Honda Amaze review

Honda's much-awaited Brio-based Amaze could be a game changer for Honda in India. That’s the feeling we got when we drove the car at the Honda-owned Motegi race track in Japan. To give you a brief, the Amaze is a sub-four-metre saloon, much like the Maruti Swift Dzire, which Honda used as a benchmark extensively when engineering this car. However, where the Dzire has divided opinion for its truncated tail, the Amaze has a far more traditional three-box look. In fact, the integration of the boot onto the hatchback body is fairly cohesive. There’s a strong link to the City in the Amaze’s wraparound tail-lamps,which also serve as the end point for the sharply rising belt line. The boot lid itself doesn’t look all that special but it does open to reveal a useable luggage bay. Honda hasn’t disclosed boot volume yet but what’s clear is that the Amaze has trumped the Dzire in this area.

At 3990mm, the Amaze is significantly longer than the Brio, and 60mm of the length extension is over the wheelbase. This, along with the different roof line, has warranted the need for larger rear doors. Further forward, it’s only the restyled front bumper and an additional chrome slat on the front grille that differentiate the Amaze from the Brio.  
The big shock is once you step inside. The cabin is far more spacious than you’d expect and kneeroom is really impressive too. Sure, it’s not as spacious as the larger full-size saloons like the Toyota Etios or Tata Manza but it’s certainly a lot more spacious than the Dzire. Seat comfort is really good too, helped by a large centre armrest, though some may find the seat back a tad too reclined. A low centre tunnel helps middle passenger comfort but the cabin’s limited width means sitting three abreast in the back will still be quite a squeeze.
Up front, the cabin looks familiar. The dashboard is identical to the Brio, so you get a slightly Spartan centre console and plastics that, while well put together, don’t look rich. Even the comfy front seats are carried over from the hatch, so just like the Brio, the driver’s perch does not get height adjustment. You can expect the top-end Amaze to feature an audio player with USB, steering-mounted audio controls and a rear defogger, which are not available on the Brio. In-cabin storage spaces include a total of four cup holders. You get bottle holders on each of the four doors though the exposed metal near them is a sign of cost-cutting by Honda.

Space and comfort aside, what's also important is the engine under the bonnet of this car. It will be Honda's first diesel engine in India, and though Honda hasn't revealed the 1.5-litre i-DTEC motor's power or fuel-efficiency figures, expect around 90bhp and an official ARAI-tested figure in the region of 25-26kpl. The engine is a scaled-down version of the 1.6-litre diesel that Honda sells in Europe, so this four-cylinder unit has a twin-cam, 16-valve head. On the Amaze, this engine will come with a fixed geometry turbocharger.
Driving it around the Motegi test track in Japan, the motor impresses with its refinement. Even better, though, is its responsiveness. It pulls well from as low as 1200rpm, and there's a gentle surge at 1500rpm when the turbo comes on song. Honda has tuned the engine to deliver the bulk of its power under 3000rpm, which is where the engine will reside in typical city driving scenarios anyway. Also cementing its city-friendliness are the gearshift and clutch action, both of which are smooth and light. However, hold onto a gear longer than necessary and you will find power fall sharply post 3800rpm on its way up to the 4500rpm limit. What’s clear is that this is not a free-revving motor like what we’re accustomed to from Honda. It’s also in the upper reaches of the rev band that you’ll find the engine sound increasingly thrashy, though refinement at lower engine speeds is impressive.
While driving, we also find the steering has more weight than the Brio's and this is a good thing. The heavier diesel engine at the front has required Honda to stiffen the front springs though the rest of the suspension is the same as the Brio’s – front MacPherson struts and a rear torsion bar. Even the wheel size at 175/65 R14 tyres are the same. However, given the smooth surface on which we drove, it was impossible to say how the Amaze will take to India’s potholed roads.
The Amaze is no doubt an impressive car. It’s got a spacious enough cabin and a refined diesel engine that promises to be fuel efficient too. It will also be sold with the Brio’s peppy 1.2-litre, 88bhp petrol engine. If Honda can price the Amaze at par with the Dzire it has the potential to shake up the Indian saloon car market. Honda's truly back in the race and how!

