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Old 9th March 2014, 16:10   #1
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My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-0amaze.jpg

Background:
I have been driving cars for last 18 years – started with Maruti 800 in 1996 and as I have grown up, the driver inside me has only got more matured (than me ) During last 10 years, I have owned two cars – first being 2004 Santro Xing. Drove this cutie for 70,000 kms over 5.5 years and sold in 2009. Bought Indica Vista Aura QJD in 2009. Vista has been a real workhorse and I’ve taken it on tons of highway drives and abused it (and also pampered it) to the limits. For over 74,500 kms, I had absolutely no major problems with this guy.

The last pic of my faithful steed, before he was handed over to the new owner (I still keep tab on his health BTW).
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20131005_111511.jpg

Just when I thought this will go on for 25,000 more and I would complete 1 lakh, all hell broke loose! Within a span of couple of days, clutch assembly along with the cylinder went dead, brake pad wend bad and had to be replaced and to add salt on the wound, I met with an accident on the busy HAL Road. Coincidentally, the ‘clutch going dead’ problem happened right in front of Whitefield Honda showroom (maybe it was an indication for a change). Pressure from family and also these incidents forced me into car-buying spree that saw me looking for a new ride. This was somewhere around Sep-2013.

My Requirements:
1. It should be a Diesel – I do about 1200-1500 a month and it doesn’t make any sense for me to go for Petrol.
2. It should not be a Maruti/Hyundai/Tata – simply because I have already owned these cars before
3. It should be ‘fun’ to drive – both in City (Bangalore that is) and on Highway
4. It should have good boot space – I will be doing at least one highway trip with boot full of stuff so, a bigger boot would definitely be preferred
5. It should have sufficient space in the 2nd row.
6. It should have a seat-height adjuster – I am very particular about driving position and this is a must feature
7. It should ideally be <4m – mainly because the portico at my house is not big enough to accommodate big car
8. It should fit into my budget of 8 – 10 lakh

Available Options:
1. Maruti – Ertiga, DZire
2. Ford – EcoSport, Fiesta Classic
3. Toyota – Etios/Liva
4. Tata – Manza & Vista Refresh
5. VW – Polo
6. Fiat – Punto
7. Hyundai – i20, Grand i10

Cars/SUVs/MUVs considered:

Ford EcoSport: It was fresh, just launched and was almost within my budget. There was lot of hype around when the pricing was announced and I did couple of trips to Ford showroom and luckily got to test drive the EcoBoost variant – as it was the only vehicle available for TD.

Good Stuff:
- Looks! Looks! Looks!
- It is an SUV! (… Ok mini-SUV)
- It’s got good boot space, amazing list of features (which I was not too particular about)
- Second row has good leg space, but shoulder room is compromised
- Superb build quality – the door closes with a loud ‘thud’

Not so good stuff:
- I liked the Titanium and Titanium+ variants, which were above my budget
- Wait time – it was around 9 months at that time

Maruti Ertiga: I had to amend one of my requirements (of not going for Maruti) little bit because of family pressure. This was liked and approved by all family members – because of its utility and Maruti badge.

Good Stuff:
- Amazing people carrier
- Flexible seating – 2nd row is very good and 3rd row is fairly OK
- Superb highway behavior
- Very nice seating position – good view from driver seat

Not so good stuff:
- It fits into my portico with great difficulty
- There is absolutely negligible boot space – though I can fold the third row seat to free up some space, but then it will no longer be people-carrier

Honda Amaze: I suddenly remembered that my Vista had broken down right in front of the Honda showroom and thought why not give this car a try – until then this car was never in contention.

Good Stuff:
- Superb drivability – steering is the best part of if
- Absolutely negligible turbo-lag – which makes it very nice car to drive in the city
- Very good boot space – 400 lt is sufficient
- Spacious interiors – though 2nd row has good leg space, the shoulder room was less than my Vista
- Amazing FE as per owners on this forum

Not so good stuff:
- Interiors – very bland, but I can live with it.
- Engine noise and vibration – Not a big concern for me and can live with it

Ok. No more discussions. It is going to be Honda Amaze – as it ticked most of the boxes and we had made some amendments for our requirements to fit this car

Buying Experience:
Called up Magnum Honda (Kanakapura Road) one fine day and booked a TD for next day. Next day as promised, a fine gentleman came to our house with the TD car. Took it out for a ride along with the family. Everyone liked the interior space, boot space and I liked the steering response and drivability.

