The Honda Jazz replacement is here, meet the City Hatchback (w/ spec sheet)

A few weeks ago, Honda Cars Philippines announced that its hatchback, the Honda Jazz will no longer be offered in the market. Last week they announced the launch of a new model which would be its spiritual successor and is now officially here. Say hello to the all-new 2021 Honda City Hatchback.

Now available with a single variant option, the 1.5 RS, the City Hatchback is essentially a Honda City with a hatch. Its sedan counterpart was launched in the country in October last year with completely new styling and an updated powertrain. 

For the exterior, specifically the front fascia all the way to the B-pillar, the City Hatchback is exactly like the sedan. It gets the same striking front fascia with Honda’s Solid Wing Face as well as full LED headlights and fog lights. It gets the same 16” two-tone alloy wheels from the City RS sedan but in a darker shade of Berlina Black. The rear end as expected is completely different but maintains a similar aesthetic with its slim LED taillights. A small integrated rear spoiler with high-mount stop lamp also adds to its sporty character.

Given its hatchback body style, the all-new City Hatchback is 21 mm taller and 204 mm shorter than its sedan counterpart.

Inside, the City Hatchback also features exactly the same cabin as in the sedan. Standard equipment are leather and suede-wrapped seats with red accents, leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 8-speaker audio system, automatic climate control, multi-view reverse camera with dynamic guidance lines, and smart entry with push button and remote engine start.

Given its hatchback styling and configuration, the all-new City Hatchback comes equipped with Honda’s signature Ultra Seats (ULTR) which was a known feature of the Jazz. This allows the rear seats to be folded flat or flipped up like in a pick-up truck, thus giving the versatility to quickly adapt to a wide variety of passenger lifestyle and cargo hauling needs.

• Utility Mode: with the two rear seats folded flat, the vehicle can carry two passengers and accommodate large cargo items in the rear storage area. 
• Long Mode: with the front passenger seat fully reclined and rear passenger seat folded flat, the vehicle can carry two passengers and accommodate long cargo items such as surfboards. 
• Tall Mode: with the rear seats folded upward, the vehicle can accommodate tall items that need to remain upright, such as a large plant or tall luggage.
• Refresh Mode: When removing the front-seat head restraints, moving the seats all the way forward and tilting the seatbacks all the way back, the Refresh Mode allows the front and rear seats to be connected providing a comfortable place for two people to relax.

Under the hood, the 2021 Honda City Hatchback is powered by the same 1.5-liter inline-4 cylinder DOHC Earth Dreams i-VTEC petrol engine. Like in the sedan, it produces 119 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque, paired to a continuously variable transmission. 

In terms of safety, the City Hatchback remains similar as the sedan as well with dual front airbags, side and curtain airbags, 3-pt seatbelts for all passengers, Driver’s knee bolster, anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution, vehicle stability assist, hill-start assist, emergency stop signal, and ISOFIX childseat anchor points.

The 2021 Honda City 1.5 RS Hatchback is now available in all Honda dealerships nationwide with a suggested retail price of Php 1,115,000. Do you think that this is a good successor to the Jazz which has been available in our market for almost two decades?