New Honda Amaze First Drive Review: Next-Gen or Facelift?

Honda was probably the last big carmaker in India to enter the compact SUV scene with the Elevate. While their product is quite impressive, the late entry means they’ve already lost a big chunk of the market to rival brands occupying the compact SUV space for almost a decade. On the other hand, the sub-compact sedan segment has quite a different story to tell. The Honda Amaze has been around for a while and has done pretty well. It’s the company’s best-selling model, which consistently drives solid sales numbers for Honda Cars India. The issue now is that aside from commercial (cab) sales, the growing trend is towards SUVs, which means compact car buyers are increasingly gravitating towards those more rugged-looking machines instead of sedans. Perhaps, that's why we don't see many updates in the compact sedan category. Thankfully, after the segment leader Maruti Suzuki Dzire, the Honda Amaze has also received a significant update. The company calls it a next-generation (third-gen) all-new model. However, we were a bit sceptical about the claim until we got behind the wheel of the new Amaze.

Also Read: New Honda Amaze Basic, Signature, and Utility Accessory Packages Explained: What's Different

Best-looking sub-compact sedan?

Now, the new Amaze, referred to by the company as the third-generation model, is based on the outgoing second-generation model, with some additional structural reinforcements. The wheelbase remains unchanged, and the side profile looks almost identical to its predecessor. The only noticeable changes are at the front and the rear. While wheels now get a machined design, it doesn't significantly alter the overall side appearance of the car. 

The front has undergone a complete redesign, taking inspiration from the Elevate. Features such as a mesh front grille with a flatter design and headlamp clusters show clear SUV influences. Additionally, the revised bumper also includes redesigned fog lamp housings. Moving to the back, you might be surprised by how much it resembles the Honda City, especially with the new 3D LED tail lamp clusters. In fact, if you are driving behind the new Amaze at night, you could easily mistake it for the City. The rear design is neat and clean, with no unnecessary elements.

Overall, while the third-generation Honda Amaze resembles the second-generation model, it combines the Elevate’s front styling with the City’s rear look. Despite the limited attractiveness in the sub-compact sedan market, it remains arguably the best-looking option available in India, offering a proper three-box design characteristic of a true sedan.

A Better Experience Inside?

Inside, you may not immediately notice the changes, for the cabin layout is familiar. However, there are quite a few updates, like the newly designed dashboard, with an 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system. This setup supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is pretty cool. Below the infotainment, you'll find HVAC controls taken from the Elevate. What's great here is that everything has proper physical buttons, especially for the infotainment shortcuts.

I really like the presence of physical controls, for it means you don't have to take your eyes off the road as much while driving. The dashboard’s design has been refreshed too, featuring a sleek dual-tone look with an aluminium strip, which adds a nice touch. While the beige part might seem soft to the touch, it’s actually hard plastic. While there are hard plastics all around the cabin, they look and feel decent overall. The flimsy central console in the old Amaze was a big annoyance, but that’s been fixed in this new version. The touchscreen works well and connects effortlessly to your smart devices, with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Plus, the interface is simple and user-friendly. For device charging, the Amaze includes two USB ports up front, a 12V socket in the front and rear, and a handy wireless charging pad. A nice feature of the charging pad is that you can turn it off with a dedicated button. It would’ve been nice if Honda had included a Type-C port too, since most new smartphones use Type-C cables nowadays.

The steering wheel looks like it has been lifted from the Honda City but without the leatherette feel. Still, it’s loaded with controls for the infotainment, ADAS features, and the info display on the new instrument cluster, which feels pretty City-like. The cluster has a 7-inch TFT display for all the important info, along with a traditional needle for speed. The seats have been given a bit of a makeover with better bolstering, but the cushioning and fabric remain the same as before, even in the higher trims. They’re quite comfortable, though. Space management has always been a top highlight of the Honda Amaze, and the new model just adds to it. It's been widened slightly, adding extra room for rear-seat passengers and more boot space.

Space was never an issue with the Amaze; it easily fits four adults and up to five mid-size suitcases. You might wonder why there’s a problem fitting a fifth person, and that's because the Amaze finally comes with rear AC vents, which were much needed. However, those centrally-mounted vents can make legroom a bit cramped for the person sitting in the middle at the back. On the bright side, the cabin now cools down faster and better than before.

