Spruced up
The second generation Honda Amaze has been given a makeover with an updated exterior and interior along with added features and here’s detailed look at all that’s new
Now in its second generation, the Honda Amaze is a very crucial model in the company’s lineup. It is Honda’s bestseller and one that has found more than 4.5 lakh homes across the country. For 2021, Honda has given its sub-4m compact sedan a mild makeover.
When it comes to the exterior styling, Honda has focussed on upping overall premiumness and to that effect, the Amaze facelift gets a revised front grille with a slightly narrower chrome bar accompanied by chrome louvers along with automatic LED projector headlamps and LED DRLs. LED treatment has trickled down to the fog lamps as well and there is a sprinkling of chrome lower down on the bumper for good measure. The facelifted Amaze sports new two-tone 15-inch alloy wheels as well as chrome door handles and towards the rear it gets updated tail lamps with a C-shape LED tail lamp motif while the rear bumper gets chrome
garnishing along the lower edge.
Changes within the cabin are hard to spot. The most obvious one is the use of silver accents on the dashboard, steering wheel and door pads. And that’s about it. Everything else has been carried forward as is. In this top-end VX grade, the Honda Amaze comes with features like automatic climate control, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, cruise control, 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and a reverse parking camera. Speaking of which, the reverse parking camera display now lets you toggle between three camera views. As before, space, especially the amount in the rear, remains the Amaze’s forte. At 420 litres, boot space too is quite generous.
THE LIST OF CHANGES MIGHT NOT BE TOO LONG, BUT THESE ADDITIONS CERTAINLY HELP ENHANCE PREMIUMNESS OVERALL
Mechanically, the 2021 Honda Amaze is identical to the model it replaces. It continues to enlist the services of 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel mills, both available with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a CVT. While the diesel with 100bhp and 200Nm (80bhp and 160Nm in the CVT’s case), is the punchier and more frugal of the two, it feels unrefined with plenty of engine noise creeping into the cabin. The petrol Amaze fares much better in the refinement department and is also the one most buyers will pick considering the drop in demand for diesel variants in this segment. With 90bhp and 110Nm on tap, performance is adequate and more than ample for most buyers. Once past 3,000rpm is when this engine comes alive, although it also gets a little noisy. Plus, wind and tyre noise at triple-digit speeds is pronounced as well. At city speeds, the Honda Amaze offers a comfortable ride doing a fine job of tackling our less than perfect roads. The steering errs on the heavy side, but not in a way that will be a deal-breaker by any measure.
Pretty much every new feature we’ve listed out is reserved for the top-end VX grade which is priced between Rs 8.22 lakh and Rs 11.15 lakh (ex-showroom), depending on the variant you pick. The base E grade is priced at Rs 6.32 lakh for the petrol manual and Rs 8.67 lakh for the diesel manual. The list of changes might not be long, but these additions certainly help enhance the premiumness overall. The Honda Amaze was and remains a very very sensible pick in the sub-4m compact sedan space and we see no reason why it won’t continue being one of the best sellers in the segment.