Review: 1st-gen Honda Amaze (2013)

[romeomidhun]

Thanks GTO, for another superb review.

This is the first car that can give a tough competition to DZire. Another one may be an i20 based sub-4m sedan, if it comes to India.

[swiftnfurious]

Tweet from Top Gear India...

Honda Amaze to launch on 11th April, pricing could under-cut Swift DZire, hints Honda top management...

Excerpt from their article

...Bookings for the car have opened and it will be officially launched on April 11. Honda management also hinted that the car could just undercut the DZire’s pricing to gain traction in the first few days of its launch.

Full Details: http://www.topgear.com/india/car-new...pril/itemid-50

[antz.bin]

Since Brio is a cheaper car as compared to Swift (~50k difference between the 2), for sure, the Amaze iVTEC V-MT, being less equipped than the DZire ZXI, should be substantially cheaper.

When we come to the Diesel variants though, the difference between Swift DZire ZXI and ZDI is about 1.4lac. Adding the 50k difference as shown above, Honda has a good 1.9 lac pricing gap. Since they developed the engine themselves i.e. there are no royalties involved, they can easily price the AMAZE iDTEC V-MT ~30-50k LESS than DZIRE ZDI.

Even if both are priced at par, what the buyer gets when opting for the Amaze is a substantially more powerful car (30% more!!) than the DZire which also returns slightly more kmpl.

Pricing the Amaze iDTEC somewhat lower than DZire D shouldn't be too hard a job considering how Chevy could match the DZire on price with their Sail Sedan even though it was NOT under 4-meters in length.

[vasanthn21]

Your logic in the arguement is irrefutable, but somehow I feel this is not how Honda will look at it. It would be priced higher than Dzire, yet it will be a good buy, considering the additional space, bigger boot, better looks and a much better engine.

[PapaBravo]

Wonderful Review. This has to be one of the best & most detailed official review. 5 stars indeed.

I personally liked the pearl red color. I would have bought Brio in the same color if it was available back then.

Waiting for a Dzire Vs Amaze Vs Sail showdown.

[racingmachine]

Honda Amaze: Bookings now Open!!!

http://www.hondacarindia.com/

[karanraheja]

Had a chance to sit in the Amaze S MT (P) . NO AIRBAGS . Quite disappointed !! Dealers say only V and VX variants will have Airbags standard.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

Had a chance to sit in the Amaze S MT (P) . NO AIRBAGS . Quite disappointed !! Dealers say only V and VX variants will have Airbags standard.

They have ABS in all variants. Airbags in the top 2 variants is very good none the less.

Maruti don't offer Airbags or ABS on any variant except the top end Z variants. Toyota only have it for the top end V variant now that too optional.

[jaibir]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Maruti don't offer Airbags or ABS on any variant except the top end Z variants. Toyota only have it for the top end V variant now that too optional.

A small correction - Toyota offer ABS/Airbag as optional on the mid G variant as well.

[karanraheja]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

They have ABS in all variants. Airbags in the top 2 variants is very good none the less.

Maruti don't offer Airbags or ABS on any variant except the top end Z variants. Toyota only have it for the top end V variant now that too optional.

The reason i was disappointed was that Brio comes with Airbags as Optional in S variant. That doesnt seem to be there in Amaze. I know the competition doesnt have airbags in base versions or middle versions , i expected Honda to take advantage of that and make it standard.

[adityasiera]

As always a 5* review by GTO.

As a current Brio owner the lack of MID and the spartan dashboard are not my concerns (even in the Brio fan club on FB) hardly anyone bothers about it. Primarily because the home territory of the car is within city limits, where these things don't matter as much as the space and ease of driving do.

I feel Honda has done it market research spot-on, and people will prefer the H badge on the grill for the sheer snob value to the competition.

Originally Posted by karanraheja

The reason i was disappointed was that Brio comes with Airbags as Optional in S variant. That doesnt seem to be there in Amaze. I know the competition doesnt have airbags in base versions or middle versions , i expected Honda to take advantage of that and make it standard.

You never know Honda. They may launch a S(O) variant mid way.

btw: What is PGM-FI doing in a diesel engine ??

[extreme_torque]

I like what I hear about the Amaze. What interests me most is the engine which given that this is an entry level sedan is absolutely stonking. I will buy this over the Dzire on engine specs alone.

Great review again.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by jaibir

A small correction - Toyota offer ABS/Airbag as optional on the mid G variant as well.

Man, your right. Toyota are going backwards when it comes to safety. Earlier V and VX both had ABS and airbags standard and G had optional. Now they don't have VX and V has the safety kit but it is optional!! So both G and V have abs/airbags as optional. Pretty silly.

[spinfreak]

Super amazing review GTO! Absolutely sumptuous and the fast-action motion pictures shots look PR material! The car looks awesome, but interiors esp. the dashboard and centre console could've looked more premium. I hope the cost advantage of sharing it with Brio would be passed on as a sumptuous price. Dealers are having no clue to pricing, but are happily expecting 10k to 25k more than DZire. I personally see it to demolishing DZire if priced lower by just a few thousands!

Also I have the same rumour from dealer as someone else quoted... ABS & EBD is standard in Diesel lineup only. Not airbags.

[vasanthn21]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Man, your right. Toyota are going backwards when it comes to safety. Earlier V and VX both had ABS and airbags standard and G had optional. Now they don't have VX and V has the safety kit but it is optional!! So both G and V have abs/airbags as optional. Pretty silly.

I don't understand what is silly about this. Making it optional only increases the flexibility. Not everyone going for the higher variants necessarily wants ABS and airbags.