We drove the 2025 Honda City Hatchback for a week, which has improved its characteristics to remain at a higher level
Launched just two and a half years ago on the Brazilian market, the Honda City Hatchback is already a mature car. It’s not a bestseller in the most popular segment of the market, but that’s due to positioning. Honda doesn’t want the City Hatchback to compete for space with other models in the class.
The 2025 City Hatchback got some improvements that made it more “modern.” The main one was the electronic parking brake, which eliminated the ugly lever reminiscent of cars of the 70s of the last century. Then came Brake Hold, which makes the driver’s life easier.
This change has resulted in a remodeling of the instrument panel and the multimedia system now has cable-free Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connection. The 8-inch screen also had better resolution. Another detail that no car in this category has: the brakes are disc on all four wheels.
Well, actually the Volkswagen Polo GTS 1.4 turbo has disc brakes at the rear. But the Polo line is an exception, a version with sporting intentions, while the Honda City Hatchback offers this model throughout its line, which has a very calm proposal.
It couldn’t be different, after all the 1.5-liter naturally aspirated flex engine with 126 HP and 152 Nm of torque is designed for economy and not for performance. So much so that the City Hatchback, powered by petrol, reaches 15 km/l on the motorway and 13.2 km/l in the city. Better numbers than those of the Polo Highline 1.0 turbo with 116 HP and 165 Nm, which reaches 14.6 km/l on the highway and 12.3 km/l in the city.
The two cars have practically the same acceleration, around 10 and a half seconds. The City has the same power with gasoline or ethanol; the Polo 170 TSI has 116 HP with ethanol and 109 HP with petrol. But, as we have already said, these cars are not direct competitors.
The Honda City Hatchback measures 4.34 meters in length. It makes sense that Honda would charge more for this. Its wheelbase is the most generous in the category, equal to 2.60 metres. It is worth remembering that the City Hatchback came to replace the famous Honda Fit.
It seems to do its job well, even if it has never had a “boom” in sales. While most sedans sell more than 60,000 units per year, the highest the Honda City Hatchback achieved was 16,101 units in its debut year, 2022. Last year it slumped and achieved just 10,802 registrations.
In 2024 things are better, with 12,144 units to date. The best month this year was July, with 1,590 sales. The best month in its history was March 2022, with 1,933 registrations. It was new. It is no longer sold because the price is high for Brazilian consumers.
But also for this reason the Honda City Hatchback carries with it a certain aura of exclusivity. In the 2025 lineup, Honda has adopted a Piano Black finish above the front grille for a sporty touch. There wasn’t even a need. The City Hatchback wins by being a sober, spacious, elegant and very functional car.
The driving position is excellent, the controls are perfect, the seats fit well, there is enough space front and rear and the perception of superior finishes is not just an illusion; it’s part of reality. The City Hatchback is a well-built and very reliable car, also equipped with six airbags in all versions.
The City Hatchback’s directional behavior is exceptional. It is a car that is always “in the hands” of whoever drives it. It’s low and reasonably wide, so there’s not a lot of body roll when cornering. The tires could be wider (measure 185/55 R16). The 7-speed CVT transmission is dull, despite paddles for manual shifting.
The CVT transmission will never offer excitement, but automakers try to disguise the monotony. In any case, the City Hatchback customer will not be bothered by this. The car is good both on the road and in the city. You just have to be careful not to scrape the front in some ditches, as the front overhang is long.
The reversing camera has also been improved and is now present on all versions of the City Hatchback from the EX version onwards. The EX, EXL and Touring versions also have USB ports for electric charging: two Type A on the front panel and two Type C for rear seat passengers.
Another standout item is LaneWatch, available on the Touring version of the New City Hatchback. The dashboard is equipped with an instrument panel with a 4.2-inch color TFT screen – in the EXL and Touring versions the TFT screen is 7”. There is no shortage of rear air vents and dual-zone digital climate control, exclusive to the Touring version.
The Honda Sensing package acquired the new Low Speed Follow function for the ACC, and began equipping all models from the EX version onwards. The package includes technologies such as ACC, autonomous emergency braking, maintenance, lane warning and centering, lane departure warning and adaptive high/low beam.
Considering all this, the Honda City Hatchback deserves nothing but praise. The car was born good, so it is not difficult to improve it; and Hodna did, as the 2025 line shows.
The version evaluated was the top-of-the-line Touring, which costs R$141,400. If you think it’s expensive, it’s worth trying the other versions, as the entry-level one is good too.
The City Hatchback LX costs R$117,500, the price of the VW Polo Comfortline (R$117,690). The City Hatchback EX costs R$125,000, a little more expensive than the Polo Highline (R$124,390). The City Hatchback EXL costs R$133,200 and has the best value for money. The City Hatchback Touring, at R$141,400, is much more affordable than the Polo GTS (R$158,590).
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
