Honda City vs Honda City Sport: What's Different?

Honda has introduced a new variant to its City lineup in India—the Honda City Sport, priced at ₹14.89 lakh (ex-showroom). Based on the mid-spec City V CVT, the Sport trim brings a sportier visual appeal to the popular compact sedan without changing its core mechanicals or equipment list. But here’s what differentiates the City Sport from the regular Honda City. 

Exterior Design

The overall silhouette of the Honda City Sport remains identical to the standard model, but it receives several visual upgrades aimed at enhancing its sporty character. Most notably, the chrome grille on the regular City has been replaced with a blacked-out grille on the Sport. The front bumper retains the same design but features additional black horizontal air intake accents. 

In profile, the Sport variant stands out with grey-finished 15-inch alloy wheels, a notable visual departure from the silver alloys of the V variant. It also gains black outside rear-view mirrors (ORVMs), while the door handles remain body-coloured, similar to the regular model. 

At the rear, the City Sport features more aggressive styling touches, including a black boot lip spoiler, a black shark-fin antenna, and a ‘Sport’ badge. In contrast, the regular City V variant sports an ‘iVTEC’ badge and a body-coloured antenna. 

Interior

The most prominent difference inside the cabin is the colour theme and trim finish. While the regular City V features a dual-tone beige-and-black interior, the City Sport opts for an all-black cabin with red highlights. 

The dashboard features red accents, and the steering wheel and dashboard upper section are stitched in red. Seat upholstery also differs: the V variant uses beige semi-leatherette seats, while the Sport gets all-black leatherette seats with red stitching. 

Features & Tech

Functionally, both the Honda City V and the City Sport share the same list of features. Key highlights include an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a semi-digital instrument cluster, automatic climate control with rear AC vents, and push-button start/stop. 

On the safety front, both variants are well-equipped with six airbags (as standard), a rear-view camera with parking sensors, and a Level-2 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). This suite includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, and other features typically reserved for higher-end models in the segment. 

Performance & Powertrain

Mechanically, the City Sport and the standard V variant are identical, both powered by the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 119 bhp and 145 Nm of torque. However, the City Sport is only available with the CVT automatic transmission, whereas the V variant can be had with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a CVT. 

Drive configuration remains the same—front-wheel drive (FWD)—and no changes have been made to the suspension, braking system, or engine tuning.

Variants & Price 

The Honda City V MT is priced at ₹13.15 lakh, while the V CVT costs ₹14.40 lakh. The new Sport CVT trim comes in at ₹14.89 lakh, marking a premium of ₹49,000 over the V CVT. 

Considering the aesthetic upgrades and limited-edition appeal, this price bump may seem reasonable to style-conscious buyers. However, from a strictly value-oriented perspective, the Sport edition doesn’t bring additional functionality or equipment over the V CVT.

Rivals 

In the Indian compact sedan segment, the Honda City Sport competes against the Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Virtus, and Skoda Slavia. While all these rivals offer multiple trims and drivetrain options, few provide cosmetic-only upgrades in the mid-variant range like the City Sport.