Honda Amaze

The Amaze is Honda’s most affordable offering for the Indian market. Originally based on the Honda Brio hatchback, the compact sedan is now in its third generation. It continues to rival its long time competitors — the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Aura and the Tata Tigor. 

For a similar budget, premium hatchbacks such as the Maruti Baleno/Toyota Glanza, Hyundai i20 or sub-compact SUVs such as the Maruti Brezza, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue etc. can also be considered. 

Having driven all iterations of the Amaze since it originally debuted in 2013, I expected Honda to not dramatically change the recipe of the compact sedan. It was always a no nonsense, spacious and reliable small sedan option for a nuclear family. Is that trait carried over into the latest model? 

In this report, let’s take a look at what’s changed with the Amaze, and what remains the same.

Working within the limitations of India’s rather-odd sub-4-metre rule is a hard starting point. Honda has (yet again) managed to bring us a design that looks thoughtful and complete. The design isn’t very flashy or over the top. It takes inspiration not just from the Honda City, but also sedans in Honda’s global portfolio such as the Civic and the Accord. 

The front profile of the Amaze has strong hints of the Honda Elevate. This is especially apparent in the design of the thick chrome strip above the grille, LED daytime running lamps, and the squared off full-LED headlamps. Other elements such as the large squared-off honeycomb grille and the LED fog lamp and its enclosure seem similar to the Elevate. 

From the side, the Amaze’s proportions seem just right. Honda has chosen to stick to a somewhat boxy look that seemed to work quite well with the second-generation of the Amaze. There are some premium touches with the chrome door handles and the shark fin antenna.

The mirrors (borrowed from the Honda City) are positioned on the door now instead of the base of the A-pillar. They get integrated turn indicators, and the left mirror also houses a camera for Honda’s ‘LaneWatch’ feature.

Honda is offering 15-inch alloy wheels in the VX and ZX variants of the Amaze. The design remains identical, but the top model gets a dual-tone finish. These wheels look slightly small, and we reckon the Amaze should’ve gotten 16-inch alloy wheels with wider tyres. It would’ve not only given it a unique feature in the segment, but also improved the looks.  

Viewed from the rear, the Amaze tries hard to mimic its elder sibling, the City. It features a flat and upright boot lid design, and sharp tail lamps. Honda has used LED for the guide lights in the tail lamps, but the reverse lamps and turn indicators have halogen bulbs. Honda could’ve opted for full-LED tail lamps here to add to the Amaze’s premium quotient. 

The Amaze’s design continues to be neutral. Overall, it will please most, and offend none. That’s a good place to be.

Design and Quality

The doors of the Amaze open wide. The floor height isn’t particularly high or low — even elders in your family won’t have issues getting in or out of the car. From the inside, Honda wants to wow you with the sense of space and quality. And they’ve mostly succeeded in doing that. 

For starters, the design features a lot of horizontal elements. This adds a sense of visual width, making the car feel wider than it actually is. Second, Honda has stuck to the tried-and-tested beige-black-silver colour palette that’s perceived as upmarket. 

Third, the quality of plastics used is actually above expectations for a vehicle in this category. There’s a lot of smooth-textured plastic used on the dashboard and doorpads, which feels quite rich. Even the honeycomb detailing on the dashboard is tastefully executed. 

Honda has missed a chance to have the Amaze deliver an even more premium experience, however. Leatherette upholstery for the seats and steering would’ve enhanced the cabin feel substantially. Fabric upholstery used on the seats and door cards feel just about acceptable, but the bare steering wheel feel is a downer. 

Front Seats

As far as space goes, the front seats have enough room for a six-footer to get into a comfortable driving position. To ensure there’s some minimum space for the rear occupant, Honda has limited the travel of the front seat. So, while someone taller than six feet can drive the car, it won’t be particularly comfortable. The pedal box will feel cramped, and the left knee might brush against the centre console occasionally. 

