PEGOH: It seems like we have been putting the spotlight on the as-yet-to-be launched, all-new Honda City for awhile now but it's actually been over a month since announcing that the new sedan is open for booking.
That has been followed by teasing the exterior of the new City RS, the new top-of-the-range variant which features the i-MMD powertrain, LED headlights and the Honda LaneWatch safety feature.
The new City also gets the double overhead camshaft (DOHC) 1.5L engine compared to the previous single overhead camshaft (SOHC) 1.5L mill.
Honda Malaysia invited members of the media for a tour of its plant in Pegoh, Melaka and later, gave the opportunity to drive the new City RS around the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (MIMC) for a lap.
Honda Malaysia however, wants to keep the images of the interior under wraps until the new City is officially launched.
READ MORE: Fifth-gen Honda City launched on Oct 13, prices start at RM74K, hybrid in January
What we can share is that the new City RS comes equipped with the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver assist systems including adaptive cruise control, collision mitigating braking system, lane keep assist system and road departure mitigation among others.
This is a big step up for the City as Honda Sensing is currently offered on more expensive models such as the Civic, CR-V, Accord and Odyssey.
And, completely new in Honda Malaysia's portfolio and a world premiere, is the i-MMD powertrain under the hood of the City RS which has electric motors that produce 253Nm of torque. That's more torque compared to the Civic's 1.5L turbo unit.
On the MIMC track, we got a taste of just how smooth and quick the acceleration is on the City RS when we throttled it. The exhaust note was sporty without being loud and it is quiet in the cabin.
Its handling revealed acceptable levels of body roll and the car turns without much fuss with its small turning radius.
We were told by a Honda Malaysia spokesperson that the reception of bookings for the new City was positive without revealing any numbers and when we visited the Honda Malaysia No. 2 Line plant, we saw the new City vehicles being assembled in droves so that is a good indication that orders will be fulfilled as soon as possible.
We were also showed the new robots used for welding the City chassis; the new sound insulation material called spray foam which is placed under the A and B-pillars of the car (and also used in the Honda Accord); the light room which stacks fluorescent tubes vertically so that the car can be inspected for paint and surface defects; the engine assembly facility for the i-MMD powertrain; and the assembly of the intelligent power unit (IPU) or the battery that powers the electric motors with all the parts coming straight from Japan.
There were presentations for each part of the tour and beyond the technology and manufacturing processes involved, a high level of quality control and efficiency are designed, reviewed and implemented here.
This is assuring as Honda Malaysia strives to produce top quality products for its Malaysian customers. And after trying out the new City RS, the build quality as well as fit and finish is really apparent.
It's safe to say that the new fifth-generation City has taken a quantum leap from its predecessors what with its new design, build, powertrain technology and safety features.
