2021 Honda City Sedan RS | Philkotse Philippines

Updated Jul 14, 2021

Editor's: 4.1/5
More than just a sporty-looking sedan.
2021 Honda City Sedan RS | Philkotse Philippines

In this review...

  1. Introduction
  2. Exterior
  3. Interior
  4. Tech & Safety
  5. Engine & Performance
  6. Fuel Efficiency
  7. Verdict
  8. Variants & Price
  9. Color Options
  10. Specs

2021 Honda City RS: Introduction

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.

4.1/5

Honda City 2021 Review

How we do our reviews
  • aesthetics
    4.5/5

    Overall exterior & Interior design, build quality, form vs function

  • Safety & Technology
    4.0/5

    Number of safety & tech features, consistency during usage

  • Performance
    4.0/5

    Power delivery, acceleration, transmission, suspension, handling

  • Comfort & Practicality
    4.0/5

    Overall Ride Comfort, Space, Storage Areas

  • Value for Money
    4.0/5

    Sticker price vs overall package

2021 Honda City RS Exterior: Sporty with the right amount of swag

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 front

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.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan side

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.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan rear

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.

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2021 Honda City RS Interior: Straightforward and refined

2021 Honda City RS Sedan interior

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.

2021 Honda City RS steering wheel

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.

2021 Honda City RS sedan rear seats

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.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan cargo

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.

2021 Honda City RS: Tech & Safety Review

2021 Honda City RS Sedan CarPlay

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.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan rear camera

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.

2021 Honda City RS: Engine & Performance

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.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan engine

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.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan front

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.

2021 Honda City RS Sedan rear

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.

2021 Honda City RS: Fuel Efficiency

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: Verdict

2021 Honda City RS Sedan front

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.

2021 Honda City RS: Variants & Price

Honda City Sedan Price & Variants in the Philippines

City 1.5 S MT

Php 848,000

City 1.5 S CVT

Php 888,000

City 1.5 V CVT

Php 978,000

City 1.5 RS CVT

Php 1,058,000

2021 Honda City RS: Color Options

2021 Honda City RS Sedan Color Options

Ignite Red, Platinum White Pearl, Modern Steel, Crystal Black Pearl

2021 Honda City RS: Specs

Overall

Make

Honda

Name

City 1.5 RS CVT

Body Type

Subcompact Sedan

Dimensions & Weight

Lenght

4,553 mm

Width

1,748 mm

Height

1,467 mm

Wheelbase

2,600 mm

Ground Clearance

134 mm

Curb Weight

1,120 kg

Seating Capacity

5

Cargo Capacity (2nd Row Up)

519 liters

Turning Radius

5.0 m

Engine & Transmission

Type

In-line 4 Cylinder DOHC i-VTEC

Engine Displacement

1,498 cc

Max Power

119 hp @ 6,600 rpm

Max Torque

145 Nm @ 4,300 rpm

Transmission

Continuously Variable Transmission

Fuel Tank Capacity

40 liters

Paddle Shifters

With

Steering

Gear Type

Electric-Assist Rack & Pinion

Power Steering

Electric Power Steering

Steering Wheel Material

3-Spoke Leather

Steering Wheel Controls

Audio & Hands-Free Telephone (HFT) with Voice Recognition Button

Steering Wheel Adjustment

Tilt & Telescopic

Cruise Control

With

Exterior

Headlights

LED

Fog Lights

LED

Daytime Running Lights

LED

Tail Lamp

LED

High-Mount Stop Lamp

With (LED)

Door Handles

Body Color

Door Mirror Color

High Gloss Black

Antenna

Shark Fin Type

Door Mirror Adjustment

Power Adjustable

Power Folding Door Mirrors

With

Antenna

Shark Fin Type

Side Turn Signal Lights

With

Front Wipers

Intermittent with Washer

Interior

Audio System

8" Touchscreen Audio with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto

Connectivity

Bluetooth, USB Ports (x2)

Speakers

8

Airconditioning System

Automatic

Rear Aircon Ventilation

With

Keyless Entry System

With

One Push Start System

With

Accesory Socket (12V)

With

Power Windows

With (Auto Up/Down for Driver)

Sport Pedal

With

Interior Trim Finish

Piano Black and Red Stitching

Shift Knob Material

Leather

Steering Wheel

Leather

Power Door Locks

With

Safety & Security

Multi-view Rear Camera

With Dynamic Guidelines

Airbags

With (Driver & Front Passenger, Side, Side Curtain)

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)

With Electronic Brake Force Distribution

Side Airbags

With

Side Curtain Airbags

With

Hill Start Assist (HSA)

With

Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)

With

Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)

With

Child Seat Anchor (ISOFIX)

With

Child Safety Lock

With

Agile Handling Assist (AHA)

With

Security Alarm

With Immobilizer

Auto Door Lock/Unlock

With Speed Sensing Door Locks

Suspension

Front

MacPherson Strut

Rear

Torsion Beam

Brake

Front

Ventilated Disc

Rear

Drum

Tires & Wheels

Tire Size

185 / 55 R16

Wheel Size and Type

16-inch Aluminum Alloy

Spare Tire

Space Saver Type

Martin Aguilar

Martin Aguilar

Author

Martin is a BA Literature graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He started his writing career as an editorial assistant and writer for various magazines under ABS-CBN Publishing. Before being the Content Editor of Philkotse, Martin was a writer for Autoindustriya then shifted gears in 2017 to become the editor for AutoDeal.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martin.aguilar21

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-angelo-aguilar-27456775/

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