Drives Differently?

The driving experience of the third-generation Honda Amaze is again not a complete departure from the outgoing version, especially in terms of ergonomics. That, however, was not even a problem in the previous iteration. The steering wheel, driver seat, and foot pedals are excellently positioned, instantly offering you a comfortable driving posture. Coming to the drivetrain, the same 1.2-litre four-cylinder i-VTEC petrol engine is the sole option here, and it continues with the same 5-speed manual and CVT automatic gearbox options to choose from in all three trim levels. While most other brands have shifted to more economical three-cylinder configurations, the Amaze still offers the four-cylinder configuration, but the good thing is that it's slightly more refined. Now, we expected Honda to add a bit more punch to this drivetrain, but unfortunately, that's not the case. It continues to deliver about 89 horsepower and 110Nm of torque. Now, the power output here is pretty adequate for this kind of setup, but the torque could have been improved. Honda says that they have altered the tuning of the engine as well as of the gearbox a bit, but we didn't quite feel the changes. The engine still sounds strained when you press hard on the throttle pedal, but you don't quite feel inside the cabin, perhaps, because the overall structure is now more strengthened. Honda also seems to have reworked the insulation of the Amaze, for it filters out the engine noise and road harshness more effectively, offering a slightly quieter ride experience than before.

Now, coming to the gearbox, we drove the CVT version of the new Honda Amaze. This is probably the only car on the market with the smoother CVT gearbox, as most of the competition has shifted to AMTs, with the fun of paddle shifters whenever you need a manual downshift for overtakes or engine braking.

One thing that I was expecting in the new Amaze was a better suspension setup. However, it feels more or less the same as that of the outgoing model. The softer setup of the car gobbles all the road undulations without any hiccup at low speeds, but the high-speed damping and the stability beyond three-digit speeds remain questionable. Maybe that's another reason Honda is not even offering any more powerful drivetrain options. To be honest, this setup is near perfect for your daily city commutes as well as some occasional short weekend escapes, especially considering the enhanced safety kit of the new Honda Amaze.

The Most Affordable ADAS Car in India

Honda has enhanced the structure of the Amaze by incorporating 45 per cent high-tensile steel, reflecting their commitment to safety. The vehicle comes equipped with a range of safety features, including six airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, rear parking sensors, Hill Start Assist, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control, and ISOFIX-compatible rear seats. Additionally, all five passengers have access to seatbelts and head restraints, starting from the base V grade. The mid-level VX grade adds a rearview camera and a Lane Watch system, which provides a view of the side lane on the infotainment screen when the turn indicators are activated. This feature is particularly useful, as it helps minimise blind spots when changing lanes or directions.

The standout feature of the new Amaze is in the top-end ZX grade, which starts at Rs 9.67 lakh (ex-showroom) for the manual transmission variant. It is now the most affordable car in India to offer an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) package. It includes Honda Sensing technology, which, in the Elevate SUV, has previously performed well in tests. This camera-based system includes features such as Collision Mitigation Braking, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lead Car Departure Notification, and Auto High Beam. While these features enhance safety during forward motion, there is no ADAS support for reversing.

This is the first time a manufacturer has introduced a level-2 ADAS package in a car priced under ten lakh rupees, which is a significant milestone. Overall, these features contribute to making the Amaze a safer choice compared to many other options on the market. In fact, the Elevate, which uses the same Honda Sensing technology, was one of the top performers in our recent Mega ADAS test.

Next-gen or Facelift?

While the platform and drivetrain remain unchanged, we can't truly categorise this as a next-generation version. However, the numerous updates both inside and out, along with the addition of new features, make it much more than just a simple facelift. As mentioned earlier, it is arguably the best-looking car in its segment.

Also Read: Mega ADAS Comparison Test: Curvv EV vs Seltos vs Elevate vs Verna vs Astor vs XUV700 vs XC40 Recharge

Honda has decided not to offer a base variant this time, perhaps, because sales patterns suggest that most customers opt for either the mid or top variants. For these variants, Honda has packed the new Amaze with features right from the starting point. Although it lacks certain luxury features like a sunroof or an automatic IRVM, it includes all the essentials and offers enhanced safety. Consequently, the Honda Amaze is a great value-for-money offering in the compact sedan segment.