[achyutaghosh]

Test drove the Amaze iDTEC today and can't but help think how it will fare against the 20,000 units-per-month-selling Dzire. On one hand, you have a car that is a brilliantly packaged city runabout, but at the same time cost cutting measures are strongly evident, which somehow dents the image of Honda as a premium brand, in the same way the Etios did for Toyota.

Exteriors- Very well proportioned and good looking, I must say. Excellent use of character lines on the sides, the boot integration is perfect, boot capacity at 400 liters is a packaging marvel, and the front has some clear, distinct elements like the double chrome strips and body colored bumper intakes to distinguish it from the Brio. There are panel gaps though, and it looks a bit under tyred but that is something that can be taken care of post purchase. In all, a very non offensive, and practical design.

Interiors- The good thing about the interiors is the way it cocoons the driver, you feel one with the machine almost immediately, and the ergonomics are spot on. But the overall quality was a bit of a let down, and perhaps the only point where the Dzire sweeps the floor with the Amaze. While rear seat comfort and legroom is excellent, the focus on big boot space and rear legroom has ensured the front seats are cramped, and the dashboard quality while is better than the Etios/Verito/ Sail, but falls below the excellent Maruti warrior. The ac was effective, and the switchgear and other parts are a mix of City and Brio leftovers- ORVMs from the City, the door handles and dashboard are Brio.

Engine- It has been worth the wait, folks. Bye bye Ford 1.4 Duratec. Honda sets new benchmark in drivability with their 1.5 iDTec. This engine is silky, petrol like, pulls from as low as 1200-1300 rpm and then keeps pulling without being overtly dramatic. This is THE engine for you if you do a lot of bumper to bumper driving. Mind you though the diesel mill is not a quiet guy, while you pile up the revs, there is a constant throaty growl, reminiscent of a VTec petrol at 3500 rpm- which is kind of exciting in its own way.

Ride and Handling- After 15 years in the Indian market, Honda seems to have finally nailed the ride characteristics suited to our roads. The Amaze has a solid ride quality that triumphs all the cars in Honda's stable including the softly sprung City and Accord, and most other cars in its own category like the Dzire and Etios. The handling is predictable and fun, the clutch is superlight by petrol car standards to congratulations to happy knees, and the short throw gearbox is delightfully snappy, but the electric steering is devoid of any feel whatsoever.

Honda Sales- This is another weak point for Honda. They are extremely under manned to handle crowds that were lining up for the Amaze. There was so much of interest visible in people for the car but they were quickly evaporating on hearing 6-9 month waiting times and the lack of sales personnel to handle their queries. I do not think Honda has done their homework well before launching such a mass market product. While i have an excellent relationship with the service guys at Pearl Honda, the test drive guy who went with me did not open his mouth even once, and even had the temerity to say that they were limiting test drives to 1 km runs. Clearly, customer friendliness at Honda is not all pervasive.

In all, the Amaze is a true blue Honda, in the sense that when you buy a big H, you buy the best engine in its category- class leading fuel efficiency (25.8 kmpl advertized), class leading power (100 bhp), and class leading drivability makes it an unbeatable combination. Mate that with a stylish yet practical design, and excellent ride, and great rear legroom and you have a car that ticks 99% of what people want. However, people whose top most priority is interior quality will need to look elsewhere. The Amaze then is not the complete package, for that matter no car in its segment is- but then it is also the nearest to the complete package, and in doing so- it is amazing.

[nkishore_007]

Originally Posted by mitra615

Hi Everyone !
This is my 1st post in the forum.
I have a specific question to all of you; I am planning to change my car(Santro XL), and going in for a company leased vehicle. The deciding factors are:
-My budget is not more than Rs 8.5 lakhs.
-Mainly city driving with once a month long drive totaling to ~1000km/month.
-Safety features to be there in my next vehicle.
-Maximum of 4 adults and a kid will travel at a time.
-Large boot space is not a major requirement for me.
Based on this, the options have narrowed down to :
1. Amaze VX-MT – Petrol
2. i20 Magna –Petrol
Am not a fan of the SWIFT design, and hence, SWIFT Dezire does not figure in my list
Am finding it difficult to decide due to the following reasons:
Both cars look really good to me from outside.
Have seen a lot of i20 on the roads, but Amaze gives a “novelty” feeling !
I really like the interiors including dashboard of i20, but the dashboard/interiors of Amaze are not very impressive to me.
I absolutely love the space (who doesn’t?) inside the Amaze- gives the feeling of a big car), but,i20 does not do that
Feature wise,i20 is definitely way ahead of Amaze, but, Amaze is after all a HONDA !
I have driven both the cars, and did not find much difference between the two. Although Amaze TD was a very short one.
I am not getting any loyalty bonus from Hyundai as the new vehicle will be in my company’s name
Lastly, the waiting period of Amaze is around 2 ½ months- a lot of time to wait for your new car to arrive, but is the wait worth it?
Thanks

Reading your requirements made me wonder why narrow down only to Amaze and I20? There are other 'good' models as well in your price range (Polo, Liva Sportivo ). Maybe there is a reason why you narrowed down to these two.