Model	Honda Amaze	Maruti Dzire	Mahindra Verito	Tata Manza	Toyota Etios
LxWxH	3990x1680x 1500mm	3995x1695x 1555mm	4247x1740x 1540mm	4413x1703x 1550mm	4265x1695x 1510mm
Wheelbase	2405mm	2430mm	2630mm	2520mm	2550mm
Engine	1.2 petrol/ 1.5 diesel	1.2 petrol/ 1.3 diesel	1.4 petrol/ 1.5 diesel	1.4 petrol/ 1.3 diesel	1.5 petrol/ 1.4 diesel
Power	88bhp/ 90bhp*	86bhp/ 74bhp	75bhp/ 65bhp	89bhp/ 89bhp	90bhp/ 68bhp
Torque	11.1kgm/ 21kgm*	11.6kgm/ 19.3kgm	11.2kgm/ 16.3kgm	11.8kgm/ 20.4kgm	13.4kgm/ 17.3kgm

Kia Sorento KX-2

Well, this is unusual: a mid-life facelift, barely three years into a car’s life, which leaves the bodywork mostly alone but completely reconfigures the mechanicals. The 2013 Kia Sorento has a new platform and sits 10mm lower than its immediate predecessor, from which it looks only mildly changed, around the nose and tailgate. The front and rear suspension are all new and the body is 18 per cent torsionally stiffer than last month’s Sorento. Yet Kia says the life cycle of the car is unchanged, not extended, as a result.
I’ll admit that it’s a new one on me, but there’s sense to this move, says Kia. It brings the mechanicals into line with those that underpin the Hyundai Santa Fe to take advantage of economies of scale. Also, by dropping the two-wheel-drive and five-seat variants (which hardly anybody bought), by usefully upgrading the Sorento’s interior materials and by upping the price, Kia has again put clear air between the Sorento and its smaller Sportage sibling – a car that has been doing rather well and, one suspects, had been nibbling at the lower end of the Sorento range.

What is it like?

It's slightly bigger inside, although you wouldn’t notice unless you stepped from the old version to the new. The reconfigured suspension has allowed more space for the (now standard) in-boot third-row seats. The Sorento is as roomy as a 4.7m-long SUV ought to be, with a respectably if unexcitingly finished interior for about £30,000, the price point around which the simplified range sits.
It drives well enough, too. There’s no particular sparkle here, but none should be expected. The ride is mostly acceptable, if a touch brittle over poor surfaces, and noise levels are low (the drag coefficient has improved to 0.34 from 0.38). The 194bhp 2.2-litre diesel is muted once warm, although it pulls with no more vigour than you’d expect. There’s now electric rather than hydraulic assistance for the power steering, leaving it light and accurate, while the other control weights operate with well measured consistency.
They make driving the Sorento a choreless experience, relaxing and easy, which suits dynamics that allow significant roll in corners. A sporting 4x4 this isn’t, but that’s quite right, too.

Should I buy one?

Piloting it is as painless as you’d hope and its seven-year warranty leaves the ownership experience, which is just as the majority of Sorento buyers, most of whom are private purchasers, would want things.
Kia Sorento KX-2 Sat Nav
Price £29,995; Top speed 118mph; 0-62mph 9.4sec; Economy 47.9mpg (combined); CO2 155g/km; Kerb weight 1999kg; Engine 4 cyls, 2199cc, turbodiesel; Power 194bhp at 3800rpm; Torque 311lb ft at 1800-2500rpm; Gearbox 6-spd manual

Detroit motor show: 2013 Lexus IS

These are the first official pictures of the new Lexus IS , which will be unveiled at the Detroit motor show.

The new car, which goes on sale later this year, has remained true to the Lexus LF-CC concept car seen at the Paris motor show.

The IS is longer and wider than the outgoing car, with a longer wheelbase, and delivers what is claimed as best in class knee room for rear passengers. The sharp exterior styling retains the concept’s full height grille and large air intakes. IS F Sport models get their own front bumper and grill designs.

The cabin, too, is very similar to the concept’s with its high centre console that splits the cabin, analogue clock and off-set gearshifter. The switches on the centre console are touch sensitive.

In the UK, the IS will be offered with two drivetrains, both using a 2.5-litre petrol V6. The standard car will be badged IS250, while the hybrid IS300h should be capable of emitting under 100g/km of CO2. The diesel will be dropped in favour of the hybrid.

Original : Autocar.co.uk