Your Uber has arrived: We drive the 2018 Honda Amaze

I’ll spare you any “Amaze-ing” play on words and just tell you why your next Uber ride, might be in the new Honda Amaze.

The Sub B compact car segment is one that has been dominated by the Polo Sedan and Toyota Etios with Honda holding 5% of the existing stake.  With the Polo sedan now out of production, Honda has its eyes set on the taking some of the available market share for itself but what makes this car so special.

It has a 7 speed CVT gearbox

Remember when we heard ** was making the first 7 speed gearbox. “Surely 6 is enough?” I thought. Fast forward to 2018 and compact sedan that costs around R200 000 now has a very good 7 speed CVT gearbox. While other cars in this segment have manual or Automated Manual Gearboxes, Amaze has a class-leading and smooth gearbox, perfect for an early morning trip into the city.

More space and legroom

The new Amaze has substantially more space than the previous version, all while staying compact and less than 4 metres long.  It has 50mm more rear legroom and 45mm more shoulder room up front. The boot is also now 20L bigger than before. Perfect of a trip to the airport!

It’s a real Honda

Although it is built in the Honda Factory in India and developed in Thailand, Hondas Amaze has an all-new chassis and is developed by Honda engineers. It’s not a rebadged anything else.  Honda engineers also assured us that the ethos of good handling, great drivability and comfort have all gone into the R&D of this car, just like with any other Honda product.

Other features

New Amaze now rolls on bigger 15-inch alloys and has audio buttons on the steering wheel as well as Bluetooth, USB and a shark fin aerial. Fuel consumption is 5.6l/100 on the Manual and 5.7l/100 on the CVT from the 66kW 110Nm engine.  Honda has said that the focus of Amaze has been on ride comfort but handling is also good.  The chassis is designed to give linear feedback and act predictably in any situation.  This doesn’t mean the car corners exceptionally fast but the driver is left well aware of where the limits are, all the while getting a comfortable drive from the revised damper and suspension settings.

As a reward for Amaze buyers, Honda is offering new Amaze with a FREE set of synthetic leather seat covers.  A great move if your car will do milage with rowdy passengers on the back seats.

Verdict

With Honda now focusing much more on the African market, the Indian built Amaze is ready to take a piece of the market left wide open by Vivo.   Expect to see more on the roads, and on your app.

PRICING, WARRANTY AND SERVICE PLAN

The new Honda Amaze recommended retail pricing is as follows:

Honda Amaze 1.2 Trend:             R179 900

Honda Amaze 1.2 Comfort:          R193 900

Honda Amaze 1.2 Comfort CVT: R208 900

The range is supported by a full five-year/200 000 km warranty, as well as a two-year/30 000 km service plan, and a three-year AA Roadside Assistance package. Scheduled services are at 15 000 km intervals.