Innovation Technology

The same car that we saw on tv and was presumed to be the new Honda City has now been spotted in Malaysia. These photos from show the same car finished in a nice white paint. Unlike the previous shots, we can now see the tail lamps in full glory.

If it is truly the new Honda City it will definitely sell like hot cakes, it looks really good! It will have a winning formula of good looks, above average fuel economy, a price of under RM 100k (under 70K is a dream but maybe possible with 1.3 manual) and a Honda badge!

If you look closely at the ceiling of the interior through the windows, there is something that looks roughly like a sunroof, but oddly shaped as its not very clear. I could be mistaken. Can you see what I am seeing? The City may be an economical model to us but in countries like India where it is high-end, it is available with a sunroof.

The current generation Honda City one of the Honda cars available in China and have also been used as Chinese police cars in the past.

Look after the jump for more shots of the car.

New 1.5L i-VTEC Engine

The new L-Series SOHC i-VTEC engine in the 2009 Honda City is the same unit as found in the 2nd generation Honda Jazz. It produces 120 PS at 6,600rpm and 145Nm of torque at 4,800rpm, making it one of the most powerful 1.5 liter units today.

Unlike the SOHC VTEC unit in the previous Honda City VTEC which only switched between opening and closing 1 of 2 intake valves per cylinder, the new i-VTEC engine actually varies the valve timing and valve lift, though this is not a continuously variable system like in the K-Series i-VTEC, but instead switches over at pre-set RPM points.

Interestingly you can see a small dip in the torque curve at around 3,300 to 3,500rpm before it picks up again immediately, which is probably just about before the i-VTEC engine switches to a more aggressive cam profile.

Honda actually acknowledges this and claims the torque dip provides a smoother drive, whatever that means! The good news is this engine is compatible with RON92 fuel which should allow you to save on your fuel bills a little.

There are quite a few other improvements in this new engine. The new engine now features 4 valves per cylinder, with larger 28mm diameter intake valves.

Valve area is increased by 4%, and this reduces pumping losses and improves maximum output. The throttle is controlled via Drive-By-Wire which transmits accelerator pedal position via an electric signal.

The engine switches from the use of two oxygen sensors in the previous City VTEC engine to a new air-fuel ratio control system that uses one oxygen sensor and one Linear Air-Fuel Ratio sensor (LAF sensor). This allows a higher level of precision.

The conrod is made of hot-forged, high-tension steel which has an improved fatigue strength of approximately 50%. This allows a 17% reduction in the conrod cross-section area to reduce weight by about 1kg. This also allows the engine to rev higher because of reduced inertial force.

A combustion chamber shape that would suppress engine knock was also developed, which features a more compact piston head thanks to thicker piston edges to prevent residual gas accumulation. The coolant flow in the water jacket has been redesigned from a dual-flow structure to a single-flow structure which flows into the block ahead of the cylinder head. This allows a concentrated coolant flow that improves cooling efficiency, further improving knock resistance.

As a result, engine knock is reduced, which means more aggressive ignition timings can automatically be used, which can be felt with an increase in low-end torque. Torque is further enhanced with the adoption of a resonator chamber in the intake manifold.

In addition, the rocket arm is stronger by 20% thanks to stronger aluminium. Another 1kg is shaved off via the use of a lightweight plastic head cover. The cylinder head has an integrated exhaust manifold which helps bring the high thermal resistance catalytic converter closer to the engine. This allows the catalyst to warm up faster and also reduces cost because there is less precious metal needed in the catalyst.

NVH is improved with the use of an auto-tensioner for the auxiliary belt drive system so that belt tension is stabilized, with the variations in tension automatically regulated in accordance with load. The engine also has a new patterned piston coating is claimed to be the first in the world and a proprietary Honda technology. The shape around the piston skirt is modified to reduce both piston slap noise and friction. The pattern also improves oil retention which reduces friction even more.