New Honda Amaze vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire: Subcompact Sedan Battle Continues

In a market that is full of all sorts of SUVs, the Honda Amaze and Maruti Suzuki Dzire are holding fort when it comes to sedans. With their recently launched new generation models, both these cars are better than what they were earlier with refreshed designs, more tech and features and some key changes to the heart. Both have been on sale in the market for a long time and have seen their ups and downs during their journey. Now with renewed vigour, they’re out to take on each other and also challenge a tough market scenario.

New Honda Amaze vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire: Design and Styling

Amaze shares its grille with the larger Elevate SUV.

We got both the test cars in shades of red, but clearly the Radiant Red on the Amaze looks better and brighter when compared the Gallant Red on the Dzire. In terms of design both cars are far apart. The Amaze feels like a part of the Honda family as its face reminds one of other cars from the brand. On the Dzire, the face is almost exclusive, one that hasn’t been seen before on any other car from the brand. Both the sedans are equally long but importantly the wheelbase on the Amaze is longer while Dzire is wider as well as taller. When it comes ground clearance, with 172 millimetres the Amaze has a 9 mm lead on the Dzire and that could be really crucial in a segment where every millimetre matters.

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Dzire misses out on chrome door handles but gets chrome on the boot.

15-inch alloy size is the same on both the cars but I feel Honda missed an opportunity to give you wheels that look slightly different from its other cars to lend the sedan a more distinct identity. Chrome is important for the Indian consumer and Honda is the only one which gives it you on the door handles between these two cars, but even the Dzire gets its fair share on the window line which is missing on the Amaze.

Honda has a more polished rear look with split tail lamps.

Split tail lamps on the Amaze resemble the Honda City which makes it look more premium and even the silhouette looks more complete looking at a subcompact sedan. On, the Dzire tail lamps are not split but they are quite sporty and that also is something that you may like. Overall too, the Dzire is sportier looking of the two though the Amaze surely looks more premium.

New Honda Amaze vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire: Interior and Tech

Dzire cabin  is more feature-loaded of the two sedans. 

Lets step into the cabins and we begin with the Dzire. You can clearly see that this is a big improvement when compared to the earlier version of the car. It is ergonomic as you get many storage options and what you'll like is the amalgamation of a lot of textures, colours and materials on the dashboard which looks quite busy. The seats of course are beige on both the cars which is something that you get in this segment but overall in terms of features the Dzire has gone ahead of the Amaze with this new generation.

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New-gen Dzire gets a sunroof not seen on the car earlier.

What you get here is a slightly bigger touchscreen system that gets more features and connectivity options and definitely more premium of the two. Dzire is the only car here which gives you a sunroof as well. This wasn't the case on the sedan earlier but now you get it. It is still missing on the Amaze and Honda could have probably thought about providing it in the new generation.

Honda cabin feels premium but misses out on some features.

The Amaze gets a new design on the dash with a new freestanding 8-inch touchscreen which along with the 7-inch cluster is standard across variants. Just like the Dzire, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity is present here as well, though there’s still scope for improvement in the overall quality of the infotainment system. Honda by offering a 5-year free subscription for Honda Connect connectivity suite has taken a bold step. In terms of ergonomics too the front row feels a tad better than the Dzire.

Second row on the Amaze feels roomier when  compared to Dzire.

The longer wheelbase clearly helps on the Amaze specially on the second row. The knee room and the headroom are better when compared to the Dzire and under thigh support is good too owing to the big seat. The sedan now gets rear AC vents but the access to A or C type charging ports is not offered on second row, something which you get on the Dzire. Headrests are provided for all 3 passengers but these are fixed while in the Dzire two adjustable headrests are given. Overall while the Dzire gets more features in the cabin it is the Amaze that feels more airy.

Also read: Maruti Alto K10 Now Gets Six Airbags As Standard; Prices Start From Rs 4.23 Lakh

Amaze has a larger capacity boot of the two cars.

The Amaze also takes a lead when it comes to boot space on both these subcompact sedans. Though it has reduced slightly from before it still stands at a very impressive 416 litres. In comparison the Dzire gets 382 litres and with its exposed wires it doesn’t feel very premium. Honda has done a much better job here by hiding all wires giving the boot a more finished look.

New Honda Amaze vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire: Performance and Dynamics

Dzire gets Petrol & CNG variants while Amaze has only Petrol. 

The Amaze and Dzire both come with just Petrol engine options and there’s no Diesel on either. However the Dzire also gets CNG variants, something missing on the Amaze for now. While Amaze gets the same mill as earlier the Dzire has an all-new heart also seen on the new-gen Swift. The new 1.2 L Z-series mill makes 80 bhp & 111 Nm and we began our drive with the Dzire as this one is a big departure from what it was earlier.

A new heart is one of the biggest highlights of this latest gen Dzire.

It's not a four cylinder any more,  but a three cylinder motor and clearly the idea is to give you better fuel efficiency than earlier on this subcompact sedan. So the claimed numbers are around 25 kmpl both for Manual as well as Automatic which is really impressive looking at the segment. Of course in the real world, it will not be so close to that and could hover around 20 kmpl, but that also is not bad at all.

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Claimed fuel efficiency on the Dzire crosses 25 kmpl.

The engine performs quite nicely both in the low range as well as mid range. And you don't really feel or realize that you're driving a three cylinder engine, that is the kind of advancement the brand has done with this new drivetrain. But yes, when you press a throttle hard and go into higher RPMs, the vibrations do come into play. That is when you feel the absence of a fourth cylinder. That somewhat affects the NVH levels also because at higher speeds, there's a little more noise of the outside elements that comes inside the cabin that might bother you.

Manual gearbox on Dzire is light and easy to use.

