The 2018 Honda Amaze has been launched at pretty competitive prices compared to the Maruti Dzire. Prices for the Honda Amaze start at Rs 5.59 lakh and go up to Rs 8.99 lakh ex-showroom all-India, across 12 variants - four of which come with CVT automatic transmissions, two in diesel and two in petrol.
2018 Honda Amaze Prices
Petrol Variants
- Honda Amaze E MT: Rs 5,59,900
Honda Amaze S MT: Rs 6,49,900
Honda Amaze V MT: Rs 7,09,900
Honda Amaze VX MT: Rs 7,57,900 - Honda Amaze S CVT: Rs 7,39,900
Honda Amaze VX CVT: Rs 7,99,900
Diesel Variants
- Honda Amaze E MT: Rs 6,69,900
- Honda Amaze S MT: Rs 7,59,900
Honda Amaze V MT: Rs 8,19,900
Honda Amaze VX MT: Rs 8,67,900
Honda Amaze S CVT: Rs 8,39,900
Honda Amaze V CVT: Rs 8,99,900
The Honda Amaze is the only car in its segment that offers a CVT (constantly variable transmission) automatic with a diesel engine as well. The Maruti Dzire offers an AMT (automated manual transmission) option with the diesel and petrol. The CVT variants are slightly more expensive compared to the Dzire’s automatic variants (see link below), while the manual variants of the Amaze are slightly cheaper than the Dzire.
These are introductory prices that may be revised in a couple of months.
2018 Honda Amaze Review
At first glance, you could mistake the 2018 Honda Amaze for the Honda City. But then you notice it is slightly smaller and a lot more squared off. The new Honda Amaze is built on an all-new platform.
This car comes with petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol is a 1.2-litre four-cylinder unit that puts out 90PS of power and 110 Nm of torque, while the diesel is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that puts out 100 PS of power and 200 Nm of torque.
Honda has also offered CVT (automatic) transmissions with both the petrol and diesel engine options – the latter being a first in the segment. However, power and torque on the CVT variant are down 20 percent at 80 PS and 160 Nm, respectively. Does that matter? Not really. We shall explain why in just a bit.
Design and Looks
First a quick note on the design of the all-new Honda Amaze. The car gets a longer front-end (to meet crash norms), and has a stronger chassis, but is actually a few kilos lighter. Honda has slapped on a solid dose of chrome on the grille – which garnered mixed reactions. Some like it, some don't. The headlamps get LED position lights (these are not DRLs).
At the rear, the tail-lamps appear to wrap on to the boot lid, while the boot itself gets a squared-off look and is in line with the bumper to maximise space. Speaking of space, the wheelbase in the Honda Amaze has gone up by 65 mm to 2,470 mm, which has freed up even more interior space.
The addition of small design elements – like the shark-fin antenna and the pointed front bumper air dam – give it a more mature look overall. But it can look a bit too busy.
Interiors & Features
The interiors of the Honda Amaze get a dual-tone beige and black finish. Plastic quality is generally good, but there are some areas under the dash, where the power sockets are located, that don't look premium enough.
The seats get much thicker cushioning and feel comfortable. In fact, the rear seat head-rests actually feel like pillows. This has improved overall comfort and ride quality along with the improved suspension set up.
The VX variant gets a touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It includes a reverse camera as well. It also gets cruise control. Standard features include airbags and ABS on all variants, with V and VX also getting powered mirrors, keyless entry, push-button start and automatic climate control.
What's missing are rear the AC vents. Also the CVT transmission is available only on the V variant and not the top-end VX, which means it misses out on the touch-screen system, cruise control and one USB port.
Engine and Performance
We had to sample all four variants of the Honda Amaze: the petrol manual and CVT, as well as the diesel manual and CVT. We spent more time with the diesels though. So let's start with that.
The diesel manual is a tried-and-tested model. The 1.5 litre diesel engine is especially fuel-efficient, and even with hard driving it kept showing over 18 kmpl on the manual variant. The claimed fuel efficiency is over 27 kmpl.
The interesting car was the diesel CVT. This is the first time Honda is offering a constantly variable automatic transmission with a diesel engine. It has detuned the engine to 80PS and 160 Nm torque for the CVT model and we thought that would affect overall performance.
However, the CVT offers clean and linear pick up in city driving conditions, with no jerks. It is quite eager as long as speeds are below a 100 kmph. On the highway though, the manual variant is quicker to accelerate as compared to the CVT. Buyers looking for a car mainly for city use should look at the CVT, but those considering long trips would be better off with the manual (as it also has cruise control).
The CVT has a sport mode, and an L or low mode. The latter is useful for climbing hills, while the sport mode upshifts at higher RPMs for slightly improved performance.
The petrol CVT model feels quite peppy. You also get paddle shifters with fixed ratios to give it a sporty feel. The manual petrol is a familiar car and doesn't feel much different from the earlier Amaze.
One must note an improvement in overall handling with the Amaze as the steering is slightly heavier and more precise. Also on the diesel, there is a significant reduction in NVH levels - it is still audible, but not as loud as before.
What We Think
Overall, the new Honda Amaze feels quite grown up. It feels like it has moved a segment up, although it is still a compact sedan. The addition of features like cruise control and a touch screen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are welcome moves. Thing we would have liked to see are addition of rear AC vents and a top-end variant offering an automatic.
At the prices at which the all-new Honda Amaze has been launched, it is quite competitive variant for variant with the Maruti Dzire. In fact, the top-end VX variant is about Rs 20,000 cheaper than the corresponding Dzire ZXI/ZDI variants.
Also checkout a quick walkaround video we took when we first saw the Amaze.
(Disclaimer: The Quint was invited by Honda Cars India to Bengaluru to drive the all-new Honda Amaze)
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