Honda Amaze first drive review: Enough to take on the new Dzire?

The “all new” Amaze is here! That’s what Honda is calling it, but the fact of the matter is you have the same engine, same transmissions, and same platform. With this update to the Amaze, exterior and interior have been given an overhaul, and there have been some tweaks to both the chassis and drivetrain. The features list has grown too. There has been a focus on safety, along with refining what was an already impressive driving experience. The launch of the Amaze comes mere weeks after the launch of the new Maruti Suzuki Dzire, and will continue to compete with the Hyundai Aura and Tata Tigor. Where the Dzire has downsized to a 3-cylinder engine, the Amaze carries forward the rev-happy 4-cylinder iVTEC that it has always had. Enough to take on the king of the segment, then?

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The tail lights closely resemble those of the Honda City.

2024 Honda Amaze Styling

Of course, it looks nothing like those teaser images Honda showed us in the days leading up to the Amaze launch. The teasers had insane stance — wide, low, aggressive. There was no way they could pull that off in a sub-4 m segment. You take such pictures with a pinch of salt, and sure enough, the production Amaze looks… different. Sky-high expectations may have led to disappointment (and memes!), but realistically, this is a good-looking car by segment standards. A face from the Elevate, tail lamps from the City and a boot that doesn’t look like a slave to the 4m rule. You’ve got to give Honda marks for putting their best foot forward. There are new wheels as well, like these diamond-cut 15-inch alloys on the top-end ZX version.

The top-end ZX variant gets new 15-inch rims.

2024 Honda Amaze interior and features

The new cabin is a welcoming place to be. Typical of Honda, you’re greeted by nicely sculpted seats, albeit fabric ones, keeping with what you get in this class. The dash is new, with plenty inspired by the Honda City. Example? The steering wheel and the instrument cluster with its 7-inch digital screen that sits alongside an analogue speedometer. Or the AC controls and the wireless phone charger tray below it. Front and centre on the dash is a new 8-inch infotainment screen with very welcome hard buttons beside it, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Very welcome.

Storage areas are practical with cupholders, door pockets large enough to hold 1-litre bottles, and an open-top cubby hole where the centre armrest would traditionally be. It is missing a sunroof — something the market can’t seem to get enough of, though I don’t really mind the fact that it isn’t there. What I wish it had was USB Type-C ports. Only old-school Type-A here. But just like the more expensive Hondas, you get a cabin that feels well-built. It may have hard plastics all over but the buttons on the wheel, on the dash, on the doors, all have a tactile heft to them and give the impression that they will last.

Not much has changed on the backseat. Space is reasonably good, and the seat is comfortable with adequate support. Honda claims to have improved shoulder room marginally by re-sculpting the door cards, but it is still going to be tight for three abreast. You now get three headrests, fixed ones mind you, but they are more substantial than the ones on the older model and should offer a little better support. Rear AC vents are par for the course.

The Honda Amaze continues with rear AC vents.

2024 Honda Amaze engine and performance

The engine is where it gets exciting. The Dzire may have downsized to a more efficient 3-cylinder unit but Honda is persevering with their 4-cylinder iVTEC engine. Outputs are the same as before — 89bhp and 110Nm of torque. What has changed is the gearing on the manual. First and second gear is slightly shorter, which gives you slightly better grunt at low speeds. It doesn’t make a world of difference though, because the engine still has the typical nat-asp characteristic of waking up well into the mid-range. Acceleration is linear, but a little easygoing lower down in the rev range. Past 4500rpm, the engine comes into its own and pulls strongly. This can make overtaking in everyday driving a little strenuous because you really have to wring it out to get it to move. But the flip side of that is that it appeals to the enthusiast. It’s a peppy engine that may not be very quick, but it likes to rev and has some character to it.

The Amaze gets two transmission options. Enthusiasts should certainly pick the manual. The added involvement aside, this particular stick has a nice mechanical feel to it. It may have a slightly long throw but it slots into its gates well, the clutch is light and the pedals are well-spaced for some heel-toe masti. It also feels a little quicker off the line than the CVT. The CVT is nice if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in traffic. It just takes the stress off your left foot, and offers a very smooth, seamless driving experience. CVTs never appealed to the enthusiast because of the rubberband effect that they have but with paddle shifters that allow you to access “steps” in the CVT, the enthusiast shouldn’t be averse to this one either.

New Honda Amaze gets the same 4-cylinder iVTEC engine with 89bhp and 110Nm of torque.

2024 Honda Amaze ride and handling

The Amaze has always been a very comfortable car and that continues. Low-speed ride is exceptional, and it really deals with bad bumps, potholes and ruts in the road very confidently. It rounds them off well, keeps you cushioned on the inside and has a sense that very little can upset it. Pick up a little bit of speed though, and you notice a few chinks in its armour. The soft set-up means vertical movement is present on undulating highway surfaces. Hit a certain kind of sharp bump at medium to high speeds, and the suspension doesn’t seem to like it — topping out with an audible noise in the cabin. These manners are improved from before, though.

Handling is nothing to write home about. It will turn in willingly, being light and all that but the steering is lifeless and vague, and the soft set up means there’s plenty of roll. This isn’t going to set your heart on fire with how it takes corners, but it will play along if you ask it a question or two occasionally. What is nice is the fact that you have that engine to wring out and play with as you exit corners. Makes up for the soggy dynamics, on some level. Ground clearance is improved by 2mm to 172mm, but with such a short wheelbase and tiny overhangs, it is really difficult to ground this car on bad roads.

For this year's model, the ground clearance has been increased by 2mm.

2024 Honda Amaze ADAS

What we haven’t spoken about yet is the highlight feature of the Amaze — ADAS. A camera in the windshield enables a whole load of ADAS functions, including collision mitigation, lane keep assist, auto high beam, lane departure assist, adaptive cruise control, and lead car departure. ADAS is a mixed bag in Indian conditions. It is really tricky to use in the city, since our conditions are so chaotic. However, there are genuine use cases for them out on the highway, particularly for adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist. I did try them out on our test route: activating them is very intuitive from the dedicated buttons on the steering wheel, and they worked as advertised. What I didn’t test was collision mitigation, however, it didn’t engage unexpectedly at any point which is a good thing. If you don’t want ADAS which is on the ZX variant, Honda is giving you the option of picking the VX variant which only misses out on active safety, the diamond cut wheels (you still get 15-inch alloys) and some chrome bits for some Rs 60,000-80,000 less. Safety has also been worked on under the skin. Crash protection has improved with reinforcements to the monocoque, and considering the Amaze was already 4-star rated in ASEAN NCAP, this should do well when it does get tested by BNCAP. With the Dzire getting 5 stars, expectations are higher than they would have otherwise been.

The new Amaze gets ADAS.

2024 Honda Amaze price and verdict

Overall, the Honda Amaze has taken a step up over the last car. It remains an enjoyable car to drive with a focus on comfort over thrills, but also with logically laid out interiors and a good spread of features that are actually important. I like the fact that it has inherited bits from the more premium cars in the range, pushing the interior a little more upmarket, while also refreshing the styling to fit in with the family. The price is also very impressive. Rs 8 lakh for a base variant that comes fairly kitted out and Rs 9.7 lakh for the top-end manual we are driving with ADAS included. One can argue that it is missing kit, but I’d argue back that nothing missing is a deal breaker and the Amaze builds on the reputation that it already has here — of being a comfortable, easy-to-drive and easy-to-live-with machine.