Five years after the launch of the original, the second-generation Honda Amaze is here. While the first-gen found over 2,50,000 buyers, Honda will be looking to delve into an even bigger piece of the pie with the all-new Amaze. But it won't be easy in a segment as jam-packed as a Mumbai local. There's the king of the segment, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, the facelifted Hyundai Xcent, the Aspire - which is due for a facelift this June, the Volkswagen Ameo - which recently got a smaller, 1.0-litre petrol engine, and the Tata Tigor - which is now available with an AMT for the petrol variant. Here's how the new Honda Amaze matches up with its rivals, on paper.
Dimensions
The second-generation Honda Amaze is built on an all-new platform, which is ready to meet future crash safety regulations. Compared to its predecessor, the new Amaze's weight is down by almost 40kg, thanks largely to the use of high-tensile steel, which is lighter and stronger than conventional pressed steel panels. To put it into perspective, the lightest variant (E petrol) weighs just 905kg, while the heaviest variant (V diesel CVT) tips the scales at 1,039kg. While that makes it lighter than most of its rivals, it's still a shade heavier than the Dzire, which ranges from 860kg for the petrol to 990kg for the diesel.
The Amaze has grown in every dimension and is longer, wider and taller than the outgoing car, while the wheelbase is a significant 65mm longer. It's not as wide as the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, but at 2,470mm, has a longer wheelbase. That said, it's shorter than the Ford Aspire’s 2,491mm wheelbase. More importantly, at 420 litres, the new Amaze’s boot is now 20 litres more than before, making it the biggest in its class. The Tata Tigor's boot comes a close second (419 litres), with the Hyundai Xcent's not too far behind with 407 litres. The Dzire’s 378-litre boot is small in comparison but is bigger than the Aspire’s (359 litres) and the Volkswagen Ameo’s (330 litres).
Engine and gearbox
The new Amaze gets a 90hp, 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol, and a 100hp, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine, mated to either a five-speed manual or an automatic (CVT). Yes, for the first time ever, the Amaze will be available with a diesel-CVT combo. The diesel-CVT makes 20 percent less power compared to the manual (80hp and 160Nm), and this has been done to preserve the life of the transmission as well as ensure smoother performance.
Maruti Suzuki has stuck with the tried-and-tested 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine and the 1.2-litre petrol for the Dzire. The diesel makes 75hp and 190Nm, while the petrol churns out 83hp and 113Nm of torque. Apart from the five-speed manual gearbox, both engines also get the option of AMT.
In comparison, the Hyundai Xcent has a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder diesel motor that makes 75hp and 190Nm of torque. The power and torque output is similar to the Dzire’s, and even the 1.2-litre petrol motor makes similar power and torque outputs – 83hp and 114Nm. Hyundai offers a four-speed torque converter auto gearbox with the Xcent petrol, but the diesel is only available with a five-speed manual gearbox.
The Tata Tigor has the smallest diesel motor of the lot at 1.05 litres and also makes the least power at 70hp and 140Nm. Its 1.2-litre petrol motor, however, makes 85hp and 114Nm of power, which is par for the course. The Tigor is offered with a five-speed manual, and the petrol variant also gets the option of a five-speed AMT.
It is the VW Ameo that has the most powerful diesel motor in this class, with its 1.5-litre unit making 110hp and 250Nm of torque. While Volkswagen has paired this motor with a five-speed manual, you can also opt for a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic (DSG) gearbox. However, its 999cc, three-cylinder petrol motor is the least powerful here with 75hp and 95Nm of torque, and is mated to only the five-speed manual.
The Figo Aspire offers a choice of two petrol engines – a 1.2-litre and a 1.5-litre, developing 88hp and 112hp, respectively. While the former is mated to a five-speed manual, the latter is the only petrol-DCT (dual-clutch transmission) model in this segment. The Aspire’s diesel engine is a 1.5-litre TDCi unit making 100hp and 215Nm, mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The Aspire facelift will bring in the new 1.2-litre, 96hp Dragon petrol engine which also powers the Freestyle cross-hatch.
Fuel efficiency
Speaking of fuel efficiency, Honda claims the new Amaze petrol will do 19.5km to a litre (19km for the CVT), while the diesel will return 27.4kpl, a figure that drops to 23.8kpl with the CVT.
Top of the heap is the Dzire, with the petrol returning a claimed 22kpl, and the diesel returning 28.4kpl. The figures stay the same on the AMT variants.
Ford claims the Aspire petrol (1.2) returns 18.16kpl, while the diesel does 25.83kpl. The Hyundai Xcent is more or less on the same level, with the petrol doing 20.14kpl and the diesel returning a pretty similar 25.4kpl. The Ameo petrol, being as small as it is, does 19.44kpl, and its most powerful diesel engine is also the least efficient here, returning 21.66kpl with the manual and 21.73kpl with the DSG.
Price
With prices of the new Amaze petrol ranging between Rs 5.60 lakh and Rs 7.58 lakh, and the diesel variants priced from Rs 6.60 lakh to 8.68 lakh, the difference between the Amaze and its rivals isn't all that much. The base trims are a touch more expensive than the Xcent's and the Dzire's, but are cheaper than the Aspire's and the Ameo's, while the top-end VX variant (both petrol and diesel) undercuts the Dzire ZXi+/ZDi+ by Rs 38,000. The Tigor is by far the least expensive of the lot, with prices ranging from Rs 4.84 lakh to Rs 6.31 lakh for the petrol, and Rs 5.72 lakh to Rs 7.19 lakh for the diesel.
The differences become clearer when you look at the automatic versions. The Amaze CVT is available in the S (Rs 7.4 lakh for the petrol; Rs 8.4 lakh for the diesel) and V (Rs 8 lakh for the petrol; Rs 9 lakh for the diesel) trims only. These are about Rs 47,000 more expensive than the Dzire ZXi/ZDi, and while they undercut the ZXi+/ZDi+, they're not as well-equipped. The only other diesel-automatic option is the Ameo, which offers a more sophisticated dual-clutch gearbox, but depending on the variant, is Rs 30,000 to Rs 1 lakh more expensive than the Amaze V CVT. At Rs 6.48 lakh, the Tigor AMT is once again the most affordable automatic compact sedan there is. Do bear in mind that the Amaze's prices are introductory, and are likely to go up after the first 20,000 units are sold (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi).
These are the facts. How different these cars are from each other and what they're truly capable of is what we'll find out when we get the whole bunch together, soon.
Rivan RS 
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