Went around the table and the decision was unanimous. Yes! Asked the SA for booking about and it was 21,000 – gave a cheque for this amount and he gave me the Sale Agreement document. Promised to deliver the car in 3 weeks (as blue was not blocked by anyone and he immediately blocked it for me). Delivery date: 10th Oct 2013. The entire buying experience has been simply excellent – the best part is that I had to go to the showroom only once – when taking delivery of the new car

Took delivery of my blue beauty on 10th Oct 2013. The entire delivery process was very smooth and kudos to Magnum Honda (Kanakapura Road) for their customer service.

CTC (Cost to Customer):
Ex Showroom: 6,94,500
Tax and Registration: 1,12,430
Honda Assurance: 24,530
Extended Warranty: 11,350
Handling/Incidental: 5,000
Accessories: 3,000
Total On-Road Price: 8,50,810/-
Accessories provided with the car: Floor Mats and Car cover (each costing 1500).

Some pics taken on delivery day.
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20131010_112429.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20131010_114202.jpg

What AMAZED me:
1. Superb drivability within City and an amazing cruiser (to my levels) on Highway
2. More than sufficient boot space
3. Very good interior space – the back seat is very comfortable especially for elders
4. Steering is dream – for a person coming from Tata car, this is a big thing
5. Superb cornering ability – much useful when driving in the small lanes
6. Lower turning radius – no more back and forth while taking U turn
7. Amazing fuel efficiency – 17-18 in city and 22-24 on highway
8. Very efficient AC – cools the entire cabin in the afternoon heat within seconds
9. Easy to find the right driving position – as it has seat height adjustment
10. Good road visibility – the dashboard is mounted little low which gives good view of the road

Not so Amazing things:
1. The NVH level is on higher side. Higher than my good old Vista QJD
2. The ride is little bumpy on non-so-good roads of Bangalore
3. The ingress and egress is little difficult for elders because of the low stance
4. The sheet metal is very thin – I already got few dents, which otherwise would have gone unnoticed in my Vista
5. Interior though is bland – I can live with it
6. I am missing the ‘turbo-kick’ that I used to get while driving the MJD on highway

Detailed Ownership Experience:
While I have listed the pros and cons above, it is only a summary. Here is the detailed report on experience of owning my blue beauty for 5+ months:

Exterior:
At the time of writing this ownership report, Hyundai had just launched Xcent. There are three cars in the Compact Sedan segment (with Zest to be released sooner than later) and in my opinion none of the cars have great external design (Xcent looks more balanced as far as ‘looks’ goes, but need to wait till Official Review). I must add that the boot of Amaze, in my view, is more seamlessly integrated than the competition.

Few points to note about the exterior of Amaze:
- The sheet metal used is very thin. Even a small stone hitting the body is sure to cause noticeable dent on the body. Also, even when I hit the body with my finger it makes a hollow sound. As comparison, my old Vista’s sheet metal was much thicker.
- The rear profile is my favorite as far as design is concerned
- The underbody is well put together, though the designers could have managed to tuck-in the exhaust pipe. It awkwardly hangs out of the rear bumper, spoiling the looks of otherwise good design.
- I must mention that the bumper (rear) is really firmly fixed with the body. Once while reversing the car in my office parking lot, I hit the rear wall at considerable speed. Though there was a loud noise, the bumper was intact.
- The paint-job is top notch – typical Honda. However, please be aware that the body is a dust-magnet. Within 30 minutes of washing the car, you will start noticing dust getting collected all over the body. Thankfully, the car shampoo I am using is reducing the amount of dust collection by at least half.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20131020_141751.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140101_114759.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-img_5427.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140307_111947.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140309_124743.jpg

Interiors:
This is one of the most talked about things as far as the design is concerned. I heard that Honda is known for man-maximum & machine-minimum philosophy, but the interior of Amaze takes this philosophy to a whole new level! Understood that you don’t need to clutter the dashboard with lot of gizmos, but come on Honda! This is India and majority of the people believe in exactly the opposite philosophy (machine-maximum).

