KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — If I were to select sedan in the B-segment, I would be quite spoilt for choice — there are of course the popular Japanese makes, followed by the Korean makes, and then there are the European brands, and of course our local Proton models.

Each make and model has its own good points, but at least for now, until something else equally as good pops up, I would look seriously at the Honda City hybrid.

Reason number #1 — hybrid for under RM90k

The price alone would be a great incentive for me to go get a Honda City hybrid, but it goes beyond that — in terms of value for money, the City hybrid makes one of the best packages in this category of cars available out there.

In terms of trim and equipment level, the City hybrid is a little higher than the non-hybrid E Grade City and a little lower than the V Grade City. However, if you consider the additional equipment that went in to make up the hybrid part of the car, this makes the City hybrid a good buy.

Reason Number #2 — more advanced technology & performance

For RM89,200 which is RM40 lower than the V Grade Honda City, I get Honda’s new hybrid system that is a quantum leap over the previous system. An added bonus is the i-DCD (intelligent Dual Clutch Drive) that provides a very direct feel — no more transmission slip, and on a personal level, I would pick the i-DCD over a CVT any day.

With a combined power output of 137 PS over the 120PS of the non-hybrid Honda City, it is again a no-brainer. Acceleration would be faster than in the non-hybrid variant.

Reason Number — better fuel efficiency and lower fuel bills

The City hybrid gear lever. — Picture by Chew Wooi Foo

With the hybrid system in place, the City hybrid is more fuel efficient than the normal City variants — energy that is otherwise wasted is recovered during braking or on negative throttle, and is channelled back into the system to drive the car.

While on long outstation drives, the fuel savings will not be so apparent, the City hybrid will really make huge savings when in city traffic.

The City hybrid is capable of driving in fully electric mode up to 80 kph, all automatically controlled by the intelligent system, and this certainly contributes to the overall fuel efficiency.

During a short 56 kilometre trial run while on the official Honda City hybrid media test drive a couple of weeks ago, most of the participants were able to achieve between 3.0 to 3.5 litres per 100 kilometres.

In real world terms, I would expect an average fuel consumption figure of around five to six litres per 100 kilometres.

Reason Number #4 — eight-year warranty on the lithium battery

Honda is so confident about its hybrid battery, now made with lithium-ion, much the same material as in your hand phone battery that it offers an eight-year unlimited mileage warranty on it. The replacement cost, should you ever need to replace it, is RM5,513.00.

Honda also reassures us that the replacement percentage for it hybrid battery is under 0.03 per cent, and with the current crop of new batteries, the percentage has dropped even further.

If I were to work out the sums, assuming that I have to change the battery after eight years, if I put aside RM57.42 a month for the 96 months, it would cover the cost. However, I am sure it would be possible to save more than this amount per month in terms of using less fuel.

In terms of servicing costs, the City hybrid costs the same amount to service as the non-hybrid City — there are no service parts in the hybrid system.

Reason Number #5 — it’s a Honda

After all that is said and done, it is, after all, a Honda. Honda did not get to be the number one position in the non-national car market in Malaysia, and number two in the overall market in Malaysia by accident.

Honda Malaysia did it through hard work in the area of customer service, excellent products, clever pricing, a good network, and excellent marketing. Brand acceptance and brand loyalty is high.

Honda is one of two major Japanese brands that retail 70,000 to 100,000 vehicles a year. Honda is a trusted brand.