With the rising popularity of SUVs and crossovers in the Indian market, Honda’s top two best-selling vehicles are sedans. While the City takes the first spot on the sales chart, the Amaze is the second-best-selling vehicle from the Japanese manufacturer in the Indian market. Honda has updated the Amaze with a few changes and additional features. Mechanically though, the sub-4m compact sedan remains identical to the pre-facelift version. We drove the Amaze petrol with manual as well as the automatic CVT. Here is what we feel about the new Amaze facelift.

Looks different?

While Honda has not done any major update to the looks, there are a few changes that make the Honda Amaze look much more premium than before. At the front, the new Amaze gets a new grille, which is multiple slats instead of the thick chrome bar. It definitely makes the Amaze look premium and sportier. In fact, it looks like a scaled-down version of the premium Accord.

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The headlamps are new as well. Honda has added the projector lens and LED lamps, which improves the illumination by a great deal. The new LED DRL also look sportier. Earlier Honda offered only halogen lamps. Down below, the fog lamps are also new and are LED projectors. The housings of the fog lamps get chrome inserts.

On the side, Honda has updated the 10-spoke alloy wheels. Even now, the Amaze gets 10-spoke alloy wheels but the design looks inspired by the old Honda City. No complaints here, the alloys do look good. The size of the alloy wheels remains the same 15-inches.

Honda has added more chrome to the side. Earlier, even the top-end variant offered body-coloured door handles. Honda has now put chrome on the handles. The rear gets a wide chrome strip that adds a wide look to the Amaze. The shape of the tail lamps remain the same but it now gets LEDs.

Since the Honda Amaze is developed from the ground’s up and is not based on any hatchback with an added boot, the overall shape looks in harmony with the sedans. It definitely is the best-looking sedan in the segment.

Changes to the cabin?

Just like the exterior, there are a few minor changes in the cabin as well. The beige and black theme remains the same. However, Honda has now added a shade of satin silver as well. The satin silver adds a sense of premium feel. However, the overall dashboard gets a mix of hard plastic and gloss black finish. The manual transmission variants also get a leather boot around the gear lever.

The upholstery is updated too and now the top-end variant gets double-stitched fabric. An important feature that was missing from the old model was the front cabin lamp. There was only one roof lamp located in the middle of the car before. Now, even the front passengers get two individual cabin lamps.

Everything else remains the same though. Honda’s “Man Maximum and Machine Minimum” philosophy ensures that the cars get maximum space and comfort. The Amaze is no different. You get one of the most comfortable seats in the vehicle and the car is spacious as well. However, just like any other car in the segment, only two passengers will be able to fit the rear seats comfortably though.

There is a lot of space around to keep your knick-knacks. All four doors get large bottle holders while there are cup holders in the middle. Honda also provides deep pockets for keeping items like mobile phones and wallets. Overall, the Amaze offers ample space for four and comfortable space for five, if it includes a child.

Same feature list

Honda has not updated the feature list apart from the changes that we have mentioned above. It continues to offer an analogue-digital instrument cluster, steering wheel with tilt adjustment, 7.0-inch infotainment system, automatic headlamps and a start/stop button with keyless entry. The 7.0-inch infotainment system looks dated though and it is not bright enough or sharp enough to compete with the other cars in the segment. It does offer Android Auto and Apple Carplay but through a wired connection.

1.2 petrol manual and automatic

Honda has not changed any mechanicals in the car. It remains exactly the same as before so the driving experience remains the same too. We drove only the petrol variants of the car so we will only talk about them. First up is the petrol automatic.

Honda powers the Amaze with the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated engine that generates a maximum power of 90 PS and peak torque of 110 Nm. The engine output is similar to the Maruti Suzuki Dzire but since the weight of the Amaze is higher compared to the Dzire, it affects the acceleration of the vehicle. So it feels slow initially but it is quite manageable if you mostly drive around inside city limits.

With the CVT automatic, the engine may behave erratically sometimes. Especially, if you want to floor the throttle and push the car. The CVT does take time to react and it will be a good second after you get to hear the engine noise that you see the speedometer moving up.

This problem can be quite much when you want to overtake other vehicles on the highway. However, Honda offers paddle shifters with the car, which is a unique feature. You can use the paddle-shifters to quickly downshift to the pre-defined gear ratios. Using the paddle shifters in this way ensures that you have the power on tap when you need it.

If you like to drive enthusiastically though, the manual is a much better choice. The gear throw is very short and the transmission slots extremely well. The light clutch and the rev-friendly engine puts a smile on your face. The engine revs smoothly to the higher RPMs but it makes a loud noise towards the higher rpm and it filters into the cabin.

Other than that, it is a typical Honda with great handling and decent ride quality.

Good to buy?

If the SUV and crossover bug has not bitten you yet, and you’re looking for a sub-4m sedan, the Amaze can be a strong choice. The way Amaze looks now makes it a winner in the segment without a doubt. Also, the petrol engine is sublime and smooth. The Amaze is the only car in the segment to offer a proper automatic transmission. All the other models offer only AMT. So with the starting price of Rs 6.32 lakh, ex-showroom, the Amaze definitely remains a strong choice in the segment that will keep on attracting a lot of customers.

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