I personally don’t give much importance to interior (else this car would not have made to the second list). Spending 5 months inside the car now – while I certainly miss some useful features (like Bluetooth, ACC) at no point I felt regret for going for bland looking interior. All the ‘necessary’ functionalities are present and are available right where they are required.

Also so far, I have had absolutely no issues in operating the controls or getting used to the interior of the car. I have started liking it’s simple interface – on the contrary I feel it actually frees up quite a lot of space 

Noise inside the cabin – Now everyone complains about the NVH levels of Diesel engine, but I personally feel it is better than few diesel cars in the market (I don’t want to name them). Having said that, Honda should seriously think about reducing the noise levels inside the cabin. Also the noise from tires is also on a higher side. Even a small stone chipped by the tire will create loud noise from the wheel well.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140314_151936.jpg

Dashboard:
The dashboard looks sporty and the colour combination is just right. I like the shape and size of the fonts used. It is clear, precise and looks great in the Orange colour. It took some time for me to get used to this, coming from the centrally mounted dashboard in Vista, but the simple interface of dashboard helped me get used to it quickly.

One thing to note here is that the dashboard is placed little low – which helps in improving the road visibility. I like tall seating position, basically to have better view of the road and the low positioning of dashboard helps to a great extent in getting good visibility of the road.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140311_173417.jpg

ECO Indicator – Now this is where I want to give some data and also try to explain my understanding on the behavior of this indicator. Initially when I started driving the car after delivery, it looked like this indicator is a marketing gimmick, but as I drove more and more and started studying its behavior, it became clear to me that the fuel efficiency of the car depends to a large extent on this indicator.

This indicator is based on the RPM at which engine is running. There is ideal RPM range for each gear and if you are driving in that range, the ECO indicator will keep glowing. I have observed that for gears 1 – 3, the ECO indicator will be on between 1000 – 1500 RPM. However, in 4th and 5th, it will glow upto 2100 RPM. In 5th gear, it will stay on even when you are doing about 110 kmph.

Tip – If you want to maintain higher fuel efficiency, ensure that you are driving in such a way that ECO indicator is always glowing. This can be distracting to start with, but soon you will find it easy to drive in ECO zone without looking at the indicator.

Seats and Space:
Honda has done an awesome job by providing the best-in-class cabin space, which can be attributed largely to the design of seats.
- The front seats come with fixed headrests and provide good lateral support. I however am not too happy with the under-thigh support. Not that I had problem while driving for long distance, it’s just that I would have loved better under thigh support.
- The rear seat is actually the place to be in the car. The design of the seats is just amazing. They provide excellent back, side and under thigh support. Also, the back seat have curved shape which is very comforting, especially on long drives
- While seats do their job fine, the front ones look very thin compared to the competition. I am not sure about the long term reliability/stability given the abuse over a period of time.
- Coming from Vista, which has acres of interior space, I certainly feel little cramped inside Amaze. The backseat can comfortably seat 2, but a 3rd person would be little difficult on long drives.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140309_124910.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140314_152001.jpg

Engine:
I am sure everyone knows that this is the most talked about part in the car at the time of launch. The Earth Dreams engine, being the first diesel engine from Honda in India created a lot of excitement even before the launch of the car. The numbers on paper (100ps/25.8kmpl) looks too good to believe. Let me list down my experience with this engine and compare it with Fiat MJD (in my Vista).

Likes –
1. This engine has ZERO turbo lag, which makes it amazingly easy city traveler. My in-City driving efforts have reduced considerably (I will explain this later in the post) thanks to this amazing engine.
2. The low end torque is too good and you can pick up speeds even from low RPMs
3. It can even do 3 digit speeds with ease.
4. Its power rating of 100ps shows specifically when you are carrying 5+ passengers and boot-full of luggage. It drives as smoothly as you were travelling alone in the car.
5. Last, but not the least – amazing fuel efficiency. More on this later.

