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My Honda Amaze review: Key observations after 2 months of ownership

28th March 2024, 18:02 by Rahul Nagaraj

The infotainment unit works flawlessly and connects to Bluetooth in no time and I don't miss the touchscreen at all.

BHPian JDMBOI recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Odometer - 1152 KM

Mileage - It stayed around 11 KMPL (usually driven in the city) but after crossing 1000 KM it has gone up. The best I have seen in the cluster is 14.2 KMPL. It's going to go up after the first service.

Headlight- (OSRAM 12V bulb) Its performance is okay for the city, if you do highway run at night you definitely need an upgrade. (ours is a mid-variant with halogen bulb (reflectors) and no fog light, the top variant comes with LED projectors & LED fog lights)

Light on boot is neither a reflector nor a light, just there for aesthetic purposes. I am thinking of pasting the red reflector tape in a small stripe like the tail light design.

NVH level - On a well-paved road almost none. Poor road surface (crack lines) then it's a whole different story, it's too loud.

Only 2 months and the clutch spring is making noise (needs lubrication)
Noise from the dashboard (driver side) (randomly comes and goes)
Engine noise - No sound enters the cabin at low rpm and idling but around 3K RPM (in 1st and second gear) engine and gearbox noise starts to come inside.
Vibrations - No vibrations transfer to the steering wheel and the gear knob does not shake.
Fit and finish - Overall I would rate it 7/10.

Panel gaps of doors and trunk area are uniform. Lacks (at corners) where the bonnet meets the lip and poor around the headlight.

I am not satisfied at all with the glove box quality. It has panel gaps and I hate the lock mechanism, it feels cheap. This is what I do to close it softly - Pull the lever, close the glove box and then release the lever. The tabs provided to hold the glove box are not proper tabs that you press to access the filter. they made a small cut so that you can flex the plastic to access the filter. The glove box has a coin holder though.

Ride quality - It's comfortable (175/65/R14 Bridgestone tyres) but when there is an undulation on the road the ride becomes bumpy at the rear (by bumpy I mean you feel the suspension compression and rebound) maybe it's because of small size tyre or soft suspension setup at back. If you are doing good speed you may lose confidence. With those small-size tyres, you have to slow down ( almost completely stop) for speed breakers. In future, going to upsize the tyre to top variant specifications.

Gearbox - NOT A FAN.

If you are standing still and driving at slow speed it is butter smooth, no complaints at all. It's the second (sometimes first too) ruining the experience and even questioning myself did I make a wrong choice? if you have read my initial thoughts you may remember I mentioned the problem of slotting second gear well, I am still facing the issue. At low speed it ain't a problem it is smooth, it happens when you are shifting from third to second (around 20 KMPH) that the stupid gearbox won't go into second or need a hard push, leaving me in the middle of the road at slow speed with people honking from behind.

Recently, faced the issue a few days ago trying to slot 2 coming from 3 gear (this time the road was empty I used the momentum to pull over) when the car stopped I tried slotting second with no luck tried the first no luck but 3, 4, 5 were smooth. Somehow I managed to engage first and kept going.

Intimated the sales guy many times about the problem at first he said you are not depressing the clutch fully. He even test-drove the car on showroom premises (at one point I engaged gears for him and it was smooth) but I took some notes about this issue and found out it doesn't happen at low speed it happens when you downshift from third to second but after repeated complaining he agreed and told me to forward the address so that he and service guy will come to check. (so nice of him, he always helps me) but I refused as the car was not at home and told him that I would bring the car later on myself. I finally went to the showroom and he drove the car agreed to my theory and said it needed lubrication plus tried avoiding shifting to second gear around 20KMPH (shift below 20KMPH). He also mentioned that he has seen this problem in the new Honda Elevate (their test-drive vehicle) and our Amaze. plus a bonus for you he also mentioned a new Amaze coming in July.

Gear throws - 1,3,5 are okay but 2,4 and Reverse are longer.

Rev match - It's a struggle, you have to press the accelerator more than usual to gain around 1.5-2K rpm now it's getting easy as it crosses 1K KM. (The engine is now rev happy)

Steering - Feels good to hold, neither thin nor thick (I have big hands) it has okay weight. There is a slight play where it doesn't respond to movements at high speed but the car is nimble.

AC - Can't complain it is simply the best.

Infotainment- The infotainment unit works flawlessly and connects to Bluetooth in no time and I don't miss the touchscreen at all. Love physical buttons. I don't think I have used a touchscreen on our Kushaq at all while driving.

Can't comment on Bluetooth call functionality & call quality it offers. I don't use my phone at all while driving if I have to answer a call I pull over and use my mobile rather than a car mic and speakers)

Brakes - Hit or miss. Sometimes I am okay and sometimes I'm not. Need improvement.

Seats- The seats are comfortable but they don't hug you though (front seats) & The driver seat has height adjustment.

Stability - Haven't gone above 85 KMPH but it is stable that bumpy feel over the undulating road is a problem at high speed. (big size tyres may solve the problem)

Surface rust - Surface rust has been there on the axle rods in a brand new car (saw it during PDI) cost-cutting by Honda. Just paint them, Honda.

Visibility -Side view mirrors are huge and offer good visibility, no issue at all.

Speakers - Need improvement. As more and more time I spend with it the more I am getting used to it and the built-in equalizer helps a lot.

Parking sensors - Boy oh Boy! They are sensitive (not complaining) its better safe than sorry.

Footrest - The plastic footrest was not pasted properly I accidentally hit it while placing the mat and had to glue it again in its position.