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-   -   Honda Amaze : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/200430-honda-amaze-official-review-15.html)

I was very keen on Amaze diesel CVT, despite its lack of quality (as compared to stablemate Jazz). But then realized that XUV300 W6 AMT too was costing around the same. It too comes with two airbags, additionally disc brakes all around. Sure one loses out on boot space, alloy wheels and CVT, but gains much better build quality, 300nm torque, rear headrests (most important, and absolutely shameless on Honda's part to ignore) and tallboy seating. There is a touchscreen in W6 (I think without carplay), so comparable in a way.

Too bad this CVT engine is not available in WR-V. Amaze is too much built to cost to ignore the lack of quality.

Ever since I bought my Amaze V CVT petrol, I have been living with the regret of not having bought the diesel instead - mainly because I was only getting a mileage of 8-9 kmpl in the local travel.

I am happy to report that I got a mileage of 17 kmpl for a 750 kms trip concluded recently (mostly highway driving at 90 kmph speed). The engine is a beauty and is perfectly mated to CVT gearbox. In addition to the paddle shifts, I realized that flooring the accelerator also upshifts the gear, making the manoeuvres such as overtaking much easier.

Are you sure it upshifts? Typically it should shift down to a lower gear ratio.

Hi all,

I'm excited to share you all that I purchased Honda Amaze vx petrol manual last month and I should say I'm really impressed with the way the car handles in city. It's confidence inspiring while doing quick manoeuvrers in city traffic but we have to do work with gears to stay ahead. I'm seeing the average mileage of 11.5 kmpl in the MID with most of the running in city.

My bad! I meant to say downshift.

Currently I have a pre-worshipped Petrol Maruti Suzuki Swift Vxi (First generation - 2010 Sep make) which I use as my daily drive in city. I purchased it from a friend in Feb '17. For occasional highway/outstation trip, I usually loan cars from friends/relatives due to lack of boot space on my Swift. Swift is in pretty good shape. There is a sound from AC compressor and clutch is almost nearing end of life. Other that these 2 issues, I was happy with the car and was not thinking of an upgrade/replacement for at-least couple of years - Thanks to gyaan received from GTO's post about keeping a car for longer instead of changing cars frequently:).

But after reading about Government's BS4 to BS6 switch over plans and offers running on BS4 cars, I was searching for an interesting deal/car to replace my Swift even though I had not really thought of replacing it.
For the replacement car, I had only couple of requirements
1) It should be an automatic.
2) Ex-showroom price should be < 10 lakhs.

Based on this, I zeroed in on Amaze V CVT Diesel after considering Ciaz 1.5 Delta Automatic, Baleno Petrol Alpha CVT, Ertiga Petrol Zxi AT, XL6 Petrol AT and Aspire Petrol AT. Most of the inventory at Honda dealerships were sold out but one dealer had a Sep 2019 make Pearl White car in their yard. Dealers were saying that no more BS4 cars will be shipped from Honda factory this year and only BS6 cars will be despatched starting Jan 2020. I had a look at the car at dealer's yard. Even though it had been in the yard since 1st Oct '19, interiors looked clean and exteriors looked okay (nothing that a pre delivery wash and polishing cant solve).

Dealer is offering around 45k cash discount and 4th and 5th year extended warranty (unlimited kms). It looked like a good deal and I blocked the car and paid a booking amount but now I am having second thoughts. Requesting dear BHPians to share your thoughts on whether it is a good buy after considering following points

1) My logic was that, if the same car is launched in BS6 version, it will be dearer by at-least 80k to 1 lakh, plus considering the 45k discount offered, it looked liked a good deal to me. But what if Honda doesn't launch Amaze Diesel CVT in BS6 version. What if the BS6 version is not that much costlier? Do we have any clarity from any sources regarding the future of Amaze Diesel CVT?

2) As rightly pointed out in our official review thread, I absolutely loved the drivability and effortless power on offer (by automatic standards) when I test drove the car. Apart from my Swift, I frequently drive a Celerio AMT (Wife's) and a Grand i10 Torque Converter AT (cousin's). There is no comparison with Celerio. Compared to i10, the power build up is so effort less and we get a move-on quite easily due to the torquey nature of the diesel. So I loved the smooth shifting engine gear box combination even though the engine is noisy. Apart from this and the 420L bootspace I don't find anything else attractive about the car.

3) Look wise, even though I hated the design initially, it kind of grew on me and I like the slightly BMW ish stance now.

4) I have a 6 foot frame, the driving seat is a bit of a squeeze (due to limited travel of the front seats) and under thigh support is poorer than my Swift (I guess due to the overall shorter seat base). Thinking of adding some foam to improve thigh support while going for custom seat covers.

5) Rear leg room is fine but head room is a bit tight for me, but I will mostly be in the drivers seat.

6) My yearly running is less than 10k kms, so I don't really need a diesel car.

7) Ciaz 1.5 Delta Automatic is priced only slightly higher. It offers much more kit and features and acres of interior space and boot space. Overall it feels more premium and better put together. I am yet to test drive the Ciaz AT, but going by the TBHP review of the auto box, I felt the characteristics is similar to that of Celerio AMT minus the jerks while shifting gears. For occasional outstation trips, I travel with wife and 2 kids (both under 10yrs). So, is Ciaz Delta Automatic a better buy than Amaze?

8) Any other cars that I should consider or wait for? I am not against any brands but I prefer to consider options only from following manufactures - Hyundai, Honda, Maruti-Suzuki and Toyota. Ford was in the list but a bit sceptical after recent organisational changes and Mahindra JV.