Dislikes –
1. NVH – I am not complaining about noise, but Vibration and Harshness! Every time I start and shut down the engine, the whole car VIBRATES! I don’t think any other diesel car behaves like this. I know mechanically it can be taken care of, but at what cost?
2. As much I am enjoying the non-existent turbo lag, I am missing the turbo-kick of my old MJD engine. This shows up when I am overtaking a vehicle which is at my speed – right when I need that extra kmph. This engine is little slow to respond, while my old MJD was right on money when it comes to overtaking.

Handling:
Handling this car has been the best thing so far. I have driven many cars – both petrol and diesel and this car has been the best in handling department so far. I have taken this car to both plains and hill-stations and it behaves superbly. The response to steering is precise and the best part is its cornering ability. I have had nightmarish experiences with Vista when I used to take her to small roads in Bangalore, but not with this car. Cornering is one of its great strengths. Also, there is no body roll on highway even if I am taking turn at relatively high speed.

Gears:
I have both pleasant and not so pleasant experiences with Gears in this car. The best part of about gears is that you can virtually go on changing gears upto 50 kmph (@ 5th gear) without pressing the accelerator. This is possible because of the low gear ratio and the ability of the gears to pick up speed even from 1000 RPM. If you are travelling on a plain road – all you need to do is to manage clutch/brake and you can cruise around for any number of KMs. Once I tried this trick while travelling to office (about 20 kms). Throughout the travel, I would have probably used accelerator only for about 3 times (while driving on the slopes).

Now the bad part about the Gears is the slotting. I know many Amaze Diesel owners have complained about this, but it is high time Honda does something to this. It has become little difficult to properly slot the gears – especially when you are upshifting to/downshifting from 2nd or 3rd gears. Also, the reverse gear has slotted for the first time, ever.

Steering:
Steering is a dream to hold and operate. Coming from TATA car, this is a HUGE difference in the way steering is behaving. It is nice to hold – with thumb contour in the right place. It is sized perfectly. Also it has the audio controls which work just fine. The material used in steering is of softer compound so the hands won’t get tired during long runs.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140314_152320.jpg

Tires:
All variants will get 175/65 R14 tires as standard, with VX trim getting alloys. I got GoodYear tires. I was going through the forum before buying the car and few owners mentioning about changing the tires if they get MRF ones. I personally do not prefer changing the tires upfront, however I was mentally prepared for that change if I had got MRF tires.

So far, I had no problem with the tires. I filled Nitrogen in the tires on the 2nd day after taking delivery. I have noticed (in my previous car) that Nitrogen will soften the ride to some extent and also there is no need to re-fill the tires. I do the Nitrogen top-up only once in 2 months.

The GoodYear tires give good grip and never once I felt uncomfortable taking turn on highway or in hill station. I took the car to Ooty through the Masinagudi hairpin bends and the tires had amazing grip on road which helped me to maneuver the car with ease.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140314_152039.jpg

Boot:
One of the main deal-clinching aspects of this car is its boot space. It has about 400 lts of space (some say it is 380, but I really don’t care). The moment I opened the boot on the TD vehicle and showed it to my better half, the decision was made from her side. At least she now knows that I cannot force her to pack-light on our trips. I usually drive down to my village at least once a month and the boot will have about 200 kg of luggage. This car has been able to handle it with ease with still place for few more items. I am completely happy with the boot space.

I must mention that the boot lid looks pathetic! I don’t know how difficult is for Honda to provide a plastic cover (even black colored) to the boot lid. Now-a-days, I don’t look up after opening the boot lid.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140314_152521.jpg

Suspension:
I had no problems with the suspension so far, however it does feel bumpy on the bad roads. The drive on potholed roads is not specifically confidence inspiring. My Vista handled bad roads in a more matured manner, given its softer suspension.

Ground Clearance:
Honda cars were never known for having ‘good’ ground clearance and this car is no exception either. It has GC of 165, which is same as my old Vista. As most of you would know by now, Bangalore is known for those dangerous speed-breakers and potholes that manufacturers should seriously consider testing their cars’ underbody on Bangalore roads.

