This is your first look at 2023 Honda City facelift

A few weeks ago, several digital renderings of the refreshed Honda City made their way to the internet, giving a glimpse of what to expect from Honda's minor model change for their subcompact sedan. And now, just before it makes its debut in India, an automotive website was given early access to the updated City, giving us a first look at the sedan and all its new features in the metal.

Rushlane was able to get a hold of an Indian-spec 2023 Honda City – one that's apparently a top-spec variant with a six-speed manual transmission. Since it has shed its camouflage, we were able to get a better view of the changes Honda made to the exterior.

Much of the cosmetic updates were most visible on the front fascia. As we've seen from the renderings, the wide chrome bar has been made slimmer on the facelifted model. The honeycomb mesh that was previously exclusive to the RS variant has now made its way to the lower-grade model, sporting bigger mesh patterns than before.

In addition, the side intakes that house the foglights are now connected with the lower grille through a plastic trim that's made to resemble an aerodynamic front splitter. Meanwhile, the side profile remained unchanged, but the rear gets a new bumper design. The reflectors are now integrated into the faux diffuser, which appears to have been made bigger as well.

Moving on to the interior, the Indian-spec model appeared with a beige, black, and silver motif, but we reckon this will vary depending on the market. The instrument cluster looks to have been also updated, and now features the part-digital, part-analog gauge like the one from the HR-V Turbo and Civic.

Furthermore, the Indian-spec City has a sunroof, as well as an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a wireless charging pad. The Honda Sensing suite is also something we can expect to find its way on the updated City, as the instrument cluster showed the icons for adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.

In terms of the engine, Rushlane had the variant with the familiar 1.5-liter DOHC i-VTEC four-cylinder found in Philippine-spec units. Honda Cars Philippines is likely to retain this powertrain once they offer the updated City here in the country, but we're hoping they would also bring in the e:HEV hybrid variant as an addition.

HCPI has already confirmed they are launching three new models this year, and they have finished launching the first one – that is the Civic Type R. We reckon the all-new CR-V and an e:HEV model are the next two, but the thing is the City won't be an entirely new model, to begin with, so fingers crossed the updated City finds its way to the country within the year.

Source: Rushlane