Saar: The sub-4 metre Honda Amaze will launch on May 16 and will become the first in its segment to offer a diesel-CVT combo.

At the 2018 Auto Expo, we all witnessed the second-generation Honda Amaze. Fast forward to early this month and bookings commenced for the Honda Amaze on April 6, 2018, at a refundable amount of Rs 21,000. Details have now surfaced that the sub-4 metre Honda sedan will launch on May 16, 2018. That’s less than a month away from now. The Amaze is by far the most important new car for Honda India this year.

Into its second generation, the Honda Amaze is a far cry from its predecessor. For a start, it has grown in dimensions, thanks primarily to an all-new platform underneath. With its length at 3,995mm and width at 1,695mm, the new Honda Amaze is 5mm longer and 15mm wider than before. However, at 1,500mm, its height has been reduced by the same amount as its length has increased. The wheelbase, at 2,470mm, is a 65mm longer than before and boot capacity has also gone up from 400 litres to 420 litres. Turning radii for petrol- and diesel-powered Honda Amaze are 4.7 metres and 4.9 metres respectively.

The new Honda Amaze will be offered in four variants – E, S, V and VX. Based on the mechanicals and gadgets onboard, the kerb weight will vary between 905kg to 1,039kg. The E and S variants will be offered with 14-inch wheels, whereas the V and VX variants will come with 15-inch wheels. Apart from the diameter, the tyre specifications remain identical to all variants – 175/65.

Inside the cabin, Honda will offer the Digipad 2.0 with the Amaze. It will feature Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink compatibility and the ability to connect to Wi-Fi as well. Other features will include push-button start/stop, paddle shifters (petrol only) with the CVT and cruise control.

Thanks to bigger dimensions, the new Honda Amaze is more spacious than before. For the rear passengers, the legroom, headroom and shoulder room have gone up by 25mm, 10mm and 45mm respectively. That’s not much but for a car that has to restrict itself in the sub-4 metre category, it is pretty impressive.

As far as powertrains are concerned, the new Honda Amaze borrows them from its predecessor. The 1.2-litre petrol delivers 90PS/110Nm and can be had with either a 5-speed manual or a CVT. The same two gearboxes are available with the diesel engine but the CVT unit comes mated to only the lesser state of tune. In mathematical terms, the manual gearbox will have 100PS/200Nm on tap whereas the CVT will only have 80PS/160Nm. Clearly, this has been done to keep the fuel efficiency figures in the acceptable range. Speaking of which, the petrol-manual, petrol-CVT, diesel-manual and diesel-CVT deliver a mileage of 19.5kmpl, 19kmpl. 27.8kmpl and 23.8kmpl respectively. The CVT will be offered only in the S and V variants.

The new Honda Amaze will be offered with five colour shades – Radiant Red, White Orchard Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic and Golden Brown Metallic. Price-wise, Honda is likely to charge a premium over the other outgoing model, which ranges between Rs 5.58 lakh to Rs 8.50 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Once launched, the Honda Amaze will take on the Volkswagen Ameo, Tata Tigor and Zest, Hyundai Xcent, Ford Figo Aspire and the king of the segment – Maruti Suzuki Dzire.