After being hailed as the future just a few years ago, hybrids started taking the metaphorical backseat in the world of automobiles. The problem has been that they are much more expensive compared to similar IC-engine vehicles and weren’t as green as a pure EV could be. Hybrids have both battery-electric and ICE powertrains, potentially costing nearly double that of a regular fossil fuel counterparts, and by nature they are focussed on frugality and not so much on performance. So, they do tend to be construed as neither here nor there.
But, for a market that is focused on stretching the litre, hybrids could be a good solution. The only hurdle is the price point. For years, Honda has futilely advocated technology agnosticism to the government in an attempt at promoting hybrids as an interim solution. Finally, Honda Cars India seems to have hit upon an answer that will not need any subsidy support to make a hybrid saleable. At a time when the price of petrol is hovering close to the ₹115 mark, a mileage of 26.5kmpl must be tempting enough. The answer in the new City e:HEV is a hybrid system that is stronger than a mild hybrid but milder than a strong hybrid (plug-in). Involving a small self-charging battery pack and a pair of electric motors that provide traction and battery regeneration, the City e:HEV manages to deliver the entire hybrid experience—full EV mode, series assist and parallel driving assist—in conjunction with its petrol engine. The advantage of the set up that Honda has chosen is reflected in its pricing power, with an ex-showroom price of ₹19.5 lakhs.
Design
The new City e:HEV isn’t one of those hybrids that has been extensively restyled or designed to max out aerodynamics at the expense of looks. In fact, it looks pretty much identical to the regular City which is currently available with a petrol and a diesel powertrain. Very few exterior changes are unique to the e:HEV. The claw-like housing for the fog lamps in the front fender, the carbon-fibre finish to the rear diffuser and the boot spoiler that sits on top of the boot lid are the only additions. Of course, there is badging that identifies the hybrid and the ZX badge next to the e:HEV points to the one and only trim that is being offered with this dual powertrain version.
There are two additions to the sedan segment in the Skoda Slavia and the Volkswagen Virtus, and there is likely to be a lot more action in a segment that has been lacklustre overall, with the only shining star there being the City. The Honda sedan was one of the best designed cars in the segment, with balanced proportions and a unique front fascia and rear design. This continues in the new City e:HEV and almost all of the design elements have been carried forward. There is a thicker chrome sash on the bonnet grille that connects the headlamps. The luminous blue shadow to the Honda logo identifying it as a hybrid is the only other e:HEV special.
Honda engineers apparently did consider a special low rolling resistance compound tyre in the initial stages. But the need to maintain the ride quality and to handle the additional weight of the hybrid (about 130kgs) compared to the IC engine City, meant that parameters like the strength of the sidewalls had to be considered. The final choice had to be the Bridgestone Ecopia 185/ 65 R15. The spare under the boot floor is a space saver.
Cabin
The story inside the cabin of the new City e:HEV is similar. Most of the dashboard features are identical to the ZX trim variants of the regular City, though the replacement of the handbrake with the electric parking brake is a conspicuous addition. A minor variation to the cabin colour theme can be seen only if you keep both the cars next to each other. The other interior feature that is different is the part digital instrument cluster. The e:HEV sports an analog speedometer and instead of the odometer the digital part displays multiple selectable info including active ADAS functions, and the energy flow via the powertrain with a simplistic representation of the state of charge in the battery pack. The animation shows a real-time display of regen charge flow and series or parallel assist discharge from the battery.
There have been changes to the centre console with the hybrid’s auto gear stickshift, auto brake-hold and ‘Econ’ mode buttons being the differences. The e:HEV also gets the 17.7cm high-def LCD screen, which does the job well enough, though it seems a bit dated in design and presentation with the array of buttons built onto the rectangular frame. The screen displays a bunch of info including power flow meters, controls for other cabin functions and the new ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) functions that Honda is offering under the ‘Honda Sensing’ umbrella. Two of the best features of the City’s cabin are the plump, well-bolstered seats, clad in leather in the e:HEV, and the amount of space in the cabin. In fact, Honda manages the best leverage between the external footprint of the vehicle versus cabin space. The City is a good example of this. The only part of the City e:HEV where this hasn’t worked is the boot, where the addition of the battery pack has meant that the storage capacity is now just 306-litres, about 200-litres lesser than the regular City.
