Honda celebrated the success of their entry-level sedan, the Amaze, in a grand manner recently and we were there at the party.
Story: Ravi Chandnani
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
The Rann of Kutch is a magical place. Its grandeur is such that describing it in words is almost impossible. To really experience the vastness of this place, one has to be very creative and imaginative because this lovely canvas of salt can paint an unforgettable picture in your mind if you are willing to look beyond the empty vastness of this arid salt pan. I, on the other hand, was fortunate to be travelling to the Greater Rann again and this time I was in the good company of the Honda Amaze.
To celebrate the massive success of this entry-level family sedan, Honda had organised a media drive to the famous ‘Rann Utsav’ (Rann festival). This gave 26 fortunate journalists, including myself and Sanjay, a chance to experience the glory of the mighty Rann. People from all over the world travel thousands of kilometres to see the spectacular ‘Rann Utsav’. Every year the government of Gujarat organises a three-month-long festival in the arid Kutch region to showcase the greatness of Kutchee culture, its people and terrain.
Honda Cars India saw this as a great way to introduce the 2015 Amaze, which boasts of two new features, namely, the dashboard and an infotainment system. Both these features are available in the top-of-the-line Amaze and also in the Brio. Although subtle, these changes lend a fresh new perspective to the interior of the car. The black dashboard now looks pretty smart in conjunction with the beige seats and panels. The infotainment system that also features navigation has been lifted straight out of the Mobilio and works pretty well in the Amaze too.
I especially liked the navigation system, which was quite accurate and displayed an array of information even while crossing small towns and some villages. Apart from these two major changes the car remains pretty much the same as before. Great interior space, smart exterior and the charm of that Honda badge on the grille are some of the best attributes of the Amaze and I am happy that Honda did not fiddle with the design or the technical bit of the Amaze.
After a hearty Gujarati breakfast we left Ahmedabad and made our way to the highway. I must say that driving the Honda Amaze on the smooth and wide roads of Gujarat made me realise just how comfortable this car really is despite being a compact sedan.
I was overwhelmed with joy when, after travelling for almost 400 kilometres, the fuel gauge had come down by just a couple of bars, which meant the car had consumed little fuel and still had a long range left. Furthermore, the absence of fatigue also reminded me of the amazing comfort that the Amaze provides.
