Honda sells both the second-gen and third-gen iterations of the Amaze in India. However, our focus here would be solely on the latter as it’s the latest and thus the best-equipped to tussle with other sub-4-metre sedans. As the Japanese brand’s most affordable offering, the Amaze carries a price tag of between Rs 7.65 lakh and 10.00 lakh (ex-showroom). Considering the brand’s badge appeal and some segment-first features, should you buy the Honda Amaze? Let’s find out.
Reasons to buy the Honda Amaze
Rear-seat comfort and a spacious boot
Usable interior space and a large boot add practicality to the Amaze
The rear seats of the Amaze are especially more comfortable than the front ones. Not only do the outer seats provide ample support, but their backrest angle is good too. Making these back seats more comfortable is the usable amount of kneeroom and legroom on offer, partly helped by the scooped-out portion of the front seatbacks. Further aiding comfort here are the dedicated AC vents, a centre armrest with cupholders, and headrests for all three passengers.
As for the Amaze’s luggage-carrying capacity, its 416-litre boot is one of the most spacious in the segment, easily trumping the Maruti Dzire and Hyundai Aura. While the loading lip is high, The Amaze’s boot offers plenty of width and depth to accommodate your luggage.
Easy to live with
The Amaze gets several user-friendly details right while also feeling more premium
The Amaze’s beige-black interior theme, an expansive glass area and a low-set dashboard make its cabin feel light and airy. This two-tone colour scheme, along with the high perceived quality and overall levels of fit & finish, make the Honda Amaze’s interior feel more premium over its rivals.
The light steering and clutch, a tight turning radius plus an easy-to-use manual gearbox mixed with good all-round visibility, make pottering around town easy. If you go for the CVT (continuously variable transmission) option, driving the Honda Amaze becomes a hassle-free affair. It comes with paddle shifters that react promptly and also come in handy when there’s a need for engine braking. Meanwhile, the physical controls for the HVAC system allow users to adjust the temperature or the fan speed without getting too distracted.
ADAS is available
This is the only car in its class to feature advanced driver-assistance systems
The Amaze is offered with the camera-based Honda Sensing ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) suite on the top-spec ZX trim. For those who want that extra layer of active safety nannies, features such as adaptive cruise control with autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and automatic high-beam will be useful add-ons. The Amaze can also be had with the brand’s LaneWatch Camera system, which displays the camera feed on the infotainment screen, aiding situational awareness.
Reasons to avoid the Honda Amaze
Poor cabin insulation
The Amaze’s cabin is quite an audible one
One of the aspects of driving the Honda Amaze is its lack of proper cabin insulation. Apart from engine and road noises, even ambient sounds from the outside world make it into this cabin with relative ease. This means that the Amaze’s cabin never really feels as relaxing as it could have been.
Underwhelming performance
This Honda sedan lacks engine punch to keep up with some rivals
The 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine of the Honda Amaze is happy to rev to its redline without complaint, but it isn’t a punchy unit. While there’s enough grunt once you get past the 4500rpm mark, this engine feels weak below 2,000rpm. Honda has tried to counter this by providing shorter ratios for the first and second gears.
However, this leads to one having to downshift constantly when driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic or even when trying to drive away from speed-breakers. Even though the CVT masks this engine’s weak low-end and mid-range performance, pushing it results in the type’s characteristic rubber-band effect becoming apparent. The soft suspension means that the Amaze sags under load, raising the risk of scraping the belly on large speed-breakers. It also causes the Amaze to roll noticeably in the corners.
Pricier than rivals
The Amaze remains the most expensive offering in its segment
Unlike the top-spec Maruti Dzire, which is Rs 64,000 cheaper the fully loaded Honda Amaze, it still gets a powered sunroof and a 360-degree camera setup. The Amaze also lacks Type-C USB ports, offering just Type-A and 12-volt outlets. While the higher price tag of the top-spec trim can be explained away due to the inclusion of ADAS, buyers would still want the aforementioned missing features at this price bracket.
Uday Singh
Dipan Sur
Saptarshi Mondal