Hybrid Performance
The City e:HEV’s powertrain is one of the most complex in the passenger car industry right now. The hardware set up seems simplistic enough to explain, but it is the control algorithm that is sensitive and complex. Honda also doesn’t fully explain the algorithmic logic since it is proprietary. The hybrid powertrain includes Honda’s 1.5-litre, i-VTEC, 4-cylinder, Atkinson cycle petrol engine, two AC synchronous electric motors and a 180-volt Lithium-ion battery pack. The engine has been tuned lower to deliver a peak power of 98PS and a peak torque of 127Nm. The drive motor delivers an additional 109PS of power and torque of 253Nm. While the drive motor delivers traction to the wheels, the other ‘generation’ motor feeds power back to the battery through regenerative braking. In traditional parallel-assist hybrids, the combined output would be simple math, but in the City e:HEV, the system varies the output depending on driving conditions and driver demands, offering multiple levels of assist and so multiple power and torque levels will be recorded. The Power Control Unit (PCU), the sort of brain of the entire hybrid system monitors all the parameters including feedback from an array of sensors to determine whether the vehicle runs on pure EV mode, series-assist mode or parallel-assist mode.
Together, the petrol engine and the battery-electric system get an e-CVT. Unlike the continuously variable transmission (CVT) gearbox of the regular petrol City and its range of gears, the e-CVT features just one gear ratio. The ‘electrically coupled’ CVT features an engine-linked wet-clutch, which behaves like a lock-up clutch during engine operation. In hybrid mode, the engine acts like a generator feeding power to the battery, while the traction motor drives the wheels. The clutch is engaged in engine drive mode and effectively only with one gear. During my test drive, I did hear what seemed like gear changes and engine rpm levels rising and falling, but Honda engineers clarified that the system generates it only to mimic natural drive feel. Mind you none of these modes are selectable, they are seamlessly chosen by the system based on multiple parameters like throttle input, brake pressure, battery state of charge and engine speeds. The steering wheel does feature paddle shifters, but the is manual gear selection; instead, these paddles can be used to select higher or lower levels of regenerative braking. The electric servo brake helps direct power back to the self-charging battery pack. This is not a very large battery pack, so while there is a pure EV mode, mostly during initial start and acceleration, the range delivered purely on battery is not very high. With some practice, it should be possible to do one-pedal driving of the new City e:HEV. Brake Regen works in the background and can be used to your advantage in city driving conditions.
In terms of the ride quality, the City e:HEV is the same level of likeable as before. The City doesn’t feel particularly heavy or solid on the run, and instead feels pretty nimble off the block. But it doesn’t thud through pot-holes or bad patches; it still delivers a confident, planted ride. Safety equipment in the one-trim variant e:HEV includes the LaneWatch camera for blind-spot assistance during lane changes, six airbags, vehicle stability assist and tyre pressure monitoring system.
Bottom Line
The City e:HEV is also being offered with a suite of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), including road departure warning, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and a collision mitigation system.
Most of these real-time functions are executed with the assistance of a camera mounted behind the rear-view mirror inside the cabin. The City e:HEV is effectively a Autonomous Level 2 vehicle, but Honda is hesitant to highlight this fact, lest customers mistake the level of assistance it offers. The functions have been extensively tested and calibrated in Indian conditions and offered consistent performance during my test drive.
The big relief is that the City e:HEV doesn’t carry a technology premium. Priced at ₹19.5 lakh, it is still only about a couple of lakhs more than the regular petrol version.