Honda Brio Amaze

The interior of the Honda Brio Amaze is pretty attractive. The layout of the dashboard and driver’s console look perfect for a start. The base variant gets a single-DIN audio system while the mid-spec has it in the 2-DIN form. However, a bulk of the features is given on the top trim where you get a display screen for navigation, along with Aux-in, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

The seats are wrapped in beige fabric upholstery but do not have the adjustable feature. There are quite a lot of storage spaces all around the cabin like five cup holders and four bottle holders among others.

The present Honda Brio Amaze has a razor-sharp styling and looks very aerodynamic from the front. It has a small grille up front with two chrome slats passing horizontally. The swept back headlamps are very finely carved. Lower down at the bumper, the fog lamps have the plain round design despite being on the rugged looking lip.

The wheel arches are quite prominent but are body coloured. There are some sharp lines and contours passing from the sides and lower skirts. At the rear, there is chrome strip passing across the width of the car, something that takes the attractiveness a notch higher.

As for the headlamps, a multi-reflector halogen unit is a standard across all the variants. However, the fog lamps are added on the top trim only. Even the turn signal lights are not given on the rearview mirrors but are integrated on the fenders. Moreover, for the base variant, the door handles and ORVMs are painted in black.

The small Honda Brio Amaze is quite amazing for the driver as well as the occupants. The suspension is apt for the busy city and for the highways at the same time. The front MacPherson Strut suspension has stabilisers while the Torsion Beams at the rear are pretty well-tuned. The power steering is light and can easily be manoeuvred in busy traffic and has a turning radius of 4.6 metres only.

Plus, that power delivery is quite unbelievable for an entry-level A-segment car. The zippiness can be felt even at lower RPMs and the torque starts being responsive right from 1,000 RPM.

The Honda Brio Amaze has a well-refined engine under the hood. It has a four-cylinder 1.3-litre i-VTEC motor which is capable of making a maximum power of 100 PS at 6,000 RPM while churning out 127 Nm of torque, which comes at 4,800 RPM. The produced power is sent down to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic gearbox.

The power delivery is very linear at all the rev range and provides a lot of feedback at the throttle. The 100 PS from the engine is good enough to help you drive at a brisk pace in the highways despite not losing its charm on the busy traffic conditions.

Speaking on the braking department, there are ventilated disc brakes up front while drums units are given at the rear. Dual SRS airbags are standard in all the trims and so are ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution. Vehicle immobiliser is also added to the standard package but the top trim has it with security alarm.

The presence of ABS makes up for the absence of disc brakes at the rear, big time. However, though seatbelt reminder comes as standard, it is given only for the driver's side.

When you look at the affordable small car segment in the Philippines market, the new Suzuki Swift seems to be the most amazing car to be had. However, the Honda Amaze, with all its features, stylish design and a powerful engine, does turn out to be a better option given the fact that it is more spacious.

Added to that, this small Honda sedan is very affordable, making it more of a winner in the segment.