Honda City Hatchback e:HEV RS Review: Entry-Level but Make It Premium at RM110k

Since then, there have been iterations on the pricing going up to RM89,300 in 2005 for the facelift (thanks Paul Tan), RM90,980 in 2012, RM92,000 in 2017, and finally, the e:HEV RS hybrid pushed the pricing of the top-tier City above RM100k with the City and City Hatchback variants in 2021.

There was another City Hybrid before this in 2017, but that was priced at RM89,200 and was ranked below the highest spec City at the time. Plus, the technology wasn't the same, the electric motor assisted the engine but in the new e:HEV variant, the the engine powers the electric motor. We'll get into that soon.

In terms of style, the RS variant does indeed look sporty with its accents and trimmings. As a hatchback however, I feel the City looks a little awkward. You can't help but feel like someone cut the City's rear short and slapped a door on it.

On the inside, the combination leather seats are comfortable and hugs your body for long drives. But I have to strike a point against it for having combination seats in the most expensive range of the car.

There's legroom to spare inside, but the roof does feel a little low. I drive a 10 year old Saga FLX 1.6, it sucks I hate it. However, even in that, I have a little more headroom in both the driver and passenger seats (I'm only 167cm).

Also, as this is a hatchback with the Honda Ultra Seats that fold up, fold down, and various other moving parts, you'll hear some squeaking in the cabin if all the parts aren't 100% locked in. After locking and unlocking parts of the seats I finally found the source of the squeak, but it's something to think about in the long term.

Being the most "tech-enabled" of the range, the front has plenty of clicky bits for you to press with satisfying tactile feedback. I previously drove the Volkswagen Tiguan and the capacitive buttons inside were a real problem.

That said, I'm impressed by the ergonomics of the buttons and the logic in its design. Even if you're coming from a "dumb" car like me with no buttons to this car for the first time, it's quite intuitive to understand what all the buttons do. As an added bonus, the red leather stitching and paddle shifters will give racer boys and gals that "vroom-vroom" feel (if only just a feeling).

I say feeling because, the paddle shifters don't actually engage the gearbox, as this car doesn't technically have a gearbox. The paddle shifters control the rate of regenerative breaking in the hybrid system. Plus makes the regenerative breaking go up, resulting in a slower car. Minus does the reverse, so faster car, but less battery charging.

Braking also charges the battery so I'd recommend braking instead and having a faster car.

Special shout out to the clicky aircond controls. The silver accents makes them standout and the grooves help you grip them and make precise adjustments easily.

Another headlining feature is its Lane Watch camera on the left side mirror. Every time you hit the left indicator, the camera turns out with a wide view of the road. How often you use this, and how useful it is will depend on how aware you are of your surroundings.

It's not really a must-have for me, as it's just another component that might break (or be broken by motorcyclists squeezing between lanes) and I'd much rather trade in the value of the gizmo for comfy leather seats.

Okay, the hybrid engine. Mind you, as a non-car enthusiast, finding out how this engine works wasn't easy. Honda's own website doesn't make it easy either. You're left to guess what is actually happening in your car and all you'll see on the site is the headlining 253Nm of torque.

We found this guide to be the best explainer so far. Unlike a fully electric car, the RS (stands for Road Sailing) still has an engine that takes petrol, but there's also an electric motor, the 1.5L SPORTS i‑MMD e:HEV Powertrain whose battery is constantly charging while you're driving. In simple terms:

• If you're 0 – 40km/h the electric motor moves solely on battery and the engine is off
• 40 – 80km/h the petrol engine comes alive to provide power to the electric motor
• 80 – 110km/h is cruising speed and this is where the petrol engine stays on and provides power for the drive

This is how they are able to claim the 253Nm of torque number while other 1.5-litre engines normally output about 150Nm of torque. Electric powertrains have no gears and are powered by DC current instead of gas pressure, so there is no need to shift gears or rev the engine.

You favourite WAPcar presenter has said in their tests that the City RS scores the fastest time in terms of zero to hundred benchmarks in B segment vehicles in Malaysia and on the straights you'll definitely feel the power of the electric motor, reaching 100km/h in about 10 seconds. This isn't blinding mind you, as on paper, the regular petrol City manages the century sprint in 10.5 seconds (so probably 11.5 seconds in the real world).

On highways, the RS does truly sail and you can get away with 20km/l numbers for fuel consumption easily (that's 800km total with the 40-litre tank). But, silly me, I took the car up to Genting. Now, uphill is another story altogether.

It did not sail uphill. To sail is to move smoothly and rapidly and just as boats don't sail uphill, the RS did not sail all the way to the top. It will get you there, for sure, but you'll hear the engine groaning all-the-way-up.

Similarly, when overtaking on a slight incline, the engine roar is really prominent and you shouldn't be overtaking on an incline often. On a straight however, I'd say it's really the best in its class.

The lack of power on inclines feels counter-intuitive and it's something buyers need to be aware of lest you try to overtake and find yourself lagging. You could paddle shift down I suppose to reduce regenerative braking and speed up the car, but it didn't work as well for me.

Besides that, the cabin is mostly silent save for some road noise when you're cruising above 80km/h and the occassional roar of the engine if you're doing sudden overtakes. The steering is light and it's quite a joy to navigate at slow speeds as the electric motor makes it feel like you're floating on a cloud.

The car feels purpose-built for straights and city driving and you'll definitely tell that it's struggling when you throw in uphills and constant corners. In the right conditions, it truly sails the roads, but be prepared for a rougher ride when it's out of its element.

The various safety Sensing features are good to have, but hard to test. The Lane-keeping assist is still a freaky feature that you'll have to get used to. I always get shocked by the steering moving on its own to keep to the lane.

I can see how they provide peace of mind for parents buying a new car for their kids though.

The Honda City Hatchback e:HEV RS retails for RM109,800 and that's an RM14,200 upgrade from the V-Sensing model at RM95,600 (with leather seats). That's not exactly chump change compared to the RM4,000 upgrade from the V spec that doesn't come with all the Sensing safety features.

Whether the hybrid engine is worth spending RM14,200 is completely up to you and how much you want to save on petrol. If you're constantly on straights and highway runs from the north to the south of Malaysia, you're almost guaranteed at least 900km per tank (without jams).