2026 Honda City facelift first drive review: Too little too late?

It isn’t often that a car gets two facelifts, but you’re looking at the second facelift of the fifth generation of the Honda City. It’s a mild one — tweaks to the styling and the equipment — and that’s about it. The City, despite being a very competent car, has lost its edge to the likes of the Volkswagen Virtus that leads this segment today. Interestingly, the City was the lowest selling car from the Honda stables in 2025 — a fall from grace from once being the crown jewel. This update isn’t really going to shake things up, but the mild feature infusion could hold it in good stead against its rivals.

Honda City facelift design

The styling has been given a rejig. Honda has gone and slapped a light bar on the face of the City. Nothing we didn’t expect — spy shots had been doing the rounds for weeks. The face has been inspired by the Honda Prelude and the bumper and wheels have been given an update. In black, the changes aren’t so visible but a lighter colour should allow them to pop and make it clearer. The wheels get an updated design as well and the tail section gets subtle updates.

Honda City facelift interior

The insides get a small update as well, primarily to equipment. There’s a new 10.1-inch screen, a 360-degree camera and ventilated seats. The camera and seat ventilation work as advertised. I found it pretty cool that you could change the colour of the car on the 360-degree camera. The screen is larger than before but isn’t executed as seamlessly as it should have been. The City’s interior is an ergonomic delight, save for the screen. My issue isn’t the fact that it is popping out of the dash and looks a little aftermarket, it is the way it is placed. The screen is angled slightly upward and that means reflections from the windscreen hit the display and compromise visibility. Not ideal on a sunny day. That aside, the cabin remains superb. A smattering of buttons means basic functions around the car are easy to access. The seats and their comfort remain a highlight. The backseat is spacious and you get a rear sunblind to cut sunlight as well.

Honda City facelift engine and performance

The drivetrains remain identical to before — you get the option of a 1.5-litre nat-asp i-VTEC petrol and a 1.5 petrol hybrid. The former makes 119bhp and 145Nm and comes mated to a 6-speed MT or CVT. The hybrid is what we’re driving, and is the more interesting of the bunch. Where the competition has turned to turbo-petrols for performance, Honda has electrified its sedan and is sticking to that strategy for the near future. The hybrid is an incredibly complicated machine — a battery, motor and engine work seamlessly together to give both performance and efficiency.

The tech isn’t new and has been around for a while but let me refresh your memory. At low to mid speeds, the motor drives the front wheels alone — just like an EV. If you ask for more acceleration or the battery depletes, the engine kicks in. But it isn’t powering the wheels, it is charging the battery — like a range extender — so the battery has enough juice to feed the motor. It is only after 80kmph that a clutch engages and connects the motor directly to the driveshaft in a 1:1 ratio and lets the engine do the talking, particularly while cruising. Here too, the e-motor is being used as and when required to deliver the sort of acceleration being asked for. It’s all very complicated. However, from behind the wheel, it all feels very seamless. You aren’t privy to how it works and it feels very natural. It is quiet in EV mode and is refined for the most part if you’re driving sedately. It does get a little loud — almost CVT-like when you’re gunning it, the engine working hard to charge the battery — and while quick (125bhp / 253Nm), it isn’t going to set any enthusiast hearts on fire. What does help is the improved fuel economy and with fuel prices spiking, hybrids should find some favour.

Honda City facelift ride and handling

As for ride and handling, it remains composed and predictable. The Virtus GT might have the enthusiast market down but the City is no slouch in the bends. It deals with corners rather well and while there is roll, it isn’t uncontrolled. The steering is precise and you can place the car well and combined with the standard petrol engine, which is a screamer, it can be a whole lot of fun in the bends. The City is set up for comfort though, and it aces it on that front. Ride is plush, it soaks up bumps phenomenally well and isolates you from the imperfections under the tyres rather well. Again, nothing really has changed on the chassis front, so there are no real surprises here.

Honda City facelift verdict

What has changed for the Honda City is the price. They’ve gone up. Standard City prices start at ₹12 lakh and go up to ₹17.5 lakh (ex-showroom). The hybrid that I’m driving comes in a single fully loaded variant that costs ₹21 lakh (ex-showroom). Honda did try introducing a more affordable hybrid variant with less kit, but it didn’t move off shelves as hybrid buyers seem to want all the bells and whistles. The City remains an incredibly competent car and is very easy to recommend — it combines simplicity, reliability, comfort and refinement in one hard-to-ignore package. Buyers might be gravitating to more exciting products within the segment, but the City’s simplicity and competence remain its biggest strengths.