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Finally, a diesel from Honda

The car you see here is Honda?s new compact saloon that will go on sale in India in mid-2013, called the Amaze.

The Amaze is the saloon version of the Brio hatchback, and will be available by mid-2013

The car you see here is Honda?s new compact saloon that will go on sale in India in mid-2013, called the Amaze. It?s based on the Brio hatchback and it will slot-in below the City in Honda?s saloon line-up. Importantly, since its length is under four metres, it?s the latest entrant to the compact saloon category. Tata?s Indigo eCS and, more recently, the new Maruti Swift Dzire rule this segment. In case you are wondering why we?ve highlighted its length, you should know that as per the government?s taxation rules, any car with a length of under four metres is considered a small car and correspondingly subject to a lower rate of excise duty. This crucial detail means you can expect the Amaze to be priced competitively. We expect pricing to be similar to the Swift Dzire and significantly lesser than full-size saloons like the City. Now that we have your attention, let?s take a look at the car in detail.

It doesn?t take much time to establish that the Amaze is the saloon version of the Brio hatchback. In fact, right up till the front doors, the two cars are near identical. It?s only the different front bumper and a restyled bar of chrome on the front grille that distinguish the Amaze from the Brio. The big differences between the two start at the rear doors. In an attempt to increase cabin space, Honda has extended the Brio?s wheelbase by 60mm to 2405mm. This, along with the different roof line, has warranted the need for larger rear doors.

Thereafter, you?ll like how neatly Honda?s designers have managed to integrate the boot section to the Brio?s hatchback body to give it a clearly defined three-box silhouette. The City-like wraparound tail-lamps and smooth creases on the rear bumper only help the appearance further. That said, the boot-lid itself looks quite ordinary but it does open to reveal a fairly large luggage bay. Sure, the Amaze?s boot is not as accommodating as the ones on the Etios, Manza or Verito, but we think it strikes the right balance between size and practicality.

The car we drove at the Honda-owned Motegi race track in Japan was a pre-production prototype, so there may be some changes to the interiors on the final version that will make its way here. What we can confirm for the moment is that the Amaze will share much of its cabin with the Brio. The two-tone dashboard, with its offset centre console, will be carryovers, as will the comfy single-piece front seats. There?s a fair amount of space for front-seat occupants and, as on the Brio, visibility is good too. However, the absence of front seat height-adjust could be an issue for shorter drivers.

As we mentioned before, the rear doors are larger than the Brio?s and, correspondingly, access to the back seat is marginally better. Once inside, you can tell that the increase in wheelbase has led to a proportionate increase in rear kneeroom. It?s a whole lot roomier than the Dzire and the light beige colours on the seats and plastics only enhance the feeling of space. The new rear seat scores for comfort too. It?s well padded and comes with a smartly positioned central armrest. If at all, it?s that some may find the seat-back a tad too reclined. The Amaze?s low centre tunnel also does its bit to free up legroom for the middle passenger but, given the cabin?s limited width, the rear seat isn?t ideal for travelling three abreast.

Honda has carved out sufficient storage spaces for small items in the Amaze?s cabin. You get a large glovebox, a total of four cupholders and a bottleholder on each of the doors. Sadly, the exposed metal surfaces in the region of the door pads look a bit cheap and the rest of the plastics through the cabin don?t feel particularly rich either. If there?s some consolation, it?s in the rear power windows, which are a big improvement over the Brio?s tacky buttons. On the equipment front, we expect the top-end Amaze to come with steering-mounted audio controls, an audio player with USB connectivity (but no CD player) and also a rear defogger, which is something missing on the Brio.

Honda will sell the Amaze in India with two engine options. The petrol motor will be the 1.2-litre 88bhp unit from the Brio. While Honda did not have this version of the Amaze for us to drive, you can expect performance from this engine to be quite peppy. Interestingly, the weight difference between the petrol version of the Brio and Amaze is only 30kg, so fuel economy should be really good too.

But, as things stand, it?s the other engine that will hog the limelight. The motor in question is a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel unit. Yes, you read that right. Honda is ready with its first diesel engine for India, and even our brief drive was enough to conclude that this is a really special motor. Tuned to offer effortless performance in typical city driving conditions, the engine is very responsive from just after idle with a slight surge in power at the 1500rpm mark. On the whole, power delivery is smooth and far nicer than what we?ve become accustomed to on the 1.3-litre Fiat Multijet diesels on Tata, Fiat and Maruti cars. The good spread of power also means you can pull in a higher gear than usual.

What?s also nice is the engine?s refinement. Idle is quiet and vibration-free and it?s only above 4000rpm that the engine starts to sound thrashy. But, given that the bulk of this engine?s power is concentrated below that mark, you won?t derive much from revving the engine hard to begin with. If anything, that will only make you adopt a more relaxed driving style, which will have its benefits in terms of good fuel economy. Honda is claiming a best in-class fuel economy for the Amaze so you can expect an ARAI-tested figure in the region of 25-26kpl!

Driving on the smooth surface at the race track, it was hard to judge the car?s ride quality. What the drive did serve to bring to our attention though was the difference in handling vis-?-vis the Brio. The Amaze rolls a bit more around corners, which only points to the suspension being tuned more for comfort than dynamics, and given this car?s intended purpose, that?s a good thing. Also, the steering has more weight courtesy the heavier diesel engine in the front, and in turn, offers more feel too. Before you ask, the Amaze and Brio share their basic suspension hardware and even the 175/65 R14 MRF tyres.

In the final analysis, the Amaze comes across as a car that is impressive in all the areas that matter the most. It looks smart, comes with a spacious cabin and offers decent practicality thanks to its useable boot. Good manoeuvrability and pleasant driving dynamics are other pluses here. It?s also got a peppy engine in the 1.2-litre petrol motor though it is the capable diesel unit that will help the Amaze appeal to a far wider customer base. All that Honda needs now is to give the Amaze the right price-tag to take on the Swift Dzire. If it can price the Amaze in the R6-7.5 lakh (ex-showroom) band, Honda will have little trouble finding buyers for its well-rounded compact saloon.

Five key facts:

* Based on the Brio, but there?s 60mm more space between front & rear wheels

* The Amaze, under 4 metres, qualifies as a small car; hence lower excise duty

* It will be Honda?s first car in India to feature a diesel engine

* 1.2-litre petrol engine will be shared with Brio hatchback

* The dashboard will be identical to Brio hatchback?s

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First published on: 08-12-2012 at 03:46 IST
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