2018 Honda Amaze Vs Rivals: Price Comparison

The second generation Honda Amaze has been finally launched in India, and prices for the subcompact sedan start at Rs. 5.59 lakh, going up to Rs. 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom India). The all-new Amaze is a major leap over its predecessor, which turned out to be a game-changing model for Honda Car India, and is underpinned by an all-new platform with a completely new design, features and the option of a diesel CVT as well. Honda is aiming to replicate the success of the first gen Amaze with the new model, and prices are aggressive. But, how do they stack up against rivals Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Ford Aspire and Volkswagen Ameo? We do a quick price comparison of the 2018 Honda Amaze to check its value for money quotient over the competition.

Also Read: 2018 Honda Amaze Launched In India

Also Read: Honda Might bright a fully loaded CVT variant for the Amaze

(The new Honda Amaze looks nicer, drives better and offers more)

Petrol Price Comparison

The all-new Honda Amaze petrol is priced from Rs. 5.59 lakh for the base-level E grade, going up to Rs. 7.57 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom India) for the range-topping VX grade. Much like most of the competition, the Honda subcompact sedan also draws power from a 1.2-litre petrol engine that is paired to a 5-speed manual transmission. In comparison, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire is about Rs. 4000 cheaper than the new Amaze, starting at Rs. 5.56 lakh for the LXI variant, while the range-topping ZXI+ trim is more expensive than the Amaze VX at Rs. 7.96 lakh.

The Ford Aspire petrol gets the most expensive base variant starting at Rs. 5.71 lakh for the base Ambiente trim, and tops out at Rs. 7.34 lakh for the top-spec Titanium+ trim on the petrol manual version. Keeping prices extremely competitive, the Hyundai Xcent undercuts all its rivals with a starting price of Rs. 5.46 lakh for the E trim, while the top-end SX (O) variant is priced at Rs. 7.64 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi).

(The Hyundai Xcent is the most aggressively priced subcompact sedan across most trims)

The Volkswagen Ameo recently made the switch to a 1.0-litre petrol engine from a 1.2-litre unit and is offered in four petrol variants. Prices start at Rs. 5.62 lakh for the Trendline trim, and the range-topping Highline Plus trim is priced at Rs. 7.57 lakh (ex-showroom). While the base price is more expensive than the Amaze, the top-spec variant is at par with the Honda offering.

Also Read: New Gen Honda Amaze Review

Diesel Price Comparison

The Honda Amaze diesel continues to use the 1.5-litre i-DTEC motor under the hood, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. The Amaze base diesel E trim is priced at Rs. 6.69 lakh, while the top-spec VX MT diesel is priced at Rs. 8.67 lakh. The Maruti Suzuki Dzire is cheaper here too with a 1.3-litre diesel under the hood and comes at a starting price of Rs. 6.56 lakh for the LDI variant, and goes all the way up to Rs. 8.96 lakh for the ZDI+ trim.

(The Ford Aspire is loaded with features across most trims, but is due for an upgrade)

The Ford Aspire diesel uses a 1.5-litre diesel, like the Amaze, and is priced from Rs. 6.82 lakh for the Ambiente trim, while the range-topping Titanium+ manual is more affordable than its rivals priced at Rs. 8.45 lakh. The Volkswagen Ameo diesel manual uses a 1.5-litre unit and is priced from Rs. 6.65 lakh for the Trendline trim, going up to Rs. 8.81 lakh for top-loaded Highline Plus version.

Here too, the Hyundai Xcent diesel remains the most competitive in prices but gets the smallest engine too with a 1.2-litre oil burner under the hood. The base Xcent diesel E is priced at Rs. 6.38 lakh, going all the way up to Rs. 8.57 lakh for the SX (O) trim (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi). The top spec trim is slightly more expensive than the Aspire in the segment.

(Like the Amaze, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire also comes with petrol and diesel automatic options)

Petrol Automatic Price Comparison

Given the popularity of automatics recently, the Honda Amaze is offered with an optional CVT paired with the petrol engine. With the popularity of automatics presently, the Amaze CVT competes with the Maruti Suzuki Dzire AMT and Ford Aspire AT, while the Hyundai Xcent comes with an optional 4-speed torque converter. The Volkswagen Ameo is the only offering in the segment to not get the option of a petrol automatic.

The Honda Amaze petrol automatic is available in two trims - S and V - priced at Rs. 7.39 lakh and Rs. 7.99 lakh respectively. Similarly, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire automatic uses an AMT and is offered with the VXI and ZXI trims priced at a much lower Rs. 6.91 lakh and Rs. 7.53 lakh respectively. The Dzire is the most affordable petrol automatic subcompact sedan on sale.

The Hyundai Xcent automatic is offered in a single trim priced at Rs. 7.25 lakh on the S version, while the Ford Aspire gets a DCT unit with a larger 1.5-litre petrol engine under the hood. The Aspire AT is offered in the top-spec Titanium variant priced at Rs. 8.68 lakh, and is by far, the most expensive petrol automatic in the segment.

(The Volkswagen Ameo Diesel is the most expensive automatic on sale)

Diesel Automatic Price Comparison

As the Ford Aspire and Hyundai Xcent give this a miss, the other offerings in this segment all come with a diesel automatic as optional. The Amaze diesel CVT is priced at Rs. 8.39 lakh for the S grade, and Rs. 8.99 lakh for the V grade. The Volkswagen Ameo with the DSG automatic turns out to be the most expensive starting at Rs. 9.20 lakh for the Comfortline, and Rs. 9.99 lakh for the Highline Plus variants. The most affordable diesel automatic subcompact sedan is the Maruti Suzuki Dzire AMT and is priced from Rs. 7.31 lakh for the VDI version, going up to Rs. 9.44 lakh for the range-topping ZDI+ trim.

The Honda Amaze is a big step up from its predecessor and really takes the fight to the top-selling Maruti Dzire and Hyundai Xcent. The upmarket features, distinctive design and aggressive pricing certainly make the Amaze stand out against its rivals, and so does the option of a diesel automatic. Add to that Honda's famed reliability and a standard warranty of 3 years/unlimited km, which should find a lot of takers in the months to come.