Following into Maruti Suzuki’s footsteps of redesigning its sub-4m car, the DZire, like the bigger sedans, Honda too has upped the ante with the latest iteration of its Amaze. The car was launched on Wednesday at Rs 5.59 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base variant.

Full specs here

The entry-level sedan takes design cues from the Japanese carmaker’s bigger offerings like the City and to quite an extent the Accord. The car now measures 3,995mm and also has a 65mm longer wheelbase than the predecessor.

Showcased first at the 2018 Auto Expo in Noida earlier this year, the car comes with dual-tone interiors and seven-inch infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity and support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Under the hood, it offers two engine options — a 1.2-litre petrol that’s good for 87bhp and 110Nm of torque and the 1.5-litre diesel that produces 99bhp and 200Nm. The engines come mated to a 5-speed manual or a maiden CVT unit that makes its debut in this range. 

Claimed mileage figures of the new Amaze:

Petrol (manual): 19.5km/l

Petrol (automatic): 19km/l

Diesel (manual): 27.4km/l

Diesel (automatic): 23.8km/l

The Honda Amaze locks horns with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki DZire, the Hyundai Xcent, Ford Aspire and Volkswagen Ameo in this segment. Most notably, it’s the only car in this segment to offer an automatic gearbox with a diesel engine.

What do you think about the car? Let us know in the comments.