The all-new Honda City e:HEV’s complex yet incredibly clever hybrid technology makes it the most fuel efficient internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle we have ever tested. How efficient? The real-world numbers are 19.8kpl in the urban environment and 22.5kpl on the highway. For any car, that real-world figure would be good, and from a midsize sedan, it’s even more impressive. So to find out what makes it so efficient and what it’s like to drive, we put it to the full Autocar India Instrumented Road Test.
The heart of the matter comprises a 1.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine and two electric motors – a 109hp traction motor that draws its energy from a lithium-ion battery to power the wheels and a 95hp motor-generator that charges the battery using the petrol engine.
Given that for the most part the City e:HEV functions only under electric power, much like an EV, it only has a single reduction gear. However, there is an artificial feel of shift-points created and Honda calls this set-up the e-CVT, which is unlike the traditional belt and pulley set-up of a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The shift feel happens during hard acceleration, and has no benefit other than offering a more familiar connected feel.
Power is sent to the front wheels and the e-CVT makes for an extremely smooth and step-free drive experience, always keeping the vehicle in its most efficient band to extract the maximum in terms of performance and efficiency.
Essentially, there are three drive modes – Electric, Hybrid and Engine – and the City’s intelligent system automatically selects one based on the vehicle speed, road angle and throttle response, among other things. In full electric mode (engine off, traction motor powers wheels), the traction motor draws energy from its lithium-ion battery, and makes an equivalent of 109hp and 253Nm of torque. The system remains in this mode as much as possible, so long as the battery has enough juice, delivering a pure EV drive experience. Even at traffic lights or while idling, it mainly draws energy from the lithium-ion battery; so you’re sitting in a cool cabin with the air-con running normally and the car will not pollute nor waste fuel like a regular ICE vehicle. All throughout, the petrol engine remains completely shut off.
In Hybrid mode, the power is supplied by the motor and the engine and the system makes a combined total of 126hp. Speaking of which, the 1,498cc engine makes 98hp and 127Nm of torque, about 23hp and 18Nm less than the standard version’s petrol engine. Unlike the regular iteration, this Atkinson cycle engine, by virtue of its functioning, is not as powerful but much more efficient. The reason being that at any given time, the intake camshaft delays the closing of the intake valves on the compression stroke, resulting in a lower air-fuel mixture being burned inside thus reducing fuel consumption.
With constant acceleration at highway speeds, the lithium-ion battery’s charge is bound to deplete. As a result, at cruising speeds, with the help of a lock-up clutch, the system occasionally switches to Direct-Drive mode where the engine powers the wheels, while the generator can simultaneously charge the lithium-ion battery in case its level is low. What’s interesting is that once the battery has recouped enough charge, the car will occasionally switch to EV mode even at highway speeds between 80-100kph, which helps squeeze out maximum range from its 40-litre fuel tank.
Li-ion battery placed in the boot, brings space down to 306 litres.
This set-up of using the engine to mainly charge the battery – where it runs in an efficient RPM range – and only power the wheels at higher speeds is the reason behind the City e:HEV’s excellent fuel efficiency.
In terms of performance, despite its focus on efficiency, this car will sprint to 100kph from standstill in just 10.54sec, making it 1.3sec quicker than the standard City’s 121hp 1.5-litre petrol CVT.
The drive experience is really silent and refined for the most part. An EV light on the instrument cluster glows to let you know that the vehicle is in full-electric mode, and when it disappears, you will hear a faint purr when the petrol engine is running. Under hard acceleration, however, it gets quite vocal and that’s when you will hear the VTEC engine’s mechanical roar. On the whole, sound insulation isn’t as good as its rivals, and just like the standard City, a lot of road and tyre noise filters through.
Seat is very comfy; non-adjustable headrests are disappointing.
There are paddle shifters to speak of, but given that there’s no gearbox, like in an EV, these toggle between three brake energy regeneration intensity levels, which are akin to engine braking. On tugging the paddles, these work momentarily, but to keep strong regeneration locked throughout in scenarios where engine braking is required, like while driving downhill, there is an option to shift the gear lever to ‘B’ mode.
Rear discs improve braking and compensate for added weight.
On account of the added weight of the motors, the battery pack and other features, the City Hybrid tips the scales at 1,280kg – 127kg more than the petrol-CVT. To help bring the additional weight to a halt, the Hybrid gets rear disc brakes. The good news is that in a panic braking scenario from 80-0kph, the Hybrid stops 1.5m shorter than the standard car, and besides better stopping performance, its brake pedal feels natural and progressive. Like the standard version, the City Hybrid drives with a certain maturity, it takes on the rough roads well and it is even quite enjoyable to drive around twisty roads, when driven in a spirited manner.
The City Hybrid’s other talking point are its camera-based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that comprise adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, frontal collision warning, and high beam assist, among the notable ones. Adaptive cruise control allows you to adjust and maintain a preset speed and distance with the vehicle in front. However, we did notice that the system felt a bit jerky decelerating, when the vehicle ahead drives erratically.
Segment-first camera-based ADAS gives it an edge over rivals.
Lane keeping assist and departure warning work well on clearly marked road surface, but as with all systems, the driver’s hands need to be on the wheel, failing which there will be a warning after a few seconds on the instrument cluster. The automatic high beam feature works well on a dimly lit empty road at speeds beyond 30kph, but if the camera detects the headlamps of an oncoming vehicle or even the tail-lamps of one ahead, it will automatically switch to low beam. Some of these ADAS are certainly nice to have, but some drivers might prefer leaving them turned off, as these could feel a bit intrusive in everyday driving scenarios.
The Honda City Hybrid is hard to flaw – the drive is supremely seamless, it’s unbelievably fuel efficient, and performance is very respectable. Honda has also added some sporty cosmetic bits to differentiate it from the standard version. And while it misses some comfort features, it packs in segment-first ADAS, giving it an edge over the competition. What further works in its favour are its extremely comfortable seats. Boot space has gone down from 506 litres to 306 litres, due to the lithium-ion battery’s placement. However, the boot is still well-shaped and can accommodate more cargo than the numbers suggest.
Surprisingly smooth and supremely fuel efficient, but is simply too expensive.
A potential deal-breaker for some buyers, however, is likely to be its Rs 19.50 lakh price tag, making it over Rs 4 lakh pricier than the top-spec petrol-CVT and diesel-manual. And that means, purely from a financial perspective, its initial premium cannot justify for the lower running costs, unless you drive a lot. Hybrid owners will need two lakh kilometres before they recover the additional upfront money over a City petrol-CVT; and over a diesel-manual, the break-even point is higher still.
Does that mean the City Hybrid makes a case for itself only if you drive a lot? Not really. If you truly desire to own the latest tech and a cleaner, greener automobile, the City Hybrid does have some merit. It’s cleaner than conventional ICE vehicles and more practical than similarly priced pure EVs too, as it does not depend on the electrical charging grid, and that could make the City Hybrid the only car in your garage.
from Autocar Indiahttps://cdni.autocarindia.com/ExtraImages/20220712031702_City_Hybrid_RT_4.jpg
