The Honda Amaze has got a mild facelift and a new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for the 1.2-liter i-VTEC petrol. An automatic option for the Amaze is not in itself something new, since the 1.2-liter petrol was earlier offered with a five-speed Torque Convertor automatic. The new automatic is available in two trim levels, S and VX for Rs 7.19 lakh and 8.19 lakh respectively. While the prices for the manual start from Rs 5.29 Lakh for E variant to Rs 7.19 Lakh for the VX. The 1.5-liter diesel is also available from Rs 6.41 Lakh for the base E variant to Rs 8.19 Lakh for the VX variant. All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi.
While the exterior gets new fog lamp surrounds and redesigned tail lamps, the interior gets a more thorough overhaul.
The dashboard has been redesigned to align it with that of the Mobilo and upcoming BR-V. The ungainly rotary knobs for the air-conditioner of the pre-facelift Amaze is gone and the new Amaze instead gets a digital readout with buttons for controlling the climate control system. The central panel also been rearranged with a new piano black finish and the AC-vents moved up freeing up the space for the entertainment system.
Instead of instrument console divided into three separated pods, the facelifted Amaze gets a redesigned instrument cluster with all the dials in the same instrument binnacle and an improved Multi Information Display (MFD).
With the CVT gearbox the 1.2-liter petrol produces 88.8 bhp against 87 bhp for the manual version and the torque figures increase to 11.2 kgm for the CVT vis-a-vis 11.1 kgm for the manual. The power figure for the 1.5-liter remains unchanged from the prefacelift version with 99 bhp and 20.4 kgm.
The most noteworthy news from the launch was the announcement by Honda that all new Honda cars will get dual SRS airbags from the financial year 2016-17, and all Honda models – old and new, will get dual SRS airbags as standard by April 2017, to confirm with the upcoming Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program. In terms of safety,the facelifted Amaze is available with dual SRS airbags, Anti-Lock Braking System and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution systems.
