Honda City

• The 1.5‑liter DOHC engine with Honda’s variable timing technology produces 119 hp and 145 Nm. These figures are not bad for daily Saudi urban use in a way that matters. In Riyadh’s stop-and-go traffic on King Abdulaziz Road or navigating the streets near Jeddah’s Al Balad, the city's CVT pulls away smoothly and quietly.
• The G‑Shift CVT design keeps the engine in its most efficient operating range.
• In the higher Sport trim, it comes with paddle shifters with seven simulated steps, adding driver involvement without changing the CVT’s underlying character. The ECON mode across all trims softens throttle response and climate-control output to stretch economy further, which on a long day of city driving produces noticeable savings.
• It claims about 21.1 km/L fuel economy, but in the real world, fuel consumption in Saudi Arabia, with air-conditioning running and mixed urban use, will realistically land around 14 to 16 km/L. It’s better than a larger petrol engine, and the 40‑litre tank means refuelling every 560 to 640 km in real-world conditions.
• At highway speeds between 110 and 130 kph, the City’s 119 hp becomes a little underwhelming. On the Riyadh to Dammam highway with multiple lanes and traffic moving quickly, overtaking requires planning rather than confidence. The engine does not feel strained exactly, but it does not feel relaxed either. If you primarily drive within a city, you may never find this relevant. Those who regularly make highway runs will feel the limit.
• The CVT, while smooth and efficient, produces the rubber-band sensation under hard acceleration that all CVTs share. The engine revs up before momentum follows. It is not alarming, but it is not exciting either. For buyers who care about this, the City is honest about what it is.

• The City is a perfect urban sedan, and it does exactly what it is designed to do. The MacPherson front and torsion-beam rear suspension absorb Riyadh’s residential speed bumps and typical urban road imperfections without jarring the cabin.
• The steering is light and accurate at low speed, making parking in Jeddah’s busier districts an uncomplicated task.
• The car’s compact dimensions: 1,748 mm wide and 4,553 mm long, mean it occupies space sensibly rather than requiring careful daily management.
• The Sport trim’s black exterior accents, rear spoiler, and carbon-style lower grille make it look more purposeful than the standard variants. This is primarily visual rather than dynamic, but it gives the Sport an appearance that reads noticeably different from the DX or LX.

Things That Matter More

• At Saudi motorway speeds of 120 to 130 kph, the City is stable but not settled; not a big deal, but still, you should test drive to know.
• While the cabin is well insulated, the wind noise still feels present, and the torsion‑beam rear suspension makes itself felt on road‑surface changes that a multilink setup would absorb more cleanly. But these are normal characteristics for a car at this price and size, and buyers who transition from a Camry or Accord will feel every one of them.
• Body roll in faster lane changes is noticeable. The city is tuned for comfort and efficiency, not handling precision, and its limits show at highway speeds and in sharper corners.
• For daily city use, this is irrelevant. For anyone who occasionally drives mountain roads near Taif or Abha, it matters more.

• From the LX upward, automatic climate control replaces the DX’s manual setup, which in Saudi Arabia is a necessity rather than a luxury.
• The 8‑inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard across all four trims, which is the right decision. Having to choose a higher trim for smartphone connectivity in 2026 would be a problem; Honda avoids it.
• The Sport trim’s interior makes the fullest case. Leather seats, a leather steering wheel, a rear armrest with cup holders, wireless charging, and an 8‑speaker system with four tweeters make it feel noticeably more finished.
• The seven-color TFT driver display is clear and useful rather than decorative. Interior ergonomics are well‑considered: the instrument panel sits within the driver’s natural sightline, and window controls are consolidated on the driver’s door for easy reach during daily use.

What's Missing

• If you see, the wireless charging is available only on the Sport variant.
• While the remote engine start, which matters considerably in Saudi summers for cooling the cabin before entry, is available from the LX upward but absent on the base DX.
• If you are considering the DX variant, then it gets manual air conditioning and no remote start, which are meaningful daily inconveniences.
• The boot and rear legroom are genuinely modest. The city is better understood as a four‑person urban car than a family five‑seater for long journeys. Two tall adults in the rear on a trip longer than 30 minutes will feel the limits.
• The interior materials on lower trims, fabric seats and a urethane steering wheel, feel exactly as priced. Buyers who sit in a Civic or Corolla beforehand will notice the step down in material quality 

• ABS, vehicle stability assist with electronic stability and traction control, hill‑start assist, emergency stop signal, indirect tire‑pressure monitoring, and ISOFIX child‑seat anchors are standard across all four trims.
• The Honda ACE body structure, which is designed to manage collision energy away from the passenger cabin, is standard throughout. A rear‑view camera is standard from the LX upward, which for urban Saudi driving is a genuinely daily‑use feature.
• Two front SRS airbags are standard on DX, LX, and LX Sport. The Sport adds side airbags and curtain airbags, bringing the total to six, and adds Honda Lane Watch, which displays the left blind spot on the infotainment screen when the turn signal is activated.

Things to Consider

• Honda Sensing, the full active‑safety package covering collision‑mitigation braking, road‑departure mitigation, forward‑collision warning, lane‑departure warning, lane‑keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control, is only available on the Sport trim.
• This is not available on the DX, LX, and LX Sport. For a family that does occasional highway use and wants protection against inattention on the Riyadh to Makkah route, this creates a clear choice: the Sport or nothing.
• Buyers financing through Murabaha who are deciding whether to step from the LX Sport to the Sport for Honda Sensing should run that calculation carefully.
• The safety package and the full six‑airbag system both live exclusively at the top of the range. If you use the City primarily for short urban commutes, the LX or LX Sport is sufficient. For anyone with highway exposure, the Sport makes the stronger safety choice.