Honda has carried over the i-DTEC engine from the previous City with only a BS6 update to the new City and they are still not offering an automatic gearbox option on the new City diesel. Here’s why!
Honda will soon be launching the fifth-gen City in India in the coming weeks and ahead of it’s launch, we already have all the details about the new sedan including its powertrain options. The next-gen City will be powered by a new 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engine but the 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine has been carried over from the last-gen City with just a BS6 upgrade. What also hasn’t changed with the diesel variant is that Honda is still not offering an automatic gearbox option with the diesel engine with the new City. Honda has quite a few reasons to justify this action.
Firstly, and perhaps this is the most important reason, and that is the price of the diesel automatic variant of the City will become significantly more expensive for this class. The BS6 update to the diesel engine will already increase its price by a significant margin. The top-spec diesel model of the last-gen City was priced around Rs 14.22 lakh (ex-showroom). With the BS6 update, this price will go much closer to the Rs 15 lakh mark and if they were to add an automatic gearbox to this, the prices could easily go up to Rs 16 lakhs. And that would easily price it out of its segment.
The second factor is that the demand for diesel engine in this compact sedan space has altogether gone down. In fact, Honda is among the only two manufacturers offering a diesel engine in this space, the other being Hyundai with the Verna. Yes, the Hyundai Verna is available in a diesel-automatic variant and that’s priced at Rs 15.10 lakh, ex-showroom. Hyundai still has the advantage of economies of scale as the same diesel-automatic powertrain is also offered on the Hyundai Creta, Elantra and also the Kia Seltos. Honda clearly does not have that advantage.
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The petrol engine on the City however makes a sufficient case for itself. The 1.5L i-VTEC engine is the most powerful in its class with 121PS and 145Nm of torque. The engine either comes mated to a 6-speed manual or a 7-step CVT gearbox. We have already driven the new City and the petrol engine remains the highlight of the City and perhaps is one of its best things. As for the diesel engine, it continues to produce 100PS and 200Nm of torque and solely comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. We can assure you that Honda has indeed improved the refinement of its diesel engine.
Also Read : BS6 Honda Civic Diesel Launch Next Week in India!
Honda does offer the i-DTEC diesel engine with a CVT automatic gearbox on the Amaze but in the Amaze, the engine produces 80bhp and 160Nm of torque. These figures certainly wouldn’t have worked on the City. So if you are looking for a diesel-automatic variant in this compact sedan space, your only option is the Hyundai Verna, let alone the City and the Verna are your only diesel options. That said, you still shouldn’t discount the diesel manual variant of the City and it too makes a pretty good case for itself.
The post Here’s Why Honda is not Offering Diesel Automatic with the New City appeared first on Car Blog India.
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