Also you have not mentioned how much driving (KMs) would you end up doing (inside city, highways, etc.).

i20 does spoil you with the interiors, but it does not have that 'snob' value on the road (IMO).
Amaze, on the other hand, is new and could provide better VFM for Indian roads, but then it is a new model with a all new iDtec heart, so small niggles would be a part of the car at least in it's first year.

Now, as you have owned Santro, there is a tendency to go after the same brand. Personally, I would have gone for Amaze as I trust a Honda engine more than Hyundai.


Another advice from my end is to look out for finance options outside. Leasing did not make much sense to me, and the one and only plus point with this option is not to pay a single penny upfront. All the other connected threads: residual amount, interest rates, labor bondage (until you cough up the remaining amount + penalty), etc. was too much to take (maybe your company has some better agreements with the finance provider).

[fireblade007]

Took a test drive of honda amaze diesel a few days back. Was a bit dissappointed by the performance. The engine seems to be tuned for fuel efficiency. I am using a swift Zdi. Couldn't find a real performance advantage in the Amaze. The overall the car is a good package considering the space , fuel efficiency, price. The engine has better driveablilty.
Don't expect a blazing performance from the 100 bhp honda motor.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

2- FE was 11.2 kpl , the max I saw once was 15 kpl

Congrats speedsatya! Apart, can you describe the driving conditions please. I guess you are busy enjoying the Amaze, but an ownership experience review would help prospective buyers a lot in these initial days.

May be a bit premature with just a couple of reviews; but I'm guessing the Amaze' FE is going the Beat-D's way. High ARAI rating with lower actual figures; instead of some others (Dzire, Sunny) fetching more than the rated FE.

Originally Posted by Motored Mindset

As far as I know, the ARAI advertised mileage is quite an optimistic figure that most manufacturers advertise. I don't have a heavy foot, but the maximum I've managed on the digital read out (I'm not sure how accurate it is) is a little over 20 kmpl with three other passengers and lugguage, that too for a very short, straight stretch while cruising and not really accelerating while it later whittled down to 14-18 kmpl. In the city, including some stretches of bumper to bumper traffic, I've calculated 14.5 kmpl between two top-ups. The car is still being run-in, so fuel and engine oil consumption will be more.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by thoma

Congrats speedsatya! Apart, can you describe the driving conditions please. I guess you are busy enjoying the Amaze, but an ownership experience review would help prospective buyers a lot in these initial days.

May be a bit premature with just a couple of reviews; but I'm guessing the Amaze' FE is going the Beat-D's way. High ARAI rating with lower actual figures; instead of some others (Dzire, Sunny) fetching more than the rated FE.

Done 150 kms till date and see what I am getting now. This is city traffic and with AC on. Never exceeded 2000rpm.





City driving in slow moving traffic has been an issue. While idling is 800rpm, the car just races to 1200rpm for the initial 4-5 secs and then settles down.

Fit n finish on the dashboard is something that could have been better. Attaching this pic of the cover above the passenger airbag .

[Top-Gear]

Originally Posted by MujahidM

My friend who had booked a White diesel AMAZE SMT along with me on the same day had got a vehicle on 6th may but he refused and changed colour to Silver and that vehicle too has come and is ready to be delivered on Monday. Poor me got stuck with the wrong colour(RED) and the Wrong technology(Petrol) i suppose . IF I had stuck to the Diesel from the beginning,by today i would have been replying to my pics and posts on this forum in the Ownership thread.

Sorry to hear about that. Totally understand how you must be feeling. Fortunately, my booking experience was very pleasant. I booked my Petrol S MT (Royal Metallic Blue) on Apr 17 and got the delivery on Apr 25! In fact, I was told by the dealership that diesel has a waiting period of a couple of months (understandable, given the demand).

[MujahidM]

Originally Posted by Top-Gear

Sorry to hear about that. Totally understand how you must be feeling. Fortunately, my booking experience was very pleasant. I booked my Petrol S MT (Royal Metallic Blue) on Apr 17 and got the delivery on Apr 25! In fact, I was told by the dealership that diesel has a waiting period of a couple of months (understandable, given the demand).

My patience has run out now and have told my dealer CRYSTAL HONDA to check the availability of the Diesel Model SMT in Carnelian Red colour. Not sure when that will be available.Another Senior Citizen friend of mine got his SMT white colour in diesel Just yesterday. looks like i will be left eating pedhas of other people cars while Honda makes my RED colour. GIVE ME RED, HONDA

[thoma]

Originally Posted by thoma

May be a bit premature with just a couple of reviews; but I'm guessing the Amaze' FE is going the Beat-D's way. High ARAI rating with lower actual figures; instead of some others (Dzire, Sunny) fetching more than the rated FE.