The driver’s seat has height adjustment, whereas the steering can be adjusted for tilt. Headroom and width are acceptable up front. Do note that the seats are slightly narrow, and best suited for an average build. If you’re a large person, the seats might not offer support around the upper back/shoulder area. Also, the seat cushioning is quite soft, which is great for shorter journeys. However, for the longer journeys, you’d want them to be firmer. Those overweight will especially feel this pinch. You will also miss a front central armrest, which is weirdly omitted. Honda has instead chosen to offer it as an official accessory. 

Rear Seats

At the rear, there’s enough room for a six-footer. Kneeroom, foot room and underthigh support are acceptable for a vehicle this size. Headroom is strictly okay, but might pose a problem for those above 6ft or those who wear a turban or other headgear. 

The Amaze is best used as a four seater. But if you want to accommodate a third occupant at the rear, Honda has thoughtfully extended the seatback cushioning all the way to the door pad which makes it easier for you to tilt towards the side and make space for the central occupant. 

Despite doing this, seating three abreast in the rear seat will be a bit of a squeeze. It’s not ideal for the centre occupant due to the bulge in the backrest (due to the armrest) and the raised seat base which ultimately takes away from headroom. 

All three rear occupants get fixed headrests and three point seatbelts. There’s a central armrest too, that sadly simply falls onto the seat base making the passenger lean towards one side for it to be actually usable. If the armrest stayed parallel to the seat base by itself, it would be a lot more usable and provide more comfort over longer journeys. 

Storage and Practicality

In-cabin storage spaces are adequate, not generous. All four doors get cubby holes, but they’re not particularly large — just about enough for 1-litre water bottles. There’s ample storage in the centre console with twin cupholders and a large space behind the handbrake. The glovebox is adequately sized and can hold a few knick-knacks over and above the vehicle’s documentation. 

Rear seat occupants get seat-back pockets and two cupholders in the armrest. 

Charging Options

Front occupants get two USB type-A ports, along with a 12V socket and a wireless charger. Honda has thoughtfully provided an ‘on/off’ switch for the wireless charger, so you can use the wireless charging pad area as a storage space when you do not wish to charge your phone. 

Rear occupants have to make do with a single 12V power socket.

Features

For its segment, the Honda Amaze is equipped well. It also gets a few segment first features. Here’s a quick snapshot of the functional features on offer. 

Now let’s take a look at the highlights, beginning with the 7-inch digital driver’s display. Surprisingly, Honda is offering this screen as standard across all variants. The display blends seamlessly with the analogue speedometer dial next to it, making the instrument cluster look upmarket. Functionality is limited to the basics such as trip information, range, music etc. A minor annoyance with this screen is that you cannot exit a sub-menu by hitting the ‘back’ button. You have to press the ‘Home’ button and scroll all over again. 

Next, is an 8-inch touchscreen that’s also offered as standard across all the variants of the Amaze. There’s wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay that function as intended. Honda’s own user interface seems simple and easy to get used to. I’d have loved to see a punchier display here with better contrast and resolution. That said, physical buttons for basic operations such as the volume are welcome. 

The touchscreen is paired with a basic 6-speaker audio system. Audio quality and clarity is acceptable, but not exceptional. The screen also serves as a display for the reverse parking camera. It gets multiple views, which are helpful while parking in tight spaces. 

While the Amaze has a solid set of features, the Dzire also offers a 360° camera and a sunroof.

The Honda Amaze gets the following safety features as standard

From the VX variant onwards, a ‘LaneWatch’ camera gets added. This camera - mounted only on the left mirror - comes in handy while changing lanes. Do note that this feed overrides everything else that runs on the screen, which can get annoying. This feature would’ve been more helpful if the feed was shown directly in the instrument cluster as we’ve seen in cars from Kia, Tata and Mahindra.  

The top-spec ZX variant features camera-based ADAS which includes:

Honda claims that the Amaze has a 416-litre boot, which is marginally larger than the Dzire’s 382-litre boot. We could very easily fit in 4 cabin-sized trolley bags and had space left over for a few backpacks. Do note that the boot has an almost trapezoid-like shape, meaning it’s narrower towards the rear seats. 

