CAR REVIEW: We drive the new 3rd-generation Honda Amaze

CapeTalk's Sara-Jayne Makwala King is joined by Melinda Ferguson on Car Talk.

Honda's new third-generation Amaze has landed in South Africa, shortly after the launch here of the Suzuki DZire.

Motoring journo Melinda Ferguson says it compares well with its competitors in the B-segment sedan market, which also include the Volkswagen Polo sedan.

"We call them the 'Uber rides' because we see them everywhere... but it's not just e-hailers buying these cars; there is a substantial take-up I think in budget family cars. And while Honda's not done well in South Africa, the Amaze has sold a lot of units over the years."

Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist

The Amaze is available in three models; the Trend Manual, Comfort Manual and Comfort CVT, all featuring a 1.2 litre petrol engine.

Ferguson drove the car with the CVT (continuously variable transmission) gearbox, which she says felt very smooth as they were forced to take it slow on the roads in very bad weather.

She highlights the 416L boot space, compared for instance with 378L for the Suzuki DZire.

It's only the Comfort model that sports six airbags compared to the DZire which has six in all its models.

While the third-gen Amaze is still a budget car, this new version has more of premium feel than the previous generations, Ferguson says.

"I think what's made it more attractive is they've really given more offerings in the details like a reverse camera, the option of the six airbags and of two trims..."

Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist

The Amaze comes in at under R300 000, starting at R254 900 for the entry-level Trend Manual through to the top-of-the-range Comfort CVT for R294 900.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to Ferguson's review