Honda Amaze - Test Driven for a Whole Day

I hadn’t given the Honda Amaze much thought just yet. We don’t see as many of them on the road as the Swift Desire or the Verito. Maybe because the Amaze was launched just this year. Honda had finally added a diesel horse to its Indian stable and that created quite a buzz. But as I said, I hadn’t formulated an opinion about it. That was until I drove one.

Honda invited a few of us auto enthusiasts and Twitter addicts to drive their Brio and Amaze from Navi Mumbai to Aamby Valley City, Lonavla, and back. You don’t get such opportunities often and so sane people don’t decline. Well, I’d like to think I’m sane.

Honda Amaze VX

I had never driven the car nor had I been inside Aamby Valley. This event would let me do both. I got to drive the highest variant of the Amaze – the VX (petrol) both ways. The 1^st thing that struck me on getting in was the air conditioning. It was so powerful that I leaked more water than I drank during the day. In fact, as evening settled in, my friend sitting at the back asked us to turn the A/c off. And mind you he’s the guy who complains why rickshaws don’t have air conditioning. That speaks volumes for Amaze’s in-car cooling. It’s especially useful in India where the summer is boiling hot and winter is just a word. As you start driving, you notice how nimble the car is. As one who drives compact hatchbacks (Santro, Polo and Swift), I thought I would have to be careful lugging a car with a boot around. But you don’t feel the weight of the boot or the extended wheelbase at all. It didn’t strike me until the end of the day that I had been driving a sedan effortlessly. The bootspace and rear leg room in the Amaze borders on levels of 'obscene'. The tallest and widest of people can sit comfortably. And you can load 2-3 dead bodies in the boot and still have space for luggage. Of course, smoothness doesn’t need a mention. That’s expected from Honda; Honda and refinement are synonymous.

Amaze-ing bootspace! Don't you agree?

As we hit the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the 1.2 litre powered Honda finally got to stretch her legs. There we got to experience how planted the car is. It isn’t often that you average 130 kmph in an entry level sedan packed with 5 people and camera equipment. The expressway has a many fast sweeping bends, which the Amaze lapped up with Amaze-ing stability. I didn’t have to lift my foot off the gas. Plus the car did a top whack of 145. Bet she would’ve gone faster if the load was lesser.

Once we reached Lonavla, I got my wish. The camera crew got off. No more camera, no more restrictions... just the Amaze, my friend and me. I’ve always loved the road from Bushi dam to Aamby Valley because it’s filled with twists, turns and slopes. You get to test the limits of a car/bike (or yourself). And the Amaze didn’t disappoint in handling. The front end entered every corner with confidence and the car went exactly where she was directed. The ABS offered one of the best feels while braking, allowing me to complete turns shuffling between the brake and throttle. We also took the car off-road a little, and she was fine there too. The McPherson struts and Torsion beams hauled the 965 kg vehicle decently over stones and gravel. The height adjustment option of the driver’s seat was a blessing at this time, giving me more visibility of the road (or gravel). Priced between 6-8 lakhs on road Mumbai, this is the perfect entry level sedan. It has everything a family can want.

The only drawback of the vehicle is the sluggishness while accelerating. The car takes a few moments to gain momentum, as if the engine has a turbocharger with some lag. Lifting off from the 2^nd gear is difficult; you have to use the 1^st gear if you’re standing still. The people at Honda say this is a rev happy vehicle, and she did sound throaty at high revs in lower gears. But you wouldn’t want to push the car to 6k revs in the 2^nd gear. Plus, like the Honda Civic (which, sadly, Honda doesn’t plan on bringing back soon), the gear lever feels woody. Not like the Hyundais or the VWs. But I guess that’s trademark Honda by now.

We had a great time at Aamby Valley. The city is a township in itself. Beautiful roads, plantations, houses similar to those in Bali and auditoriums... but that’s a different point altogether. We were given a presentation on some ‘Wow’ aspects of the Brio and the Amaze. It’s amazing to know that while the Brio is more spacious than the Maruti Alto, it has a shorter wheelbase. The management of Honda were patient in answering all our questions. Lunch was great too, contrary to mediocre food dished out at most events. And then there were the events. The slalom course challenge in the Brio and Filled Tumbler challenge in the Amaze. Glad to say that yours truly won the Filled Tumbler challenge, spilling a mere 100 ml of water while driving through the cones. The event was perfect. Hats off to Anmol, Songita, Diwakar, Subesh and Shweta from Bloggers’ Mind and to others for organizing an awesome event. The challenges were designed around the strengths of the cars. It was an event focussed on showcasing the abilities of the car instead of just creating hype. It was great to meet and interact with Shivani san, Shakeel san, Siddharth san, Sen san, Aneesh san and others from Honda. They were warm, approachable and hospitable. As the saying goes “You meet the nicest people in (a) Honda.”

