Team-BHP - Honda Amaze vs Maruti Dzire vs Hyundai Xcent

We have Honda Amaze as the brand new car in the entry level sedan market and its primary competitor is the compact Dzire from MSIL.

Now the obvious question is which one of these would be a pick of potential buyer and why and if some other choice then which one and why.

Also interesting to know which engine and transmission option would be more popular choice and the reason for the same

To start of the discussion-

The sedans have been born out of their very popular hatch versions namely the Brio and Swift
Both the cars are sub 4m in length and have petrol (including AT) and diesel hearts
The pricing is in the same bracket, give and take some across the variants (which would be debatable)

Need not say more as we have brilliant official reviews already available which can be a great source for any information about these two cars-

Honda Amaze - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html

Swift Dzire - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ve-review.html

As almost all the parameters are the same, one go by her/his heart. If the shape, style, space, driving posture/comfort suits you then you should go for the car you like.

Personally, I would go for Amaze. This is a fresh car with a reliable Honda service backup. There is no doubt that MSIL has more service outlets but I have my own doubt about their reliability.

Once should actually look into one important thing: that is: the cost of the spares. MSIL is known for its cheap spares. I dont know about Honda Amaze.

Strange Poll !!!
I have voted for
For Petrol : Honda
For Diesel : Dzire
For A/T : Honda
My personal preference : I don't like Compact Sedans at all. It should be a proper Sedan or proper Hatchback not a compromise. Hence voted for last option too.

In looks department, Dzire is ugly from rear as well as side view while I don't like Brio/Amaze front a single bit. It reminds me of previous gen Hyundai Verna/Verna Transform which was one of the ugliest looking car at the front.
So me even thinking of buying either of the two is not possible.

PS : As I vote, the score lies 22/4 in favour of Honda, it would be interesting to see the sales figures of next few months. Honda has directly attacked the strongest car from the MUL stable, let's watch the reaction.
I see a classic case for management study in the making as each and every factor being tested (WRT consumer preference) be it Pricing, Brand Loyalty, Brand Image, FE, Maintenance Costs, A.S.S., everything is tested. It has all the elements of classic battle.

Hi Team,

I have voted for Honda Amaze Diesel MT. Reason is I felt this is priced very well and as a brand Honda gives me more confidence as I already owned one Honda City. Seeing the scary stories of the braking issues in new Swift (Hatch & Sedan) on the lower variants, I feel Honda did a great job by equipping Amaze Diesel lower variants with ABS and EBD as standard. For me this is the deal breaker. If I even compare Ritz Vdi (ABS) with Amaze Diesel base variant I am losing only the fog lamps, IIRC.

Thanks,
Ravikumar N

Voting for Honda for both diesel and petrol engines. Its clearly a better brand for me and I expect the same to reflect in the ownership experience. Though there is some initial apprehension about there diesel engine but then I don't expect any major flaws in the engine. As someone wrote in another post which is very true that with Honda there have been minimum reports of things going wrong with there car launches even in the initial few batches.

The only thing I would want to improve is the dashboard design where Dzire scores over the Amaze.

I voted for Amaze Petrol MT and Diesel.
I think it looks much better than the Dzire. I know the Amaze isn't really one of the better looking sedans but when compared to Dzire it looks much better. I saw a blue one at the showroom and it looked pretty cool.
The Dzire looks a bit weird, older one looked better according to me.

The dashboard design is better on the Dzire I agree.

Maruti has service centres in every corner of the country, but hey I'm not going to drive my car in every corner of the country. For someone who uses the car mostly in the city and maybe twice a month on the highway, this won't matter because Honda has enough service centres now, at least in Mumbai. Don't know about other cities.

I haven't driven the Amaze yet so won't comment on handling and driveability. But I have driven the Swift and Brio and found both of them good to drive.

If I plan to upgrade my Spark soon, the Amaze will be one of the serious contenders. Can't wait for the Ecosport too.

The Amaze is a fresh car and I hope the first few batches don't come with annoying niggles. Better to wait for the Initial Ownership Reports for this.

Also, it would be interesting to compare the Amaze to Manza. The prices of Manza have fallen and if someone is going to be chauffeur driven, it isn't a bad choice, with the amount of space it has.

While I selected 'None of these something else', that is primarily cause I do not like compact sedans. But that said, I think the Honda Amaze MT is a fabulous option. Diesel, performance, fuel economy, and most importantly Honda... would lead me to ask whether there really even is a choice?

One of the largest deterrents about the Amaze to me is the similarity in appearance to the Dzire.

Well when it comes to Diesel the Honda Amaze should be the winner. Its having a 100ps engine that too delivers a mileage of 25.8km/liter. Both the figures beat the Dzire hands down. Plus the Amaze has got better brakes, better space and looks better too.(Though looks are subjective). The point where Dzire scores is the 1.3 Multijet engine is time tested, its spares are easily available and Maruti after sells service is one of the best in the country. Between these two my pick is the Amaze.
In case of petrol its tough to decide as the Maruti K- Series engine is equally smooth and fun to drive. Here both the engines are time tested and both proved to be ultra reliable. One point where the Dzire scores is it has got a better looking interiors compared to the basic interiors of the Amaze where as the Amaze offers more space! If i have to choose between the two may be i will go with the Amaze petrol for the Honda badge and its fresh in the market. :)

I would go with Amaze just for the sake of that I have had enough of Maruti's semi-monopoly of this segment. That it is in fact a better overall package is another matter all together. It is also more pleasing to look at than the unproportional Dzire or the quirky Etios.

But please Honda, don't let this go to your head and don't stoop to unethical practices because you have a golden egg laying goose.

I would anyday choose Amaze (for diesel) and Dzire (for petrol). Reasons being the refinement in Maruti powerplant and URGE to drive Honda's first diesel in Amaze.
If considering looks, I feel the Dzire the be better looking only in the ZXi/ZDi models, when it comes with alloys, etc. When considering the mid-variants, the Amaze is the one to have.