I have to be sorry for myself, missing out reading this review from @sid_deb.

Originally Posted by sid_deb

Uptil now, I have done two tankful to tankful and got a mileage of 21.5 kmpl in the first run with sedate driving. In the second run, the mileage dropped to 20.5 kmpl due to some aggressive sprints. Both of these are in the city with A/C.

[satishkc]

Got my Majestic Blue i-DTEC EXMT yesterday.
The below are some of my observations I wanted to share.
Done about 250kms today.
The car oozes of Honda quality.Everything inside the vehicle is of class.
Definitely quality shows that this car was made by the same hands that have built CRV / Accord.
Got a 1DIN Alpine Stereo and it sounds great!!!!
175/65/R14 GoodYear Tyres
NVH is definitely lesser than my Swift VDI.
In Swift engine noise is like metal clanking .
In Amaze the engine noise is like a petrol car when revved higher (this also we can observe only when accelerating).
Cabin is very silent compared to Swift (lesser outside noise).
Steering is very precise and light (Slow Speed).
Driving position and Visibility is very good.
Engine has got lot of torque.Can drive in 3rd gear from 20kmph to 100kmph!
Braking is excellent.
VFM!!!!!

I had booked the car without opting for a test drive trusting Honda.I am happy!

[Top-Gear]

Originally Posted by thoma

May be a bit premature with just a couple of reviews; but I'm guessing the Amaze' FE is going the Beat-D's way. High ARAI rating with lower actual figures; instead of some others (Dzire, Sunny) fetching more than the rated FE.

Yes, too early to reach conclusions. Please remember that the early owners like me are running in with the car, so FE figures are bound to be way lesser than what the car may be capable of. For instance, the average FE for my petrol S MT started out at 9 kmpl (short trips in medium to heavy traffic with LOTS of traffic signals and stop-an-go situations) and has reached ~11 kmpl after ~360 kms now.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Top-Gear

Yes, too early to reach conclusions. Please remember that the early owners like me are running in with the car, so FE figures are bound to be way lesser than what the car may be capable of. For instance, the average FE for my petrol S MT started out at 9 kmpl (short trips in medium to heavy traffic with LOTS of traffic signals and stop-an-go situations) and has reached ~11 kmpl after ~360 kms now.

I really do not buy the concept of the modern day engine increasing its FE after running in. But I do agree that, as one gets more acclimatized with the car, driving patterns could fetch a bit more FE.

[spinfreak]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Done 150 kms till date and see what I am getting now. This is city traffic and with AC on. Never exceeded 2000rpm.

City driving in slow moving traffic has been an issue. While idling is 800rpm, the car just races to 1200rpm for the initial 4-5 secs and then settles down.

Fit n finish on the dashboard is something that could have been better. Attaching this pic of the cover above the passenger airbag .

That instrument cluster looks awesome & sporty at night... the way reflections fade onto the plastic trims. I thought it looked basic in a static car.

I'm sure with the initial feedbacks of the car, EcoSport will make a big dent in this Honda juggernaut.

[satishkc]

@speedsatya: I also experienced initial racing in 2nd gear for a few seconds, I think this is because of not releasing the clutch gradually.I tried releasing gradually and found it was fine with out racing even though the rpm was around 1100.

Today drove for about 20 kms in medium traffic and took a u-turn in a small congested road.The steering is very precise and easy only very less effort needed.Turning radius is fabulous I took the u-turn in a small lane without reversing as I have done in my Swift in that road.

Surprise!: Today a buyer came for my Swift VDI, he drove the swift from our parking for a test ride and I had to bring back in.I found the Steering hard , the clutch very tight
and felt like driving a car with hand brakes engaged.In fact I double checked for the hand brake and any stone under the wheel.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by satishkc

@speedsatya: I also experienced initial racing in 2nd gear for a few seconds, I think this is because of not releasing the clutch gradually.I tried releasing gradually and found it was fine with out racing even though the rpm was around 1100.
.

I think it's all about adjusting to the Diesel engine after all these years of petrol engined cars.
The ECU is programmed to prevent stalling in case of being at a lower speed in higher gears. Initially I had lot of issues in traffic because I was driving it as if a petrol engined car.

I now take speedbreakers in first gear in traffic and am at a gear lower than what I would hve done driving a petrol.

[getsurya]

Hi,

Good review and great information, as always!

Amaze owners, thanks for all your inputs on this thread.

Can I request your detailed ownership experiences with pictures in the relevant section. I am looking at this car for my wife when I relocate back to India in this december.

What are the approximate wait times for this car now with Honda?