There’s ample depth, and the loading lip isn’t particularly high either. This not only means you can stack smaller items on top of each other, but also that loading and unloading luggage won’t require much effort.

Honda is offering their staple 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with the new Amaze. There’s no diesel engine on offer, and no factory-fit CNG option either. You could get a Honda-approved CNG kit fitted at the dealership level, however. 

This engine has always been known for its smooth and refined nature. That’s not changed one bit even this time round. It’s best suited for those who have a very laidback/relaxed driving style. While Honda claims to have improved acceleration, it does not feel particularly quick or engaging. 

City Performance 

With the manual transmission, driving in the city is quite easy. There’s adequate power and you can drive around at 20kmph in third gear without the engine protesting. The light clutch and the smooth gear shifts contribute to keeping the drives stress free. 

As far as the automatic is concerned, we’re glad Honda hasn’t succumbed to the cost-effectiveness of AMTs just yet. The Amaze is offered with a smooth CVT which is by far the best automatic transmission in the segment. The experience is relaxing and smooth, free from any jerks and head nods. If you foresee very heavy city usage, it might be wiser to consider the automatic instead. 

For city driving, you can expect a fuel economy in the whereabouts of 12-14kmpl. 

Highway Performance

The Amaze builds up to highway speeds slowly but surely. It gets caught out in a few scenarios however. If you’ve got a full load and you’re tackling the highway or inclines — you will find yourself in a gear lower, revving the engine a fair bit. Similarly, when you’re at highway speeds, say at 80kmph, accelerating from there requires a downshift. 

That’s precisely why we’d tilt in the favour of the smooth CVT again. Rather optimistically, the gearbox features a ‘Sport’ mode and paddle shifters too. It’s best to drive the Amaze in a relaxed manner on the highway, and plan any overtakes well in advance. 

You can expect a real world fuel efficiency of 14-16kmpl from the Amaze on highway drives.

Long story short, for quick city runs and relaxed highway drives, the Amaze will do just fine. Don’t expect blistering performance from it, that’s all.

Much like the engine, the ride of the Amaze is set up to reward a relaxed driving style. The suspension is soft and cushy, making it soak up all the bumps and undulations at low speeds without a noise. However, if you bump up the speed a little, you’d notice vertical movement inside the cabin. This is amplified at the rear. Also, if you’re caught off-guard by an unmarked speedbreaker or a pothole, the suspension tends to bottom out quite easily. 

From a handling standpoint, we wish the steering weight of the Amaze was lighter; especially at city speeds. It would’ve made parking and taking u-turns a little easier. The upside is that you’d appreciate this slight heft on the highways.

The Honda Amaze is offered in three variants: V, VX and ZX. All variants are offered with a manual and a CVT (automatic). 

Honda Amaze V Variant: 

• Exterior highlights include LED projector headlights and LED elements in the tail lights. 

• Safety is well taken care of with features such as 6 airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat mounts offered as standard. 

• Infotainment package is complete with a 7-inch digital driver’s display and an 8-inch touchscreen. 

• Functional features such as height-adjustable driver’s seat, tilt-steering, steering-mounted audio controls are also provided. 

Honda Amaze VX Variant: 

• This variant adds 15-inch alloy wheels, and LED fog lamps to the exterior. 

• Major feature additions include: push-button start/stop, automatic climate control, rear AC vents, and a rear view camera. 

• Safety is bumped up with the addition of Honda’s ‘LaneWatch’ camera. 

Honda Amaze ZX Variant: 

• The ZX variant adds dual-tone alloy wheels, chrome door handles and ADAS. 

CarDekho Recommends:

• The most value for money variant is the VX. It offers all the required features at the right price point. Consider the CVT if stretching the budget isn’t an issue.

Honda has simply fine tuned the recipe of the Amaze. It builds on its strengths of space, comfort and reliability. Now, there’s simply a garnish of updated looks and more features. What really stands out, however, is the value for money quotient — especially in the lower variants. If you wanted a small sedan for the family without breaking the bank, the Amaze remains a solid choice.