re: Review: 1st-gen Honda Amaze (2013) This is my first post on T-Bhp.
I did test drive the Amaze Diesel 4 days ago. I have a few things to add, but before I do that, I drive a Swift ZDI, so my perspective will be a sort of comparison to my daily ride though it's not the Swift is not a sedan. Anyway...
Like many other's experience, I too parked my car outside the dealership next to the Amaze Diesel TD car. Not inside the dealership.
The color of the TD car and also the car on display was Blue. Probably Amaze looks best in that color. I don't know for sure, simply because I've not seen Amaze in any other color. Did not really like the looks of Amaze but the boot looks way better than Dzire. Car's seems puny & is not as tall as Dzire, Swift etc. Paint looks OK, while the sheet metal feels to be thin. 15" Wheels are a must for Amaze though they don't offer this option even in the top variant. I opened the boot first before I got into the car. Boot's spacious, which is good, while the boot lid is awkward with exposed wires, no padding & also sounds tinny when shut. Once inside, I was shocked by the sparse looking dashboard. I had read about this earlier but this certainly looks cheap, just like my old Indica. Plastic material doesn't seem to be cheap though. And the Dials - what was Honda thinking?? I like that way the dash curves away from the seats - this liberates quite a bit of legroom.
Audio is sort of OK though the Double DIN Head Unit looks like some sort of a kiddy toy. No Auto A/C even in the top version. Too bad (more about this later).
Seat cushion is thinner & the seat too is smaller than that in the Swift. It is narrower too. Is the car narrower than Swift/Dzire, I did not compare the specs. Thigh support for the driver's seat is about average.
The space at rear is really impressive. Here too the seat cushions are not really thick nor are the seats sufficiently wide. Two passengers can sit comfortably. In fact, if the side bolstering weren't there, the seats could've accommodated 3 in relatively good comfort, but these are a must for sedans, I guess. Headroom at rear will not be sufficient for tall people. Honda have cut the depth of the seats to make more legroom. This is evident in my friends Jazz too.
One thing that really sticks out is the snooty behavior of the executives. We were promptly attended by the receptionist who promised to give us a TD. And then we were left to our own devices. There were only 2 other sets of prospective customers. I had to ask them thrice before they nodded their heads for a TD.
Like I mentioned before, I had parked my Swift next to the TD car. It was not a covered parking lot & the midday sun was blazing away (around 1:20 PM). TD car was the variant just below the top variant. On entering the car, interiors were really hot. My dad, who accompanied me, sat in the rear, while the lady executive sat in the passenger's seat. On cranking the ignition the car jumped to a start. Yes, literally it did. It was disconcerting. Switched off the ignition, looked at the executive in disbelief. She camly told me that this was normal. I cranked the car once again, same effect! And the engine - it sounded rough, maybe not as bad as our old Indica but not much better either. Heck, it's probably the least refined of all small capacity engines except for... you guessed it, the NA Indica. Clutch is light, which is nice. No discernible Turbo Lag either. Gently took off. 100 PS of power doesn't reach the wheels, I think. Though the car is not sluggish, in-gear acceleration is waaay bad. Perhaps I expected more, but the car definitely did not feel as sprightly as my Swift ZDI.
Midway through the TD, my dad asks me if the A/C is switched off with just the blower running. No! says the sales executive, it at full blast. This is a shocker. It does not cool well. Right after the TD, when we got into my Swift, the Auto A/C set at 23 Degrees cooled the car within 1 minute. Unexpected from the Amaze, I must say.
Brakes are really good. Much better than the Swift. I'm not sure about the handling, fun-to-drive factor etc, cause the TD was done on straight highway with not turns except a U-Turn. Ah! the steering is light, not sure how good it is at high speeds though as I did not exceed 65(there are automatic speed sensing cameras on this stretch of the road).
Overall, I feel Honda rushed into introducing the Amaze. They certainly should have worked on the refinement & NVH. I mean, people buy a Honda for its refinement & reliability. I was disappointed. And it needs better seats, better dashboard & plusher interiors. A family who came to book the Amaze Petrol didn't like the car & they were seen inspecting the Brio when I left the showroom.
I was sort of looking to upgrade to the Amaze top end version, but came back very disappointed. Oh well! |