Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze: Which Japanese Sedan Should You Pick?

Both these sedans offer similar space and features, but are made for two different types of buyers

In the age of SUVs where most people want to buy a big rugged car, only a few are looking towards sedans as their daily commuters. Maruti Dzire and Honda Amaze both fall under the price of Rs 12 lakh and both are similar in many ways. But, they are made for different people, and here we find out what buyer should pick which sedan.

Design

Both these sedans look premium and have recently been updated, but the Amaze’s design isn’t really new. It has taken heavy inspiration from the Honda Elevate and the Honda City, which can be seen in its massive grille, City-inspired taillamps, and Elevate-like alloy wheels. Even from the profile, it looks a lot like its last-gen version.

Regardless, it looks good, and feels premium. Honda has done a nice job with the subtle inclusion of chrome on the grille, door handles, and alloys. This does look like a premium sedan, and not an affordable model. But, one thing about the design that’s unappealing is the gap between the wheels and the wheel arches. Better designed wheel arches, or larger wheels would have looked better.

The Dzire, on the other hand, looks fresh. Its design is brand new and not inspired from any other Maruti model. In its current generation, it does not look like an extended version of the Swift, which has given it its own identity.

Its design is sleek, with horizontal elements on the face that highlight its width. It gets dual-tone alloys, which are the same size as the Amaze (15-inch), but due to the shape of the wheel arches, they do not look small. However, the tyres are pretty thin, which does not look very appealing.

Even at the back, the Y-shaped tail lamps look neat and shows that a lot of thought has gone into this new design. Out of the two, the Dzire looks more premium due to its brand new design, and would be appealing to a lot of buyers.

But, before you even enter the car, the first thing you see is the key. This is where the Amaze is better. It gets a black key with chrome and glossy elements. The key feels heavy and sturdy. For controls, you get lock, unlock, and a dedicated button for opening the boot. If you pick the automatic variant, you’ll get an additional button for remotely starting the car.

It also gets keyless entry. You can either unlock the Amaze from the request sensor on the driver door, or you can just hold the handle to unlock it as it also gets a proximity sensor.

Dzire’s key, compared to Amaze’s, looks old and feels cheap. It is a small black key with glossy finish on one side, and it's the same as the keys you get with other Maruti models. You get lock and unlock buttons along with a dedicated button to open the boot. 

It also comes with a keyless entry function where you get a request sensor on the driver door. The Dzire does not come with a proximity sensor.

Boot Space

Both cars have enough space in the boot to keep your luggage. The Amaze comes with a boot space of 416-litres where you can keep an entire suitcase set (small, medium and large) along with one or two soft bags. 

Dzire has a slightly smaller boot space of 382-litres and you can keep the same set of suitcase here. But it only has space for one soft bag. Both cars also have a low boot lip, which allows you to load or unload your luggage with ease.

But, the Dzire’s boot has an issue. While there is a button on the boot to unlock it, it only works if the key is in close proximity. If the car is unlocked, but you don’t have the key, the boot won’t open, and you’ll have to unlock it from inside the car.

Cabin

While the Dzire is more premium from the outside, the Amaze takes the lead inside. It gets a fairly simple looking cabin with a dual-tone black and beige theme, with a slim chrome strip and patterned finish on the dashboard.

The real highlight here, though, is the quality. The plastics do not feel scratchy, buttons and AC vents have weight to them, door pads get soft touch padding, and there are no panel gaps or uneven fit and finish. Honda has managed to put its premiumness in a small budget car with no compromises. Even the doors feel heavy when you open/close them.

The Dzire, on the other hand, has a more modern looking dashboard, thanks to its wooden-like plastic trim on the dashboard. It gets a similar dual tone black and beige theme, and subtle chrome elements on the dashboard and steering wheel.

But when it comes to material quality and fit and finish, it's just average. There is nothing wrong in the execution, but it is just not as good as the Amaze. The buttons are clicky, plastics are soft, and you get soft touch padding here as well. But the choice of materials and the execution is better in the Amaze.

Features & Safety

In the feature department, the Amaze feels a step behind. It gets an 8-inch touchscreen which has an outdated user interface. It is easy to understand, but doesn’t go in line with the modernity of the car.