Luckily for me, never once I have bottomed out in Bangalore. However, there were couple of instances while travelling back from Ooty in the Bandipur forest area where the road was in real bad condition. The bottom of the car did hit stones few times, but no visible damage to the underbody, thankfully!
Even with full passenger load and boot-full of luggage, the GC seems to be just right enough to escape the speed-breakers and potholes.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140314_152203.jpg

A/C:
Again, Honda cars are known for good air conditioning and same is carried forward in this car as well. I don’t use AC all the time, but when I do use it, even at level 1, it cools the entire cabin in less than a minute. It has 4 controls and I have not used the AC beyond level 2. Even the back side gets cooled even with the level 2 setting on AC controls.

Driving – Within City:
Likes:
1. No turbo-lag!
2. My daily commute is 20 kms within city and the driving effort has reduced considerably due to the non-existent turbo lag.
3. The traffic jams in Bangalore are no longer causing agony that used to be earlier – not that I have started liking it. Because of ease of driving, I feel a lot relaxed to pass through a jam now
4. Its ability to take corners is just amazing. I used to struggle with my old Vista while taking U-turn, but with its lower turning radius, this car is super smooth to take U-turn in busy roads
5. Because of the precise steering response, parking this car on road/parking lot in mall is also very easy
6. As the engine picks up speed even from lower RPM, I need to use throttle lot less than before

Dislikes:
1. The acceleration in lower RMPs, while is good from FE perspective, is sometime difficult to handle in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The moment I release clutch, the car just flies – in 1st/2nd gear. This is not so good in a traffic jam scenario. Now, I have kind of mastered the art of balancing clutch and no-throttle acceleration.

Fuel Efficiency: (All numbers from tankfull-to-tankfull method)
Overall Average – 16.5
Best – 17.6
Worst – 14.5
I have observed a strange behavior in the fuel efficiency. Whenever I take my car on highway and return, the next mileage till re-fuelling is usually on higher side. If I do re-fuelling for only in-city driving, the mileage will be at around 16. Also I must mention that the MID average FE is about 1 kmpl more than that of actual.

Driving – Highway behaviour:
Likes:
1. If you are a sedate driver or even someone who does not cross 100 kmph, this car provides amazing driving experience on highway
2. It can take full passenger load and boot load with ease even with AC
3. Amazing fuel-efficiency. I am getting around 23 kmpl on highway
4. It can easily take you on hilly roads with the same ease as the plains
5. The back seat provides very good comfort over long drives
6. Suspension behavior is very good on highway

Dislikes:
1. I am missing the turbo-kick. This shows up when I am overtaking. The sudden-throttle-response is missing compared to the MJD engine

1st Service Report: (1000 kms or 1 month)
- Date: 20-Oct-2013 (Yes. I completed 1000 kms in 10 days, as I went on two long highway drives)
- Got the underbody anti-rust coating done from Waxoyl
- Cost: Rs. 3,600 (only for the anti-rust coating)
- No consumables or labor cost
Mileage:
- City – 17 without AC
- Highway – 22 without AC
Complaints:
1. Rattling around the right side A-pillar – Fixed
2. Door handles were little hard – Fixed

2nd Service Report: (5000 kms or 3 months)
- Date: 10-Jan-2014 @ 4720 km
- Cost: ZERO – no consumables changed
Mileage:
- City – 14.5 without AC
- Highway – 21 without AC
Complaints:
1. Reduction in mileage – Air filter was cleaned
2. Read Door handles were still hard – Fixed after some greasing
3. Gear slotting is hard, especially 2nd and 3rd gears – Not fixed. Still experiencing the issue

Car Care: I am using following products to maintain my blue beauty in good cosmetic shape
- Meguiars NXT Generation car shampoo – Weekly once shampoo wash
- Meguiars Scratch Remover X 2.0 – There have been couple of scratches. This product, though is good, does not remove the scratch completely. It masks the scratch to some extent
- Formula 1 Tire Shine spray – Once sprayed on the tire, it stays black (glossy) for about 2 weeks
- Meguiars Gold Class Leather Cleaner – Good product and ideal for cleaning leather interiors

