UNO Relaunch Photos Part I

Here are more photos from our magazine relaunch which did not make it to the magazine due to lack of space. We put them all online. Enjoy!

Sexy is the City: All New 2009 Honda City

Honda has been quite busy for the past few years. They ran their Formula 1 team until the end of the 2008 season, built a humanoid named Asimo, and even launched the HondaJet aircraft. Closer to home, they’ve been putting together the pieces of the 2009 Honda City.  

There were speculations that Honda would take a daring step, possibly an imaginative concept car? When spy images of the new City leaked out in late 2008, it was clear Honda did indeed take that leap of faith. And it paid off—the 2009 Honda City is oozing with so much sex appeal that it somehow makes up for the previous generation City’s somewhat goofy styling.  

The new City’s front facia looks as if it was inspired from one of the characters of Star Wars or Transformers although the car’s project leader said it was actually inspired by the arrows used by Greek archers. The car’s streamlined grille and angular headlight lenses gives this subcompact designed for the Asian market an illusion of size. This sleek look extends over the rising roofline and past the stubby rear end, giving it a more masculine stance. Even with a shorter trunk, the new City is over a thumbnail longer than its previous generation and boasts of a 506-liter trunk capacity. The new City now bares similar lines to its bigger brothers, the Civic and the Accord.    

Not only does the new City look big on the outside, it also feels roomy inside. By extending the wheelbase, designers managed to extend the rear legroom by a remarkable 25 millimeters. That might not sound like much but it could mean the difference between a comfortable ride and a regrettable one for someone vertically gifted.

Weapon of Choice
The City’s 1.3-liter and 1.5-liter i-VTEC engines produce a whopping 100 PS and 120 PS respectively—astonishing figures from relatively small displacements. Remember the Honda Civic ESi from the early ‘90s? It needed 1.6 liters to produce the same output as the City’s 1.5-liter powerplant.  

Drivers of the City are assured of loads of fun especially with the 1.5-liter engine, which transmits power to the wheels through a 5-speed automatic transmission with F1-inspired paddle shifters. Despite the high output, both City engines are fuel-efficient and pass Euro 4 standards for emissions.  

All City variants come with Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), and Brake Assist (BA). In addition, 1.3 S and the 1.5 E models are equipped with an iPod-ready sound system and dual SRS airbags. Only the 1.5 E gets fog lamps, side mirror turn lamps, 4-wheel disk brakes, plus the exclusive “Polished Metal” color (as shown in the showroom pictures). 

A few years ago, people bought the City simply because they couldn’t afford a Civic. But the third generation City has now made a mark for itself and is no longer a mere second option. The new City is breaking barriers with its impressive standard equipment and striking looks—just what it needs to go up against the big boys.  

Prices start at P 676,000 for the 1.3-liter model and P 806,000 for the 1.5-liter model.

Story and photos by Christopher T. Kho, originally appearing in UNO’s March 2009 issue. Showroom photos were taken at Honda Cars Shaw.