The four metre classification is one of the many things unique to the auto industry in India. It led to a lot of consternation among manufacturers initially, but they returned beautifully with some of the most thoughtful car models out there.
Take Honda cars in India for example. Their City model line was the top-selling sedan in its class since its launch decades ago. Nothing could touch it, such was the halo effect of the brand. Then came the four-metre classification & resulted in the Maruti DZire, which became a runaway hit. Such was its success that it began to dent sales of larger sedans, the City included.
Honda wasn’t going to take this lying down & came out with the Amaze in response. Here’s a closer look at 10 interesting features of Honda Amaze car to see why it is such a stellar player in the segment:
1. Like most compact sedans, the Amaze too was based on a hatchback, in this case, the Honda Brio. But what it did different was look better integrated from the back, therefore offering a coherent look that works very well.
2. The dashboard is shared with the Brio & is quite unlike other Honda cars in India, like the larger segment, City, for example. It feels crude to the elder sibling & the segment leader too.
3. The rear seat comfort is to be experienced to be believed. Honda have got the seat back angle absolutely right on the Amaze.
4. The flat floor design & the absence of a transmission tunnel means that three passengers can seat comfortably at the back.
5. The front seats feature integrated headrests & bolstering can be found a bit wanting on long drives in the Amaze.
6. The refinement from the petrol engine is superlative & one is hard-pressed to tell from within at times, without looking at the tachometer if the engine is cranked.
7. The diesel engine is one of the most powerful of the lot & happens to be one of the 10 interesting features of the Honda Amaze.
8. The build-quality is typically light and there are quite a few areas where panel gaps can be irritating.
9. Honda has skimped a lot with the features of the car. There’s no auto-lock doors, to name one example.
10. The Amaze feels woefully under-tired, particularly the diesel. Most owners are advised to go in for a tire swap straight out of the showroom in interests of road grip & motoring safety.
The Amaze has gone on to carve a successful niche for itself in the segment & is yet another money maker for the manufacturer in India after the City.
