Honda City review: the sensible sedan Bahrain's fleets already know
3.8/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy the City if the job is commuting, ride-hailing, or handing the keys to a new driver in the family, and you will not think about the decision again for years. The 1.5-litre four and CVT are unremarkable in the best sense: no turbo lag, no dual-clutch jerkiness, and a service bill that an independent Manama workshop can quote from memory. It is not a car anyone falls in love with, and it does not need to be.
Pros
- 506-litre boot beats several class-above sedans
- 1.5-litre engine and CVT are proven and cheap to run in Bahrain
- Independent workshops across the island know the car well
- Predictable, steady resale value
- Low realistic cost per kilometre for fleet or first-car use
Cons
- Numb steering and no sense of occasion behind the wheel
- Ride firms up noticeably over speed bumps
- Wind noise on the causeway is more present than key rivals
- Air conditioning works hard in peak summer heat
The fifth-generation City is the least demanding new-car purchase Bahrain offers. The 1.5-litre engine has been in Honda's lineup in one form or another for the better part of two decades, and the CVT it drives through is tuned to hide the drone that ruined earlier versions of the same idea. Neither part of the powertrain will surprise you, which for a sedan built to be driven by whoever is next in line for the car keys, is the entire brief.
Space that punches above its class
The 506-litre boot is the number that sells this car once buyers actually see it: it beats several class-above sedans and swallows a family's causeway luggage without folding a seat. Rear legroom benefits from the long 2,600 mm wheelbase, and the low beltline keeps the cabin from feeling as small as the exterior footprint suggests.
What it does not offer is any sense of occasion. The steering is light to the point of numbness, the ride softens badly over speed bumps taken with any enthusiasm, and wind noise on the causeway past 120 km/h is more present than in a Corolla or a Civic. None of this matters if the City is doing exactly the job it was built for.
Running costs in Bahrain
Fuel and servicing costs are the real pitch. Independent workshops across Bahrain know this engine intimately, parts are priced as commodities, and the CVT has none of the wet-clutch rebuild bills that hybrid rivals eventually present. Resale is steady rather than spectacular — a City depreciates predictably, which is a feature for a buyer who wants no surprises at trade-in time.
Air conditioning performance in a 45 °C Bahraini summer is adequate rather than class-leading; expect it to work harder and the fuel economy figure to soften noticeably compared with a cooler-climate test. Choose the higher LX or higher trim if you want alloy wheels and a rear camera as standard rather than options.