Rossi Back To Yamaha!

Yes, Valentino Rossi is back at Yamaha! Most MOTOGP fans are delighted; some (including yours truly) are groaning, others are confused... All the hype of Ducati and Vale being a match made in heaven, expectations on Rossi to turn Ducati’s fortunes around and world championships have fizzled. Rossi is back to the only mainstream team which will listen to him.

Rossi has now been with Ducati since 2 seasons, right? The Doctor hasn’t won a single race, while Stoner won 23 in his stint at Ducati. Meanwhile, Stoner has won a world championship on Honda, Lorenzo looks set to win it this year, while Italians are baying for Rossi’s blood. They feel cheated. Ducati spent a fortune to lure Rossi; they even backed out of World Superbike Championship. Italians were sure Rossi would lead this all Italian partnership to a comprehensive win. Stoner had done it... Rossi is considered far better than him, isn’t he?

What went wrong? For one, everyone (including Rossi himself) expected Lé Doctor to turn the team’s fortunes around. He was awesome on the Honda. Yamaha’s success was attributed mainly to him and Jeremy Burgess (JB). But Yamaha listened to Rossi; Ducati & Honda didn’t. Even before Rossi had moved to Yamaha, Ducati were courting him. But, JB warned, they didn’t seem keen to listen to him. That year, while the world watched Loris Capirossi struggle onboard the Duke, JB’s eyes told Rossi “I told you!” Ducati have always expected the rider to adapt; Capirossi did it, and so did Stoner. That’s why they were so successful. Rossi, Melandri, Hayden, Elias and others, however, wanted a bike custom made to their needs. That’s why, while Stoner would lead the pack, Melandri would languish somewhere in 18^th place. Rossi expected to change that culture, took JB with him and the move backfired.

Lorenzo v/s Rossi at Yamaha again!

So why did Rossi move from Yamaha? Well, for one, Lorenzo’s presence discomforted him. He wanted the manufacturer to reduce benefits for Lorenzo. During recession, Rossi got a € 5 million pay cut. The following year, Lorenzo performed commendably and Yamaha raised his pay by € 15 million. Obviously Yamaha would invest in Lorenzo; he’s younger blood and the future of MOTOGP. Rossi felt this fee was from what belonged to him and started getting sour. What haven’t Yamaha done for Rossi? Switched to Bridgestone tires for him while the rest of the team rode on Michelins; worked day and night to make all changes he demanded to accommodate his riding style... Rossi went on to win 4 world championship titles with Yamaha. In fact, Yamaha even allowed him to test the Duke while he was on contract with the former. When at Honda, Rossi would steal into Yamaha’s garage to check the bike out (obviously he wasn’t allowed to ride it). Still, Rossi made Yamaha look like villains when he moved to Ducati. Anyone see a hint of Max Biaggi here?

It was evident from Rossi’s behaviour that he was uncomfortable with Lorenzo’s success. He moved to a team where he expected to get royal treatment like he got at Yamaha. That didn’t happen. Instead, he severely damaged his own reputation, soured relations with many in the paddock and had to use Dorna’s intervention to buy himself out of Ducati’s contract.

Now he’s back at Yamaha; the team which made him a God from a star. Someone deserving and talented will have to make way for this twisted Machiavellist. Lorenzo looks at set to win the MOTOGP world championship this year. This is a formidable all star line up for the factory Yamaha team again. What remains to be seen is how the team will treat each rider. Who will be given more importance? Stoner retires at the end of this year, Pedrossa doesn’t seem consistent enough to win a world championship, Rossi is back with the team which patronizes him; the only thorn in his side is Lorenzo (and some other protégée, if a surprise springs up next season). You can bet he’s hoping with all his heart and soul that Yamaha helps him regain lost glory. Only time will tell.