Honda has always been renowned for its petrol engines. Case in point, the long-running 1.5-litre engine in the Honda City is something the owners swear by. And even today Honda has maintained the prominence of their four-cylinder petrol engines. What we are driving today is the 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine which has been around for quite some time now. It puts out a healthy 90bhp and 110Nm and can be had with a five-speed manual or a CVT automatic. The Amaze is a well-suited city car and it can do a fair bit of mile-munching as well. Its light control and refined powertrain make it a good car to live with. And the CVT gearbox makes the deal even sweeter. Honda has been making CVT gearbox for many years now. So they know a thing or two about how to make a good one. It’s a seamless shifting CVT and you won’t even realise it working away, giving you smooth shifts under sedate driving. In the city fuel run, it managed to return a fuel efficiency of 10.73kmpl. But out on the highway, the fuel efficiency was dramatically doubled to 20.25kmpl. The claimed ARAI figures are 18.6kmpl. But the average real-world fuel efficiency can be computed between 13-14kmpl. With a fuel tank of 35 litre, you can go more than 450 kilometres in a tankful.

The Indian market is buzzing with SUVs and the sentiment for buying a sedan is all the more diminishing. Now, with this increasing SUV-crazy consumer base, it looks highly unlikely that a new buyer will choose a compact sedan. And why not, when he or she is getting something that's more trending at a similar price. Yet, a three-box vehicle design has its advantages like a safe, spacious cabin, big boot, rewarding fuel efficiency, smooth ride, and a premium feel. This 2021 Honda Amaze is a facelift and hence remains mechanically unchanged from the one sold earlier. Still, to give you a background, its powertrains include a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 90bhp and 110Nm of torque. This mill comes mated to either a five-speed manual or a CVT. The other engine option is a 1.5-litre turbo diesel motor, which makes 99bhp of power and 200Nm when paired with a manual gearbox. It has enough travel to not crash through potholes and dampen the thud. However, sharp potholes will have to be taken with caution as the suspension noise is then audible in the cabin. Also, 170mm of ground clearance will become a concern with a full load of passengers over speed-breakers. As a part of the safety suite, dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, Isofix child seat mounts, and parking sensors are standard across the trims, with these top-spec variants getting a reverse camera as well.

Let me mention from the onset, that the Honda Amaze has been one of my most favourite long termers. Like I mentioned in the previous reports, it is spacious, extremely fuel efficient and along with that CVT transmission, it is the easiest and most convenient cars to drive. So the very steering that feels a tad heavy in the city, feels much better on the highways and while negotiating the twisty’s. No I’m not saying it’s a sportscar but the added weight in the steering does inspire more confidence. While the feedback is pretty much non-existent, the steering is quick and the Honda changes directions quickly. In fact in the monsoons when Mumbai roads are at their worst, I did manage to cut a tyre on a very bad pothole. Would this have happened on the lower variants 14-inch wheels which sport a little more rubber on the side wall? I wonder. Overall, the ride and handling is a good balance and there is nothing to complain about.