The all new Honda Amaze, Honda’s first diesel car for India is decidedly one to watch out for. While Honda is sure to take care to ensure the car will not miss the mark, a few concerns are always forthcoming, especially where a car has plenty of hype for being the first of something. Honda has to watch out not to dash the Amaze’s destiny from the selling point, through improper prizing of the car, a critical mistake it initially made with the Jazz. We also hope that the bookings will not close short, and there are sufficient units for bookings already made.
Honda seems to have mistimed the launch of this diesel car having failed to exploit the demand for diesel cars when it peaked a couple years ago. The Amaze is apparently rolling out to take on the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire which at present is doing very well. The latter car has managed to satisfy all customer needs, from fuel efficiency, design, interior room, boot space and price, the Amaze has rather high standards to outclass.
The Brio, looks like a well balanced car in terms of design and dynamics. The Brio successfully packs in a good boot without making it seem like it got shoved in there last minute as a matter of no choice. The Amaze comes with more straight lines towards the back, and gutsy shoulder lines which give it a more domineering and confident look. It also adds to the more premium appeal, which the Brio failed to accomplish being mostly considered to be a fun car for young adults. If Honda brings in the Amaze in an automatic option, the car could be here for numerous market cycles, generation after generation.
The new two slatted grille at the front is the only differing factor on the Amaze, which otherwise bears an uncanny resemblance to the Brio. At the B-pillar the side profile looks a mite different too, as does the rear end design. Being less than 4 meters, the Amaze comes with maximum boot space of 400 litres, yet in any other car in this sub-4m category. The Dzire has only 316 litre boot space capacity. Even the rear space has been increased by widening the length from the back. The exterior finish is plush to the detail, without any compromises and with particular attention been given to make the tail lights have a good finish, and also the liberal use of chrome seen on the front and back of the car enhance its looks further.
Where interiors go, Honda has maintained uniformity of its premium appeal, and has done a far better job compared to other cars like the Toyota Etios, and including the Dzire. The petrol engine is that familiar 1.2 litre, i-VTEC engine found in the Brio and the Jazz that churns out 88 PS power. The fuel efficiency on this is about 18 km/l for the manual and about 15.5 km/l for the auto version.
The big attraction being the diesel engine which is a 1.5 litre i-DTEC beast is claimed to be the most fuel efficient car, allegedly capable of giving 25.8 km/l with power of 100 PS, and maximum torque of 200 Nm with a low rpm of 1,250. This makes the diesel engine feel far easier to drive, and the drag noticed in the petrol variant is absolutely missing from the diesel option even when taking the rough and high roads. On first gear however the car lacks much power, after revving the car’s weight is just not felt at all.
Steering sharp bends and turns, and sudden braking did not tax the engine or cause any strain in the driving experience. The i-DTEC has an aluminum engine block which takes off some weight thereby increasing fuel efficiency. Honda has made a concerted effort to use aluminum which is rare for this type of engine to achieve high fuel efficiency.
With the Jazz taken off the scene for now, the Amaze may be priced from Rs 5 lacs for the petrol variant and Rs.6 lacs for the diesel car. Honda may have let this car down by not adding extra touches to its interiors by way of a fancier dashboard, and some basic gadgetry. We still have to await consumer response and liking for the Amaze which can be understood through bookings once the car ships in, and until then nothing is certain.
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