More Pics

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20131230_140557.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140309_125116.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140309_125247.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140314_152335.jpg
My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-img_5425.jpg

Last edited by GTO : 15th March 2014 at 12:22. Reason: No more than 2 smileys / post please. Thanks for the support
AmazeGuru is offline   (16) Thanks
Old 10th March 2014, 12:23   #2
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re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmazeGuru View Post
What AMAZED me:
1. Superb drivability within City and an amazing cruiser (to my levels) on Highway
2. More than sufficient boot space
3. Very good interior space – the back seat is very comfortable especially for elders
4. Steering is dream – for a person coming from Tata car, this is a big thing
5. Superb cornering ability – much useful when driving in the small lanes
6. Lower turning radius – no more back and forth while taking U turn
7. Amazing fuel efficiency – 17-18 in city and 22-24 on highway
8. Very efficient AC – cools the entire cabin in the afternoon heat within seconds
9. Easy to find the right driving position – as it has seat height adjustment
10. Good road visibility – the dashboard is mounted little low which gives good view of the road
Do you find the engine NVH intrusive with windows rolled down? How is the tyre and suspension noise on not-so-perfect roads?

Thanks for taking time to post a comprehensive ownership report of your car. It'll surely help other folks get an idea of how it is like to own an Amaze i-DTEC.

Please keep the thread updated with service reports, etc.,
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Old 10th March 2014, 13:23   #3
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re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Quote:
Originally Posted by vikred View Post
Do you find the engine NVH intrusive with windows rolled down? How is the tyre and suspension noise on not-so-perfect roads?
I usually drive my Amaze with windows rolled down (except during peak summer) and the engine noise during traffic scenario is almost never heard inside the cabin. When I go to quiet roads with less traffic, I can make out the noise. The NVH levels, however, were much better controlled in my old Vista.

Tire noise is also on a higher side if the windows are rolled up, on bad roads. I have not heard any noise from suspension so far, it is has been smooth. I do want to add that suspension could have been better, especially while driving on bad roads.
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Old 15th March 2014, 12:29   #4
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 15th March 2014, 13:58   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AmazeGuru View Post
I I have not heard any noise from suspension so far, it is has been smooth. I do want to add that suspension could have been better, especially while driving on bad roads.
Got a ride in my relatives Amaze diesel recently.I feel the ride quality could have been better, considering the segment.
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Old 15th March 2014, 14:11   #6
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Hi Amaze Guru,

Thanks for your informative log, it will help lot buyers who are looking for a car in this segment. Related to this, did you consider Toyota Etios Diesel?

Needed to know what you were your thoughts on the Etios.

Regards,
Rohit
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Old 15th March 2014, 15:42   #7
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmazeGuru View Post
3. Gear slotting is hard, especially 2nd and 3rd gears – Not fixed. Still experiencing the issue
Gearshifts are always notchy with a new Honda gearbox. Experience tells me that they become butter smooth by the time the car hits 5 figures on the odo. Ask the service guys to lubricate the fork if this is bothering you too much.
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Old 15th March 2014, 19:56   #8
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Congratulations AmazeGuru on your new ride. Wishing you thousands of safe and happy miles !

The NVH levels is something quite a few Amaze customers seem to be complaining about. What I thought when I drove this car was the sheer lack of lag makes bumper to bumper driving a breeze. Its a Honda so it should be cheap to maintain.
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Old 15th March 2014, 21:26   #9
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Hi Amaze Guru,
How is the colour of engine oil after doing 7k? I happened to check the colour of engine oil in my friend's city (i-dtec) which has clocked 3k and i found the oil still transparent which is not the case with most of diesel engines except toyota.One thing i noted no smoke even under hard acceleration.
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Old 16th March 2014, 10:04   #10
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Awesome pictures of the car man, worthy of any leading car magazine or even better. Your love for the car has come out well in the form of the pictures!
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Old 16th March 2014, 11:35   #11
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Spot On Amaze Guru,

You have covered all the pros and cons very well, was speaking to the Magnum Honda SA during my 3rd service , he's also of the same opinion that Honda has done a lot of cost cutting in engineering the car panel gaps are wide, no cladding on the wheel wells etc. this leads to the extra noise.

