Honda's next-generation Fit hatchback hasn't even debuted in U.S.-spec form yet, and already we're getting a peek at the models that will be spun off of its tiny platform. First, there was the Honda Vezel, which broke cover at the Tokyo auto show and previews next year's yet-unnamed Urban SUV, and now this, the City sedan. Honda pulled the cover off the slick-looking sedan in India this week, and the City shows what our four-door Fit will look like when it goes on sale in the next year or so.
The City has, for pretty much as long as the Fit has been around, been closely linked to the subcompact hatch, and Honda's global boss Takanobu Ito previously confirmed that the same Mexican plant that will build the 2015 Fit and Fit-based SUV would also build the City. Honda's U.S. front man also confirmed all three cars would be sold here. As you'd expect, the City's basic specs closely mirror those of the Fit; compared to the Japanese Fit, the City is 19.1 inches longer—thanks to its 2.8-inch longer wheelbase and a trunk—and 1.2 inches shorter in height; the two share identical 66.7-inch widths. Cosmetically, it shares its front-end styling with the new Fit and manages to pull off the same styling coup as its predecessor by being an attractive small sedan. (Typically, tiny four-doors look tall, stumpy, and all kinds of wrong—just look at the Ford Fiesta and Chevy Sonic.) At least in India, the City is available with a choice of two 1.5-liter four-cylinder powerplants, one drinks diesel and the other swills gas, and both are part of Honda's latest Earth Dreams engine family.
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We expect the new Fit to utilize a single gasoline 1.5-liter four—as it does today—here in the U.S., and wouldn't be surprised if the City came to our shores with the same deal. Transmission choices, at this point, are a mystery, but the Fit gets a manual and a CVT in Japan. Look for full details on the Fit-based sedan destined for our market to drop closer to the car's expected on-sale date next year.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com
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