The good has now become better, a lot better. Even though the previous amaze was a successful car, this update was much needed. The previously Brio‘ish’ amaze has now become little City‘ish’. It is evident from the new avatar that the feedbacks from the market have been well taken care of by the Japanese giant.
Since the car as a whole is almost the same as that of the previous version and there are umpteen genuine and elaborate reviews on that I’m just going through the updates that were brought in.
I recently test drove the sx-ivtech.
The body panels are exactly the same, except the bonnet. The front bumper underwent a complete cosmetic surgery. It is now civilised and has honeycomb or faux honeycomb covering a major portion. The grills have changed & became much ‘chromier’. The H badging is lavish than ever. Even though the general geometry remains the same, the tail lamps have subtle changes.
The much criticized interior just hoped to a whole new level with the new fascia which is almost same as that in the current City/Jazz. The fit & finish of the dashboard looks absolutely premium. Everything except the air flow lever is now digital. The switches don’t feel cheap at all. The centre console is now more driver oriented. The new instrument cluster is fantastic. It is very much City‘ish’. It has become more informative, legible, beautiful & bigger. The blue illumination along with the completely digital third dial feels upper-class. The steering however is the same good old one with excellent grip and ergonomics. There are new features like climatronic AC, Bluetooth connectivity etc. The USB port is now fixed next to the power socket.
There are certain downsides. The earlier dashboard was curved inside where as the new one has almost a straight cut. So there is a slight compromise of knee room at the co driver side. Also the bigger instrument cluster slightly reduce the front view(in comparison)
The front seat fabric has become softer and more comfi. The four door armrests have aluminium rings and look nicer. The rear seats are the same as that of the comfortable well inclined old one with 2 cup holders built in the foldable armrests with lavish leg space.
However there is no change in the driving or handling dept. and still boast that old charm.
As an icing on the cake, all new Hondas come along with the Honda Connect technology, which is a feature every customer can boast of.
If power and efficiency are your prime needs go for the diesel but if you want to taste Honda, stick to the petrol.