IMO the weight of the car could have been increased a bit at speeds of 140+ the car buffets and its not very confidence inspiring, but it certainly gives me a kick to overtake the other bigger cars waiting for their turbo to spool.

Cheers,
Rckz006.
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Old 16th March 2014, 12:04   #12
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Congrats AmzeGuru on the Honda Amaze. The car really looks cool in the blue shade. Even though I am not a big fan of it's looks, I like it more than the new Honda City which is a bit too bling bling for me.
I have driven the petrol Amaze and really got amazed by it's refinement. Still not test driven the diesel though.
Congrats again, drive safe and update the thread regularly.
Regards
Sreehari
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Old 16th March 2014, 19:49   #13
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Congrats on you new car ! Amaze looks very sporty in blue shade.
Did you plan any upgrades like alloys / ICE ? Also did you buy seat cover from dealer ? How much do they cost ? Can you please post a pic with rear armrest down ?
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Old 16th March 2014, 20:16   #14
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rohit Tripathi View Post
Related to this, did you consider Toyota Etios Diesel?

Needed to know what you were your thoughts on the Etios.
Hey Rohit,

Etios was certainly one of the cars that was considered given my requirements. It was spacious, efficient and above all, bullet-proof reliability. However, I did not shortlist this car due to two reasons:
1. The length of the car was > 4.2m which was difficult fit in my portico
2. It still had the center-mounted-dashboard, which I was kind of bored driving my old Vista for 4 years and wanted to change back to driver-side-dashboard.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain View Post
Gearshifts are always notchy with a new Honda gearbox. Experience tells me that they become butter smooth by the time the car hits 5 figures on the odo. Ask the service guys to lubricate the fork if this is bothering you too much.
I seriously hope it becomes smooth soon. Not that I am hating it completely, but it is taking away the excitement of driving a Honda that too a new one

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baddychat View Post
Congratulations AmazeGuru on your new ride. Wishing you thousands of safe and happy miles !

The NVH levels is something quite a few Amaze customers seem to be complaining about. What I thought when I drove this car was the sheer lack of lag makes bumper to bumper driving a breeze. Its a Honda so it should be cheap to maintain.
Thanks for your wishes Baddychat. You are spot on with the lag assessment. I too feel a lot more comfortable driving in traffic situations due to its non-existent lag. Regarding the maintenance cost, I have heard from other Amaze owners that it is not heavy on pocket to maintain. So hoping for the same in the long run as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Esu Junior View Post
Hi Amaze Guru,
How is the colour of engine oil after doing 7k? I happened to check the colour of engine oil in my friend's city (i-dtec) which has clocked 3k and i found the oil still transparent which is not the case with most of diesel engines except toyota.One thing i noted no smoke even under hard acceleration.
Honestly I didn't bother to check this even once in my last 5 months of ownership. But today I opened the Oil indicator and here is the pic for your reference. It does not look transparent to me @ 7300 kms.

My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms-20140316_094547.jpg

Quote:
Originally Posted by LandCruiser View Post
Awesome pictures of the car man, worthy of any leading car magazine or even better. Your love for the car has come out well in the form of the pictures!
Thanks LandCruiser for the complements. I think there are lots of better pictures of this car from owners on this forum.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rckz006 View Post
IMO the weight of the car could have been increased a bit at speeds of 140+ the car buffets and its not very confidence inspiring, but it certainly gives me a kick to overtake the other bigger cars waiting for their turbo to spool.
While I do not advise the BHPians to try this out, I did touch 145 kmph couple of times and I must add that the car did remain planted and for the duration it stayed in that speed, I had no problem controlling it. I will not drive at this speed again. I did this speed only to test the behavior of the car at high speed, while taking into consideration the road condition and the possible traffic while achieving this speed.
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Old 17th March 2014, 08:28   #15
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Re: My Blue Beauty – Honda Amaze SMT i-DTEC @ 7000 kms

Congrats AmzeGuru, Amaze looks cool in blue shade that you own. Could you please share your experience with the storage space inside the cabin?
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