This screen supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, both of which work well for the most part. But there will be times when you’ll encounter lag and your inputs will take some time to be registered. As for the sound system, it gets 6 speakers, with a good audio quality, and there are multiple equalizer presets for your convenience.

It also gets a wireless phone charger which doesn't overheat the phone, and has an ON/OFF switch. So if you’re not charging your phone, you can switch it off, and use the charging pad as a tray. There is a semi-digital driver’s display as well, which doesn’t have different themes, but you can choose what information you want on the screen.

Other features include automatic climate control with rear AC vents, height adjustable driver seat, electrically adjustable ORVMs, and cruise control. 

Amaze is the most affordable car in India equipped with ADAS. It gets level 1 ADAS which offers features like adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane follow assist, and high beam assist. In our use, adaptive cruise control worked well and so did lane follow assist, but it needs clear lane markings to function properly.

Now, this is a camera based ADAS setup, not radar. So it will not function properly in low light conditions as well as in harsh light. Keep in mind that these features are only present to assist you, and you should not be completely dependent on them.

Apart from this ADAS setup, it also gets 6 airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), hill start assist, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and a rear view camera. Amaze also features a lane watch camera, which puts the feed of the left side blind spot on the touchscreen once you indicate. This feature is useful while changing lanes, but it only works when you’re changing lanes towards the left.

The feature package of the Amaze doesn't seem exceptional, especially considering its 1 lakh price premium over the Dzire, but that premium is seen in its safety kit.

As for the Dzire, its feature package is everything you can get in this budget. It comes with a 9-inch touchscreen, which also has an outdated user interface, but it has big icons which are easier to use. This screen also supports wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, which works seamlessly and without any lag.

Dzire also comes with a wireless phone charger, which charges your phone at an adequate speed. But, it does overheat the phone too often and you have to take your phone off the pad. One major feature it gets over the Amaze is a sunroof. It is just a single pane unit, but it is a popular feature and brings more light into the cabin, making it look airier.

Other features are similar to the Amaze like automatic climate control with rear AC vents, cruise control, height adjustable driver seat, and electrically adjustable ORMVs with auto fold.

In terms of safety, it gets 6 airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), hill start assist, ISOFIX child seat anchors, rear parking sensors, and a rear view camera with dynamic guidelines.

Dzire also comes with a 360-degree camera, which is very useful in tight spaces. The camera feed is crisp and shows no lag. But, you cannot manually move the 3D view and despite having cameras placed under the ORVM, it does not get a blind view monitor linked with indicators. To get that view, you have to put the car in reverse, and manually select the views of the ORVM mounted cameras from the screen. 

Now, Dzire does not get any ADAS features, but it does have a 5-star crash test safety rating from Global NCAP, which the Amaze does not have. 

Practicality & Charging Options

Both these sedans get similar storage options. Both get 1-litre bottle holders in all four doors, 2 cupholders in the front, two cupholders in the rear centre armrest, a decent sized glovebox, and seatback pockets behind the front passenger seat.

The Dzire gets a slot above the rear AC vents where you can keep your phone, and the Amaze gets a larger storage behind the hand brake.

In terms of charging options, apart from the wireless phone charger, the Amaze gets a 12V socket and two USB ports in the front, and one 12V socket at the back.

The Dzire gets a 12V socket and the USB port in the front, and a USB port along with Type-C port for the rear seat passengers.

Rear Seat Experience

The rear seat experience of both sedans is similar. Both offer seating for ideally just 2 passengers, and 3 won’t be comfortable in the back. The Amaze does offer a dedicated headrest for the middle passenger, but it’s better to use these sedans as 4 seaters.

Coming to the Amaze first, there is decent amount of legroom and knee room, and the underthigh support is adequate for passengers of average height. The headroom, on the other hand, is less than adequate. Passengers over 5 '8 will feel a little cramped here, and their head might also touch the roof.

Another issue with this rear seat is the centre armrest, which is too low. The position of this armrest is not parallel to the door armrest and it's not even at the same height either. This means one of your hands will always be lower, and it will get annoying during long drives. 