The new Dzire comes across as a very easy car to drive. For starters, the steering wheel is light, so changing lanes is easy and that helps in the city traffic. The gearshift also is slick and quick which you like as a user on an everyday basis. And while this one is a a manual, I've also driven the AMT earlier on the Dzire or AGS, as Maruti likes to call it. Its quite evident that with every new car, this tech from the company is getting better and quicker with increased response times. So the lag associated with AMTs of course is there, but that gap between the AMT and CVT or other automatic technologies is reducing on newer cars from the brand.

Also read: New Maruti Suzuki Dzire Earns Five-Star Rating In Global NCAP Crash Tests
 

Suspension is tuned aptly to take on varied road conditions.

The ride is quite good on the new Dzire which was the case earlier as well. But I could sense a slight improvement here. It's not stiff at all and It's something you like. Driving it for a couple of days, you do realize that the car is suited to take on almost all kinds of surfaces. So it's nice on the tarmac, but even when the road turns bad, the car is quite capable of not letting you feel a lot of those undulations. It handles quite nicely too, even at high speeds, you can change lanes with confidence or take those quick turns. Partly owing to the body style and also due the structure of the car there’s enough confidence while driving.

The new-gen Dzire boasts of a 5-star crash test rating. 

Six airbags are standard and that is something worth appreciating, but there's something even more important and significant that has happened with the Dzire. It has become the first ever offering from the brand to get a five star crash test rating. So if you were planning to buy a Maruti Suzuki all this while and safety concerns were holding you back, well, things like six airbags, a 360 view camera on the top trim and a five star crash test rating is surely something that can change your mind.

Amaze continues to run on the same 1.2 L engine as earlier.

There’s no crash test done on the Honda Amaze so for by Bharat NCAP and hopefully that will happen soon. A lot has changed in this new generation, but what hasn't is its drivetrain. So it is the same 1.2 litre, four cylinder IV-Tech petrol engine that's done its duty on many cars from the brand. What you get here is more power (89 bhp) when compared to the Dzire, but torque (110 Nm) is a bit lesser. 

Tried and tested Honda motor does its duty on the Amaze.

Clearly in terms of  refinement and NVH levels, you can see the difference between three and four cylinders. The Amaze generally gets better insulation and you can sense that when driving the car, even at high speeds. Yes, fuel efficiency is not as high as you get on the Dzire. So roughly around five to six kmpl less in both the manual and automatic versions is what you can expect. But that is something you can live with because still it is quite decent looking at the segment and your requirements.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki Commences Production At New Kharkhoda Plant

A refined mill and silent cabin are highlights of Amaze while on the move.

There's superior gearbox tech too, which also helps and CVTs with Honda cars has historically been a great combination. They've always had a positive impression in the market and that is the case with the Amaze as well. Yes, CVT like AMT is not made for the enthusiast, but there's a more important purpose that its solves which is making your city commutes more comfortable, easier and stress-free every day of the week.

CVT does its job well and there are paddle shifts too.

When driven right after the Dzire AMT, you do realize how CVT on Amaze is a slightly more potent tech both in terms of convenience as well as responsiveness. In case you want more control there are paddle shifts too that makes the drive slightly more spirited. For use in the city though, the steering wheel could have been a little lighter, it's slightly heavy on your arms, which is something you may not like if you spend a long time driving the car.

Amaze gives a supple ride, takes on the bad roads with ease.

Now there's very little that separates both the Dzire and the Amaze when it comes to ride quality as well as handling. If the ride quality and the Dzire is comfortable, so is the case on the Amaze. There's little to complain about when it comes to taking on even the bad patches of the road. Handling too is quite good looking at the body style of the Amaze. It's always been good and continues to be case with this new generation as well.

Sedan also gets camera-based ADAS features. 

Amaze is also the first car in the segment to get ADAS functions - as many as six of them. That is a welcome addition because the more time you spend with it, you realize just how important this addition has been to the car. Apart from lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise control, lane watch camera is a useful feature here. Six airbags are standard here too, just like the Dzire. So the five star crash test rating of the Dzire evens out nicely when you look at the ADAS functions in the Amaze.

New Honda Amaze vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire: Prices

DZire starts at a much lower price point in comparison to Amaze. 

Let’s take a look at the prices of both the sedans. The Dzire starts at a much lower Rs. 6.83 lakh and goes up to 10.19 lakh for the top AGS ZXi+. The Amaze on the other hand starts higher at Rs. 8.09 lakh and goes to Rs. 11.20 lakh, all prices ex-showroom. But remember Amaze base variant is more loaded than Dzire and top gets a CVT.

New Honda Amaze vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire: Verdict

Dzire scores over the Amaze in some key areas including in-cabin features & fuel efficiency

So finally, which one of these two cars should you invest in? Let’s put things in perspective. First, is the way both of them are designed. Personally, I like the overall silhouette and elements of the Amaze. It just feels more sedan like in comparison to the stouter and sportier look of the Dzire.

Amaze cabin feels more premium when it comes to design & ergonomics. 

And then to the features inside the cabin. The Dzire scores better here with exclusive tangible features like a sunroof as well as a 360-view camera associated with more expensive cars. However, I have to say, ergonomically and in practical terms, the Amaze cabin feels spacious, especially on the second row with more room for the occupants. The Amaze also races ahead with its refinement as well as handling but Dzire has a much higher fuel efficiency which also is key for many buyers. So far they seem evenly paired.

Dzire is the more value for money option of the two cars. 

Lastly, a really critical issue in this segment has to be the prices. With more than one lakh rupee difference between the top variants of these cars, the Dzire comes across as a more value for money option. It gives you more for less, which is something that really matters. The Amaze seems technologically superior but the Dzire makes up for it by emerging as a more practical and better value for money proposition. Between the two, I think that keeps it ahead even if by just a whisker.