The first-gen Amaze was a pioneer for the Honda brand in many ways. It was the first Honda in India to get a diesel engine and it was also the carmaker’s first crack at the compact sedan segment. It went on to become a huge sales success and in the span of five years, it reached 2.5 lakh households to become the second bestseller in the segment (after the Dzire) and the second bestselling Honda too (after the City). So the Amaze is a very important car for Honda, and, for this all-new model, the Japanese company has taken lots of learning from the first-gen car to take the game up several notches.
Gone is the built-to-a-cost Brio platform – a fundamental weakness of the previous-gen model; this time round, the second-gen Amaze is built from a clean sheet of paper, or, specifically, an all-new platform. Honda claims to have engineered and incorporated several features in the new Amaze, based on user feedback. Strengths like space and practicality have been enhanced, the premium feel has been upped and even claimed fuel efficiency, from the familiar 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, has been improved. The option of a diesel-CVT is a trump card that distinguishes the Amaze from its rivals. More on that later.
Initial demand for the new Amaze has been very strong and it has contributed to over 50 percent of the sales for Honda in India. In fact, prices have already been bumped up a bit, ranging from Rs 5.80-8.10 lakh for the petrol, and Rs 6.90-9.10 lakh for the diesel.
Honda has equipped the top VX variant of the Amaze with all the features that we’ve come to expect from a car at this price, like the 15-inch alloys, shark-fin antenna, keyless entry, start/stop button, electric folding mirrors, 7.0-inch touchscreen, reverse camera, climate control and cruise control. Safety kit like ABS with EBD, dual front airbags, Isofix child seat mounts and parking sensors are standard across the range.
The CVTs, however, are available only in the lower S and V variants, which also get a 2-din audio system with Bluetooth instead of the touchscreen. The petrol-auto gets segment-first paddleshifters as well. The Amaze still misses out on some features that its competitors get, like projector LED headlamps, daytime running lamps, rear air con vents, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, driver armrest and a cooled glovebox.
The top VX variants get a 7.0-inch touchscreen with navigation, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. While the interface is easy to use, it feels fiddly to operate and the software is a bit slow to respond. The physical buttons placed beside the screen feel small and cheap. Notably, you can’t pair your phone via Bluetooth on the move in this variant, however, in the lower S and V variants (without a touchscreen), you can.
The new Amaze is a huge step-up over the first-gen, be it in terms of size, comfort or premium feel. The interiors appear more upmarket, the seats more comfortable, and the equipment list almost matches that of its rivals. For those who are chauffeur-driven, the backseat is still the most comfortable place to be in (in its segment), but the absence of adjustable rear neck restraints and the tight headroom are disappointing. While the petrol engine is smooth and offers a satisfactory performance, it is the diesel that truly impresses when it comes to overall performance. The CVT paired with the diesel is outstanding; you get a respectable performance and the convenience of the smoothest-shifting automatic in that segment. It’s unfortunate that those looking for a CVT (with either engine) will miss a factory-fitted touchscreen and cruise control as it isn’t available in the top variant.
Where the Amaze falls short is with its sub-par cabin insulation and mediocre high-speed dynamics. However, despite these shortcomings, the new-gen Amaze is neatly packaged and as a city car, it is as good as it gets. And the diesel-CVT, an industry first, is certainly a feather in its cap.
from Autocar India - Car Reviews https://ift.tt/2Mqjmuj
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