The past decade has seen buyers move towards SUVs quickly, resulting in sedans getting sidelined for no apparent reason. There still exist loyalists though (like Abhay, who loves his sedans!), and even car makers feel there exists a healthy demand for sedans even today. And that’s one reason why Honda has just launched an all-new Amaze.
The previous generation Amaze had managed to dethrone the Honda City as the highest selling Honda in India. It was still way behind its arch rival, the Maruti Suzuki DZire in terms of numbers, but the second generation Amaze appealed to family car buyers looking for a compact sedan with its spaciousness and overall comfort, besides the trademark Honda quality.
The design of the third generation Amaze you see on these pages looks inspired by its siblings, the City and Elevate both. While the front end, especially the grille and headlamps remind of the Elevate, the rear and the tail lamp design look inspired by the City. I also like the front fog lamps in terms of their design and positioning both. Effectively, the new Amaze also looks sharper than its predecessor. The side profile is similar to that of the outgoing version, but with new elements like door-mounted rear view mirrors, new diamond-cut 15-inch alloys and wider, 185-section tyres. The new Amaze thus looks more premium too and also exudes the sense of being more expensive. While the length, wheelbase and height remain unchanged at 3,995mm, 2,470mm and 1,500mm respectively, the new Amaze is now 38mm wider now, and the difference is noticeable.
Interiors are all-new too. The new dashboard looks a lot more contemporary and inspired by the Elevate, its design is minimalistic, with a beige-black theme but sans any soft touch plastics, and it looks clean and upmarket. The 8.0-inch touchscreen feels slightly small though, given the larger screens new cars are equipped with. Buttons and switches are typical Honda in terms of quality and ease of operation. Honda has also retained physical switches for air-conditioning thankfully. The digital-analogue instrument cluster looks clean and is easy to read, and displays essential information without looking cluttered. The steering wheel is typical Honda and is equipped with the brilliantly tactile jog dial we’ve seen on the City, to scroll through settings. It’s this attention to detail that sets Honda cars apart! Storage spaces and cubby holes are aplenty, and you have plenty of space for bottles too.
The front seats are comfortable but underthigh support could have been better, and I also missed having an armrest. The rear seats are supremely comfortable, with ample legroom and kneeroom, in keeping with Honda’s ‘man maximum, machine minimum’ philosophy, and the scooped front seatbacks help matters too. Rear headroom is just about adequate though. The car’s incresed width translates to more interior space but even now, sitting three abreast in the second row is a bit of a squeeze. The boot is spacious with a volume of 416 litres though, and can take in three medium-sized suitcases easily.
The inclusion of camera-based ADAS is a big deal, as the Amaze is the first and only compact sedan and also the most economical car in India to be equipped with the technology. ADAS functions include lane assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and more. Blind spot monitoring is provided only on the left, and pops up on the infotainment screen when you use the turn indicator. This gets a little annoying when using navigation though, as maps go off the display momentarily. Inclusion of a camera on the right side for blind spot monitoring and 360-degree view would have been nice too though. It’s also surprising that the Amaze is only equipped with the older, Type-A USB ports and does not have any fast charging Type-C ports, though it does have a wireless charging pad and a 12V socket in the front and a second 12V socket in the rear.
The new Amaze is powered by Honda’s tried and tested, 1.2-litre four-cylinder iVTEC petrol engine like before, which churns out 90PS and 110Nm. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and CVT. Interestingly, the CVT is on offer from the base variant itself! The naturally aspirated engine loves to be revved and also sounds good at full chat. It feels more responsive at higher revs, though Honda has made the first two gears shorter to improve power delivery below the 2,000rpm mark. Yet, you will find yourself downshifting often, in the quest for more grunt, though the manual gearbox never minds being given a workout as I found out. The CVT works brilliantly and seems to offer better grunt at low revs, especially in ‘Sport Mode’ where it behaves better and helps in extracting more performance from the engine. NVH levels have improved, but could have been better I felt.
The Amaze impresses a lot on the ride and handling front as you would expect of a Honda. It feels comfortable, as the suspension soaks up undulations well at highway speeds, besides which the suspension is also adept at soaking ruts and potholes. That said, the suspension setup does feel a little too soft and could have been slightly firmer, as it might just bottom out when going over bigger ruts. The soft suspension also affects the car’s handling in terms of body roll around corners, though the car does hold its line well and feels planted, also courtesy the wider tyres.
Overall, the sedan’s design, inclusion of ADAS, spacious cabin and plush ride quality help in making the Amaze a proposition that’s hard to ignore. The new car also builds on its predecessor’s strengths in terms of space and comfort. Honda could have equipped the car with more features to make it more enticing though. Also, prices start from ₹8 lakh ex-showroom, which makes it more expensive than its arch rival, the Maruti Suzuki DZire. That said, the Amaze does have its own strengths to play on, like comfort and the typical Honda reliability. It should thus be interesting to see the kind of response the new car receives.
