2018 Honda Amaze: Top five facts

The second generation Honda Amaze promises to be a game changer for the Japanese manufacturer with its all-new design, chassis and higher equipment levels. Here's the top five facts about the car that we think you should know.

The 2018 Honda Amaze boasts several firsts for Honda in India, just like its predecessor

Design

The 2018 Honda Amaze witnesses a radical shift in terms of its design. The design is a lot more cohesive in fact, especially the rear end. Typically, compact sedans appear as if a boot was simply slapped onto a hatchback's rear end, but that certainly isn't the case with the new Amaze. The roofline integrates itself well into the boot, thus making for a far more visually appealing stance from the sides and rear three-quarter.

What's more, the second generation Honda Amaze uses an all-new platform that has helped Honda make the car larger in size. Thanks to the new chassis, the Amaze now stands 5mm longer than before at 3995mm, 15mm wider at 1695mm though the car's height has been reduced by 5mm and stands at 1501mm. The wheelbase has been increased by a whopping 65mm and stands at 2470mm which has liberated additional space inside the cabin.

The 2018 Honda Amaze will continue to be powered by the same, 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines as before

Engines

The 2018 Honda Amaze is powered by the same engines as before, which are the four-cylinder, 1.2-litre petrol engine producing 90PS and 110Nm and four-cylinder, 1.5-litre diesel engine producing 100PS and 200Nm. Outputs thus haven't changed, though an important addition to the line-up is the option of a CVT transmission with the diesel engine as well. Outputs for the diesel automatic are lower than the manual version, at 80PS and 160Nm.

Transmissions

The second generation Honda Amaze will be offered with the option of a CVT (continuously variable transmission) which is an all-new unit. More importantly, the CVT will be offered with the diesel engine as well, which is a first for Honda as the manufacturer has not offered a CVT with a diesel engine before this. Interestingly, the petrol automatic Amaze comes equipped with paddle shifters, but the diesel does not. What's more, the diesel automatic also comes with a 'Low mode' that keeps the car in the lowest ratio possible to offer optimum torque.

The diesel automatic version of the 2018 Honda Amaze gets a Low mode, which the petrol automatic doesn't, while the petrol automatic gets paddle shifters which the diesel does not get

Fuel efficiency

ARAI certified fuel efficiencies for the 2018 Honda Amaze are 19.5kmpl for the petrol manual, 19kmpl for the petrol automatic, 23.8kmpl for the diesel automatic and a highly impressive 27.8kmpl for the diesel manual. The claimed efficiency for the diesel automatic is in fact one of the highest in the country.

Variants and competition

The second generation Honda Amaze will be offered in four variants, E, S, V and VX. The top of the line VX variant however will not come with the option of the automatic transmission. So if you want an automatic, you will have to go in for the V variant, either petrol or diesel. The VX variant boasts the highest equipment levels in the line-up though including a 7-inch touchscreen dubbed the DIGIPAD 2.0. The VX variant also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a first for a Honda car in India. Direct competitors for the Honda Amaze in India include the Maruti Suzuki DZire, Volkswagen Ameo, Hyundai Xcent, Ford Aspire and Tata Zest.

The 2018 Honda Amaze holds a lot of promise for the Japanese manufacturer. Honda in fact hopes the new Amaze will help it elevate the status of the car as a compact sedan