS is filled with hard plastics, which is expected considering its price point.

The Honda City RS comes with cruise control

The City RS also has leather and suede seats, which have good cushions that will be beneficial in long out-of-town drives. The three-spoke leather steering wheel also feels nice to the touch, and it looks more stylish as compared to the one fitted on the old model. I also appreciate that the integrated controls on the steering wheel are not plasticky. However, the buttons for volume controls are quite stiff, and it doesn’t have a hold function in case you want to quickly increase or decrease the in-cabin audio. You need to press it repeatedly until you have set your desired in-cabin audio volume.

Rear passengers will be greeted with generous leg- and head-room

The rear passenger area offers good leg- and head-room, and it can accommodate up to three individuals. But for maximum comfort, two fully grown adults can sit at the rear. Of note, the 2021 City Sedan has grown larger than the old model. It is longer by 113mm and wider by 53mm, which translates to a roomier cabin. The City RS also comes with rear aircon vents, which help cool down the cabin efficiently.

You can load an assortment of items in the City RS’s trunk

When it comes to cargo space, you can fit an assortment of items at the trunk of the City RS. A week’s supply of groceries can easily be loaded at the trunk. You can also put up to three medium-size luggage, four to five gym bags, two medium ice coolers, among others.

Apple CarPlay

The 2021 Honda City RS Sedan comes with essential tech toys that can make your drives more convenient. Its 8-inch infotainment touchscreen comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which gives a seamless smartphone integration. Through CarPlay, you can easily access apps such as Waze and Spotify while being connected on the go. You can also let Siri read or reply to a certain text message.

The infotainment touchscreen transforms into a rear camera when you put the gear in reverse. The rear camera also comes with guidelines to further assist you in assuring that you have a safe distance when backing up to a parking space. The quality of the rear camera’s feed is clear enough for you to safely see what’s behind the vehicle.

Rear camera

Another thing that you’ll appreciate is the availability of cruise control, a feature that’s not available in the Toyota Vios GR-S. The City RS Sedan also comes with paddle shifters that give you a more performance-oriented drive. To add, this subcompact sedan has speed-sensing door locks. This feature automatically locks all the doors when the vehicle starts to accelerate.

In terms of safety, the City RS is equipped with several airbags (driver and front passenger, side, and side curtain). It’s also equipped with other standard safety features you can expect in modern cars such as an anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, among others.

The Honda City RS is powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine that generates 119 hp and 145 Nm torque. The engine is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and power is sent to the front wheels.

The City RS Sedan is powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine

The City Sedan relatively has good acceleration, and its 1.5-liter engine delivers adequate power especially when driven around the urban jungle. The transmission is also smooth, which is expected since the City comes with a CVT. The suspension feels alright, and it can absorb road impacts within reason giving you a comfortable driving experience.

Another thing I like about the City is its good forward visibility due to the straightforward layout of its dashboard that features well-arranged buttons and controls. This subcompact sedan also comes with a light steering feel, and it responds well even to minimal inputs. You’ll appreciate this combo as it lessens driver fatigue especially when you’re driving around the city or in tight streets. The steering feel gets a bit firm as you start to gain speed, which gives you better control when you’re driving on the open highway.

It has a confident stance

Speaking of which, the City RS is stable and planted when driven at highway speeds. Outside noise is also reduced to a minimum but tire noise significantly creeps into the cabin when driving on the expressway, which is acceptable considering the City’s price point. The throttle response is also commendable, allowing you to overtake slower vehicles with confidence.

Sleek and sporty

Driving on uphill roads can be daunting at first for the City RS Sedan, but you can still get by once the gear ratio has adjusted. Good thing, the City RS comes with a Sport mode as well as a paddle shifter, which you can utilize in case you want to have a sprightlier or livelier throttle response. The Sport mode also enables the City RS to have a more performance-oriented driving characteristic as the engine revs at higher RPM.

One of the qualities that a subcompact sedan should have is a notable fuel economy since this type of car is usually meant as a daily driven machine. With that, the 2021 Honda City RS didn’t disappoint in this category as I was able to get a fuel economy of 16.5 km/l while driving to and from Makati to Quezon City at an average speed of 40 km/h. On the open highway, I was able to get 20.6 km/l while driving at an average speed of 90 km/h. Those numbers are great for a subcompact sedan.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan

The 2021 Honda City RS Sedan comes with a sticker price of Php 1,058,000, which is priced a bit higher than the Toyota Vios GR-S. But the Honda City RS comes with an all-new design that doesn’t come with a slight hint of the old model.

It has a sporty exterior that offers the right amount of swag. The revamped interior of the City  features a more refined finish that’s coupled with the RS-specific trims that make it more youthful-looking. The 1.5-liter gasoline engine also gives you adequate power, and the inclusion of paddle shifters on the City RS offers you an option in case you want to have a more performance-oriented drive. And oh, this car also has a five-star safety rating from the ASEAN NCAP.

The City RS is more than just a sporty-looking subcompact sedan, and it can definitely be a daily driven car. Indeed, Honda did its homework in the new-generation model.