As for visibility, the cabin’s light theme combined with big windows which bring in a lot of light makes the cabin feel airy, and you don’t have any issues regarding visibility.

Dzire’s rear seat space is similar to the Amaze, but here you get slightly more headroom. The sunroof lets in more light into the cabin so you don’t feel cramped as well and get good visibility. Also, the centre armrest is at the correct angle, and you can sit comfortably.

Engine & Performance

The Amaze comes with a 4-cylinder petrol engine, the performance of which is nothing out of the ordinary. But, it is refined, has low vibrations, and packs enough power to satisfy your city and highway needs.

In the city, you have enough power for quick overtakes, and you can easily cruise in 2nd or 3rd gear. It also performs well in bumper to bumper traffic, and you don’t have to worry about the car stalling. As for fuel efficiency, you can get a mileage of around 12-13 kmpl in the city, and around 16-17 kmpl on the highway.

But on the highways, you’ll enjoy your drives, given that you’re driving alone. It won’t take you much time to get to triple digits, and you won’t feel any lack of power. Overtakes will be effortless, and you won’t think that the drive is dull in any way.

However, once the car is loaded, acceleration will take time, and so will overtakes. Also, it will struggle on inclines, so if you’re travelling on the ghats with your family, you’ll need to be on a lower gear to climb.

We drove the manual variant, but with the Amaze you also get the option of a CVT (continuously variable transmission) automatic. This will give you a smooth drive experience, and is good for those who drive in the city a lot.

The Dzire also gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine, but it is a 3-cylinder unit. This engine is less refined and you’ll feel vibrations in the footwell, on the steering wheel, and on the gear lever while driving.

This engine has been tuned for better city drives, and you feel that as soon as you start driving. There is more than enough power for your city commutes. The acceleration is quick, the engine sounds very good, and you can easily drive in the city in 2nd gear without having the need to change gears. It also offers a fuel efficiency of around 15-16 kmpl in the city.

But as soon as you get on the highway, you realize that performance is acceptable at best. The acceleration is slow, especially if you’re going from 80 to 100 kmph. It feels like you have to push the car too much for too little result. This causes slow overtakes which you have to plan in advance, and with more load, the drive becomes even more dull.

However, the silver lining is great fuel efficiency. In normal driving conditions, you can get a mileage of 18-20 kmpl, and if you’re cruising at 80 or 90 kmph, the fuel efficiency can go over 21 kmpl.

With the Dzire, you do not get a conventional automatic. Instead, you get an AMT (automated manual transmission), which is not as good as a CVT or any other automatic transmission. But still, it changes gears smoothly with little jerk, and knows how to be in the right gear at the right time. Nonetheless, if you want a more convenient drive experience, Amaze’s CVT is still the better choice.

Ride Comfort

This is where the Amaze is little behind the Dzire. When driving in the city, its suspension absorbs most of the potholes and speedbreakers, but there is an evident side to side movement which can’t be ignored. This is more apparent for the rear seat passenger, and takes away some of the comfort. 

On the highways, at high speeds, the side to side movement is restricted, but it is a little jumpy on undulations and uneven patches. This results in vertical movement of passengers in the cabin, which becomes an annoyance during long journeys.

The Dzire is more comfortable, and ride comfort is one of its advantages. In the city, at slow speeds, the speedbreakers and potholes are absorbed well, and a lot of movement is not transferred into the cabin. The side to side movement is also comparatively lower.

Even on the highway, it remains stable, and while it is also a little jumpy over undulations, it is still better than Amaze. While both cars offer you a comfortable ride quality in most cases, it is the Dzire which has a lead in the ride comfort department.

Verdict

As said earlier, both these cars are similar, which is evident by their interior space, cabin practicality, and feature packages. But, both are made for different types of buyers. So let us make it simple.

If you want a sedan which has a refined engine, great interior quality, a convenient and worry free automatic experience, and the safety of ADAS, then you should pick the Honda Amaze.

But, if your requirements are inclined more towards a better fuel efficiency, more feel good features, a more comfortable ride quality, and you want better value for your money, the Maruti Dzire should be your pick.