Honda sedan a stylish small gem

ROAD TEST/ The company’s cheapest offering, it is up to the challenge of ferrying the family, writes Phuti Mpyane

SA’s entry-level car segment is dominated by hatchbacks, but a number of sedans continue to compete in this league including Suzuki’s DZire, Ford’s Figo, Toyota’s Etios and the Honda Amaze.

With no sighting of the Brio hatch inside Honda catalogues, this stocky, interestingly-styled Honda Amaze is the company’s cheapest offering. I like the styling very much, particularly the front end, though it’s a design that polarises opinion.

At 3,995mm long with a wheelbase of 2,470mm, the car is pleasingly wide and spacious inside. The dashboard design isn ’ t bland but focused on simple user-friendliness.

I like that much of the switchgear is laid out in plain sight for easy access. You want the USB port and charge point? There they are. You want to crank up the volume? Here’ sa chunky button or remote buttons on the steering wheel.

The car is solidly built to near class-leading levels. Though the sturdy plastics aren’t the fancy soft touch type, the high-spec Comfort trim with two-tone faux leather seat covers comes with enough kit to keep you connected and content.

There’s an impressive amount of substance. Its naturally-aspirated 1.2l four-cylinder motor, linked to a five-speed manual transmission, pulls hard enough and keeps on going right into the higher rev ranges.

While it doesn’t have the same punchy flow of power of turbocharged motors, the Amaze engine copes well in most situations, including overtaking or hurtling uphill, which requires timely gear-downs to

The front styling that is shared with larger Hondas makes it stands out in a crowd. Below: A decently sized boot should easily fit average family luggage without fuss. Below left: Simple, straightforward layout is bolstered by attractive seat covers.