Unlike older-generation Ballades, which were rebadged Civics, South Africa's latest Ballade is in fact a Honda City that wears a nostalgic badge. This means that the all-new Honda City, revealed in India on Monday, is in fact our new Ballade.
Although the new model hasn't grown in length or width, extending the wheelbase by 50mm has freed up more interior space to make it roomier than its class rivals.
On the outside, it receives a completely new look that resembles the recently revealed third-generation Honda Jazz , on which the new sedan is based. Although it was designed in Japan, this was done with extensive input from the Asean countries where the City is most popular.
The result, in Honda's words not ours, is an “Advanced Cool Stunner.”
This generation marks the introduction of a new 1.5-litre i-DTEC turbodiesel engine that was developed exclusively for India.
It'll also be offered with an improved version of the familiar 88kW 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine.
The City goes on sale in India in January 2014, although the South African on-sale date has yet to be confirmed.