The Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Honda Amaze are two of the most affordable sedans in India, with their top variants priced at around Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom). Both the Dzire ZXi+ and Amaze ZX get a 1.2-litre engine with similar specifications and a similar feature set, with a couple of segment-only offerings. But which one should you choose? We find out.
Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze: Dimensions
Sizes are almost similar, but the Amaze offers a slightly larger boot
The Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Honda Amaze have similar dimensions, but the Amaze has 34 litres more boot space, which means one can carry an extra backpack compared to the Dzire. Moreover, unlike the Dzire, which has a fixed rear seatback, the Amaze’s rear seat can be folded to accommodate more luggage if needed.
Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze: Powertrain
Dzire’s 3-cylinder engine offers higher fuel economy than the Amaze’s 4-cylinder unit
Here, the major difference between the two compact sedans is the number of cylinders: three in the Dzire’s naturally aspirated unit and four in the Amaze’s. The Honda Amaze produces 8hp more than the Dzire but 2Nm less. In our real-world experience, we found that the Amaze’s engine loves to be revved. It has weak low-end performance, especially under 2,000rpm, but offers a strong mid-range. The Dzire’s engine, on the other hand, has a crisp throttle response and offers strong low-end torque.
Both sedans get a 5-speed manual transmission, but the Dzire offers a 5-speed AMT while the Amaze has a CVT. The Dzire’s AMT, in our real-world experience, has prominent lag while shifting gears, which hampers the overall drive experience. The Amaze’s CVT is better in this regard and offers smoother shifts but has a rubberband effect, something that is generally associated with CVTs.
Fuel efficiency is where the Dzire really shines, with the claimed figure being 6.14kpl higher than the Amaze’s in the manual guise and 6.25kpl higher in the automatic.
Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze: Exterior
Both compact sedans get all-LED lighting, powered ORVMs and 15-inch wheels
Both the top-spec Maruti Dzire ZXi+ and Amaze ZX are offered with all-LED lighting, 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels and powered outside rearview mirrors (ORVMs).
Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze: Interior, features
Dzire has a sunroof and a larger infotainment system, but Amaze offers paddleshifters
The top-spec Maruti Dzire is offered with a single-pane sunroof, a segment-only feature, and a larger 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system compared to the 8-inch unit on the Honda Amaze. The Dzire’s steering column also allows for telescopic adjustments. However, the Amaze offers paddleshifters with the CVT, which is missing on the Dzire AMT, and gets a larger multi-information display (MID) on the instrument cluster than the Dzire.
Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze: Safety
Dzire gets a 360-degree camera, while Amaze offers Level 1 ADAS
While both the Maruti Dzire and Honda Amaze have a 5-star Bharat NCAP crash-safety rating, there are a couple of differences in the safety suite of both sedans. The Amaze ZX offers Level 1 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), a segment-only feature, while the Dzire offers a 360-degree camera setup. The Amaze gets a traditional rear camera and a LaneWatch camera mounted on the left ORVM. Other safety features are the same on both.
Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze: Prices
The top-spec Dzire is more affordable than the Amaze
Both manual and automatic versions of the top-spec Maruti Dzire ZXi+ are more affordable than the fully loaded Honda Amaze ZX. At a lower price point, the Dzire packs a fuel-efficient engine that also offers good low-end torque. Then, there’s the customer-favourite sunroof and a 360-degree camera setup, making it feel more complete than the top-spec Amaze.
Uday Singh
Glenn Noronha