Hey Daniel. I too have a similar budget and space requirements as you, and similarly looking for last BS4 diesel vehicles in anticipation of price increase for BS6 engines.

As for your worry of continuation of Amaze, search this headline: "Honda has confirmed that all petrol and diesel engines that power its current lineup of cars will be made BSVI-compliant." I expect the price to be about 80k-1L more than BS4 diesel engines, and 1L premium for CVT will remain.

I absolutely loved the way the Amaze Diesel CVT drove, simply magical in city. The fact that it comes with 420L boot is cherry on top. But its build quality is really not as high as it could be, especially if you compare its stable mate Jazz. I was disappointed with the overall build in and out. Open up the bonnet and see how little it weighs, as compared to some other tough cars. It has scored 4 stars in safety, but they don't mean that it will keep up with daily city struggles with grace.

I would suggest you to test drive the Mahindra XUV300 W6 AMT, which retails at similar costs as the Amaze Diesel VX CVT. It is globally called Ssangyong Tivoli, and is famous for its safety. Features in Amaze VX CVT and XUV W6 AMT are similar, except some non-critical ones like alloy wheels. All wheel disc brakes, exceptional power of 350nm (compared to puny 160nm) are great features. While its AMT is not comparable to CVT, it is not as bad as Maruti diesel AMTs.

I was seriously considering Amaze Diesel CVT till I test drove the XUV300. XUV300 is clearly from the next segment of Creta / Seltos, with the boot chopped off to make it fit within 4m. So the issues of headroom / space are naturally absent because it is a bigger car, except for the smaller boot. The problem is that, once we are fine with W6, the W8(o) is 3 lakhs away with sunroof, alloy wheels, gizmos and most importantly 7 airbags. I know that if at all I go for XUV300, it has to be W8(O) even though I would like to spend as low as possible.

That said, if you are keen on automatic sedan, then I would say go for your choice Amaze. No better diesel gearbox in this range.

Thanks a lot @ani_meher for the reply. I am not very particular that I need a sedan, but boot space is something that I really miss on Swift. In fact the main reason for upgrade will be for a boot that could carry a weekend luggage. Unfortunately, XUV 300's only major drawback is the lack of boot space which is why I didn't consider it initially. Anyways I will definitely have a look at the Mahindra XUV300 W6 AMT this weekend.

From multiple news articles I read on this, the Global Ncap Honda Amaze rating of 4 stars was done on the 'Made in India' model for African markets. Though the safety features are the same and rather one or two more in the Indian model (like seat belt reminders), I am unable to find if this is exactly the same car which is sold in India. So, not sure if we can consider the ncap ratings as-is for the Indian version because the crash test report came under #SaferCarsForAfrica and not #SaferCarsForIndia. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Dear Daniel,

I sure hope to see the excellent Amaze D CVT In the BS6 form. But since the on road price difference with the Petrol CVT would be over 2 lakhs after considering the increase on account of BS6 and the increased Kerala road taxes since the bs6 would fall in the higher slab (>10 lakh ex SR), HONDA i feel my drop this variant as it even would intrude even into Honda City Petrol AT territory.

So if you like the excellent drivability of this car you go ahead and buy it while you have a chance. The low running cost would also encourage you to increase the frequency of the trips and you would certainly exceed the 10k estimated annual running.

Petrol ATs give pretty low FE in any other situation other than cruising along at moderate speeds. Thus for Kerala roads diesel would end up much cheaper and enjoyable to drive any day. I am struggling with poor torque and low FE of the K10 engine in my A-Star AT. And I really would go for the Amaze D CVT, if my budget allowed.

If you're open to pre-owned, that could open up a whole new market; from a year or two old EcoSport to a few years old Corolla and so on. If new only, Jazz or DZire?

Thank you @sureshkishore for the reply. Even I have the same fears. Worried that if they stop the variant whether there will be any shortage of spares. Someone told me that the CVT gear box on the diesel is same as that on the petrol so that way spares/maintenance shouldn't be a problem. But I'm not very sure about that. How is Honda generally on making parts available for stopped/phased out cars? Any idea?
Engine related work and spares shouldn't be a problem - I guess - as the diesel engine is shared with other Honda cars.

Used cars is a bit of a risk in Kerala currently as there are a hell lot of flood affected cars around. So I guess it is better to go for a new car.

Practicality and space offered on the Jazz was excellent but again the petrol CVT auto felt a bit underpowered for Kerala roads. Found it very difficult to build up speed and overtake other cars on narrow single lane highways here.

About DZire, I don't like the front grille design. The original Swift grille would have been much better IMHO. Apart from looks, AMT was the main reason not to consider it. Celerio AMT is giving me trouble since day 1 (occasional violent jerking) so not very keen on AMTs.

Mod Note:

Please use the multi-quote option when posting consecutive replies on the same thread.

The Diesel CVT is like an electric car, it comes with 3 modes of driving. The most used modes will be D and L, there are no paddle shifters for diesel variants. The CVT is common for diesel and petrol variants.

All major Spares are available from the dealership for
the Type 2 Honda city my relative has a 2004 city since new and done 2lakh kms completely serviced at dealership. This includes few accident repairs as well.

Yes the diesel engine is shared with all the other models so no worries on that front.

Hope it answers your question.

I think that you should go with Ciaz. It has the perfect combination of strong engine + good mileage (especially with hybrid) + space (being a proper sedan). Not sure if you can stretch your budget but get the variant with cruise control, if you can (Amaze does not offer CC in any automatic variant).