2018 Honda Amaze: Everything you need to know

Launched exactly five years back in 2013, the first generation Honda Amaze was created by slapping a boot onto the Honda Brio. The soon to be launched, second generation Honda Amaze though is a thoughtfully designed and packaged car, developed from scratch as an all-new compact sedan. Pretty much everything in the car is new, right from the styling to the interiors to equipment levels, as also the automatic transmission which is a brand-new CVT. Here's all you need to know about the car, before you bring you our full-fledged review.

The 2018 Honda Amaze sports an all-new design

The design is entirely new as seen at the 2018 Auto Expo first. The all-new Honda Amaze's design in fact draws inspiration from the Honda City and Honda Civic. The interiors are all-new as well, with the dashboard sporting a completely new design. The central air-conditioning vents sit right at the top of the centre console. The new generation Honda Amaze will be on offer in four variants – E, S, V and VX and equipment levels will vary accordingly. The top of the line VX will feature a 7-inch touchscreen equipped infotainment system, dubbed the Digipad 2.0. The system a newer version of the Digipad seen on the Honda WR-V, Honda City, Honda BR-V and select editions of the last generation Honda Amaze.

Most importantly, the VX variant of the 2018 Honda Amaze offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Connectivity, a first for a Honda car in India. The infotainment system also features Wi-Fi connect that will allow users to sync their smartphones for live navigation. The steering wheel is a new unit as well, with revised audio controls. The VX variant also features a cruise control function now. Another major change is the additional space inside the cabin thanks to the car's revised dimensions, courtesy the all-new chassis. The new Amaze is 5mm longer and 15mm wider though its height is down by 5mm. Length, width and height for the new Amaze thus stand at 3995mm, 1695mm and 1501mm. The E and S variants will use 14-inch steels rims while the V and VX variants will get 15-inch alloy wheels though tyre sizes across variants will be the same, 175/65.

The wheelbase of the 2018 Honda Amaze is 65mm more than the first generation car

The new chassis is lighter resulting in a drop in the car's overall weight, which Honda tells us will help in boosting fuel efficiency. The petrol powered Amaze is 17kg lighter than before while the diesel version is 23kg lighter. Thanks to Honda's 'Man maximum, machine minimum' philosophy, the front and rear wheels have been pushed further apart from each other to increase the wheelbase. The wheelbase is up by an impressive 65mm and now stands at 2470mm. This has resulted in more interior space and Honda claims there's an additional 25mm of space between the front and rear seats now. Rear shoulder room is up by 45mm now, while headroom has increased by 10mm. Boot volume is also up thanks to the revised dimensions and the new Amaze can now hold 420 litres of cargo, an increase of 20 litres.

Honda also claims the air-conditioning system in the new Amaze is better and more efficient than the previous version and is in fact the same as the Honda City and will cool the cabin quicker. On the powertrain front the 2018 Honda Amaze will use the same engines as before, but gets a new CVT transmission. The highlight here is the fact that Honda will offer the CVT transmission as an option with the diesel engine as well, which is a first. Only the petrol CVT will sport paddle shifters though.

The interior design of the 2018 Honda Amaze is all-new too

The engines will be the same as before which means the petrol engine will be Honda's 1.2-litre, four cylinder petrol engine offering 90PS and 110Nm that also powers the Honda Jazz and Brio. The diesel will be the same, 1.5-litre four cylinder diesel as the City and Jazz. Outputs for the diesel stand at 100PS and 200Nm for the manual and 80PS and 160Nm for the automatic version.

ARAI certified fuel efficiency numbers for the Amaze stand at 19.5kmpl and 19kmpl for the petrol manual and automatic respectively and 27.8kmpl and 23.8kmpl for the diesel manual and automatic respectively. Honda states it has worked extensively on reducing the diesel engine's noise levels by changing the design of some of the core friction parts like the pistons, cylinder blocks, oil pumps and chain systems. There's better sound insulation as well, aimed at reducing noise levels inside the cabin.

The VX variant of the 2018 Honda Amaze will sport a 7-inch touchscreen that will offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and navigation via Wi-Fi

On the safety front the 2018 Honda Amaze will feature dual airbags and ABS with EBD as standard. In terms of convenience, the Amaze sports touch sensors for unlocking the door, thereby enhancing the keyless entry system further. Lower variants feature rear parking sensors while the VX version gets a park assist camera as well. Storage spaces have been increased as well, apart from which the VX variant gets dual USB ports up front – one is a fast charger with a 1.5Amp output for connecting smartphones while the second one has a lower, 1.0Amp output for charging only.

Another important highlight will be the revised service costs for the 2018 Honda Amaze. The car will come with a 3-year, unlimited kilometres warranty along with the option of extending it to the fourth or fifth year of ownership, for unlimited mileage as well. Annual maintenance packages for the petrol and diesel version will cost Rs 3,500 and Rs 4,900 per year respectively, while the service interval for the car remains unchanged at 1 year or 10,000km. Stay tuned to OVERDRIVE as we will bring out first drive review right here on the website and the video review on our YouTube channel tomorrow, on Friday April 27.