On call to provide the driving impressions were the RS e:HEV hybrid and the V variant powered by a 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine.
To recap, the five-door City Hatchback shares its underpinnings with the current four-door City sedan which was launched locally last year.
Both the City Hatchback and City sedan also share key powertrain systems and front styling, except the City Hatchback is shorter and has a large tailgate design.
While the City Hatchback cuts a sportier appearance due to its more compact design that reduces its bootspace, the car makes up with the 4-modes Ultra-type rear seats which allows huge items to carried on board.
The Ultra-type rear seats, which features the Utility, Long, Tall and Refresh modes, were originally made popular by the Honda Jazz hatchback.
The RS e:HEV also comes with rear air conditioner vents.
Powering the RS e:HEV hybrid is an intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) system featuring a highly efficient two-motor hybrid system and a 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC Atkinson cycle engine.
The electric drive system and petrol engine combination is mated to an Electric Continuous Variable Transmission (e-CVT) for the performance of a D-segment car and low fuel consumption.
Meanwhile, the V variant's engine delivers 121PS and 145Nm of torque, and uses a continuous variable transmission.
Slamming the throttle from standstill, the RS e:HEV was able to surge ahead strongly on electric power without hesitation.
With 253Nm of torque on tap, which is said to be the highest in B-segment family cars, the acceleration was smooth and satisfying.
In addition to the acceleration test, we also did a slalom course and were delighted by the RS e:HEV's handling in zigzagging a row of traffic cones at a pre-determined speed.
Bodyroll during that test was well-controlled and without any hint of the City Hatchback missing a step.
While turning the steering wheel of the RS:HEV was effortless due to its electric power assistance, the steering still felt precise and responsive even when going fast around sharp corners.
The V variant was also quick with a smooth take-off but it could not match the RS e:HEV's faster pace.
However, its handling and ride comfort were similar to the RS e:HEV's as both cars were said to be using the same suspension tuning.
As the RS e:HEV is the flagship variant of the City Hatchback line-up, the hybrid also comes with the Honda Sensing driver assistance systems to make driving easier and safer during long distance trips.
Included in the assistance package are Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Auto High Beam (AHB).
Testing the ACC with a Honda CR-V ahead of us, the RS e:HEV slowed down while maintaining a safe distance whenever the CR-V decreased its speed.
Another innovative feature which is available in both cars is the Honda LaneWatch camera system that projects an ultra wide left rear view of the vehicle onto the 8-inch centre infotainment display.
While many vehicles are now equipped with Blindspot monitoring system, their rear view angle from the wing mirror is still narrower than that provided by Honda LaneWatch.
Overall, the City Hatchback is zippier, more surefooted and roomier compared with a popular non-national B-segment hatchback rival which was brought in for the media to test back-to-back at the Sepang circuit.
Honda Malaysia is already taking bookings for the City Hatchback with official launch planned before the end of the year.
