Honda Amaze: The compact sedan segment in India undergoes a big evolution with the launch of the thoroughly overhauled Honda Amaze. This third generation model takes the nameplate far beyond its utilitarian origins, representing a very real rival to other cars in a fiercely competitive segment.
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Honda Amaze Design History: Slick in Sophistication
The new Amaze makes a strong first impression with its bold design language that boasts a more visible stance and contemporary styling. The front end offers a broader, more aggressive chrome-accented grille from a menacing design flanked by slim LED projector headlight with daytime running light, to increase its daytime appeal and lighting performance during the night.
Travelling along the profile, the strong body line comes from the fenders and runs through the door handles all the way to the wrap around tail lamps generating a flow of light that helps add visual motion even when the vehicle is parked.
The greenhouse tapers ever-so-slightly in a coupe-like fashion toward the rear, allowing for a more dramatic profile without sacrificing space that provides a compromise of form and function that didn’t compromise rear headroom.
The redesigned taillights feature advanced LED lighting technology and eye-catching light signatures to bolster visibility and recognition from behind.
Turning to the back, the chrome trim going across the trunklid is a nice upscale touch that isn’t overdone, and the integrated spoiler helps cut aerodynamic while giving the K5 an added pinch of sportiness.
The exterior dimensions remain compact for negotiating tight urban environments, but the longer wheelbase adds an upscale, larger-car feel inside – a tightrope Act that serves to support the Amaze’s core as accessible, attainable transportation.
The extended color offering now includes elegant strong metallic colours such as Platinum White Pearl, Lunar Silver and Meteoroid Grey, and standout colours in Radiant Red, and Obsidian Blue Pearl.
The Cabin: The Real Deal in Luxury
Honda Amaze Open the new Amaze’s doors, and everything you thought you knew about what a compact sedan is supposed to look like goes right out the window.
The dashboard design is a horizontal one with soft touch materials at touchpoints, a big step up from the hards plastics you’d find in this segment.
The stacked concept is enriched by contrast materials and hinting ambient lights allowing depth in details but restrained not to be complicated.
On the dashboard sits your feature focal point, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that is free from messy cables and provides easy smartphone connectivity.
The interface has responsive menu constructs with very little lag and is a user experience you would not expect to see in this price ranged and priced vehicle.
The comfort behind the wheel is more than what is generally expected, as the front seats provide good thigh support and bolstering, making seating comfortable even during long drives.
The upgraded leather upholstery on the top versions also gets perforated sections that make it more breathable under the hot sun – a thoughtful touch considering the country we live in! The back bench is best-in-class for leg room and the proper angle to its seatback is legitimate comfort: not only so-so seatage.
The level of detail applied to smallest elements that affect the overall satisfaction on daily level – such as padded armrests, strategically placed USB ports, or storage compartments perfectly sized to fit everyday essentials, such as smartphones or water bottles.
There’s even a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter that offer a tactile feel with each cog you run through, courtesy of little touches that reinforce the fact that you made a purchase in the premium segment.
Powertrains: Not an Obvious Choice, but it Works
Honda still provides two very attractive powertrain options with very different character to cater for various preferences. The 1.2L i-VTEC engine is not only powerful with 90 horsepower and 110 Nm, numbers that give it good acceleration and out & out cruising ability, it manages to do so with impressive fuel economy of 18 km/litre (standard test conditions).
They are complemented by a 1.5L i-DTEC DOHC diesel engine with both a power output of 100 hp and torque of 200 Nm that facilitates easy overtaking and comfortable long distance cruising.
This powertrain ensures a remarkable fuel economy of around 24 km/L”; an edge that will be huge for heavy users.
Both engines can be mated to slick manual transmissions (5-speed for petrol, 6-speed for diesel) or Honda’s smooth- and efficiency-focused CVT.
The CVT gets a lot of attention with pre-programmed “steps” to simulate a conventional automatic in acceleration, taking the ‘rubber-band effect’ out of often-maligned CVTs.
Feature Integration: The Importance of Technology With a Purpose
The Amaze has creature comforts that won’t overawe or cloud the driving experience. Providing vehicle location, geofencing alerts and service reminders via the companion smartphone app, the all-encompassing Honda Connect telematics system appeals also to family purchasers tracking more recent drivers.
Safety tech shows Honda’s priorities with airbags across the model range, ABS with EBD, and rear parking sensors on every variant too. Optional is a multi-view rear camera with dynamic guidelines, automatic headlamps, and rain-sensing wipers – functional features that ”ups” the utility factor.
The air conditioning system now sports rear AC vents — a major boost for occupant comfort in India’s weather conditions. Its cruise control ensures effortless highway cruising, the push-button start and keyless entry add small innovation points you can brag about in the parking lot.
Drive Dynamics: Smoother Than the Lay of the Land
Honda Amaze The chassis structure also upholds Honda’s commitment to evoking a sense of direct connection with the drive experience, by combining rigidity and yet providing for the suspension tuning needed to deliver a refined, confidence-inspiring ride and precise handling.
Providing a nice sense of weight and build-up in turns as well as lightness for parking, the electronic power steering inspires confidence while the car is in motion.
Special focus is set on the suppression of road and wind noise, thanks to sound-insulating materials and increased sealing, that offers a remarkably quiet cabin even at highway speeds something usually found only on larger and more expensive vehicles.
Suspension tuning cushions the ride on average road blemishes while keeping the car in control during rapid changes of direction.
Value Proposition and Market Positioning
Honda is also said to strategically locate the new Amaze between ₹7.10 lakh and ₹11.85 lakh (ex-showroom), accepting its premium status, and that it needed to be accessible to aspiring buyers as well.
This list pricing reflects the transition the model has made from a vehicle conceived of exclusively a transportation device to one that truly pampers the driver emotionally while still meeting the reality of every day life.
This package includes a 3-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with extended coverage for up to 5 years – a rare offering in this category and a sign of Honda’s confidence in the product’s basic engineering.
Honda Amaze Conclusion
Honda Amaze This new Honda Amaze, in other words, is an evolution that’s evolved after serious thought – it’s transformed a capable compact sedan into a genuinely compelling ownership proposition.
There’s no question it is possible to have too much of a good thing, but Honda has actually walked the fine line between opulent appointments and pragmatic utility and made the latter accessible without compromising the former — a winning formula for upscale buyers not looking to scale up in minutes or dollars.
With consumers no longer satisfied with mundane utility and developing an appetite for a complete ownership experience, the Amaze now stands as a mature option with a genuine premium feel combined with Honda’s ‘bullet proof’ legacy of engineering prowess – a proposition that ought to keep it from becoming irrelevant in a market that is getting smarter by the day.
