Fun And Frugal – Honda Amaze

Our new long-term Honda Amaze gets put to good use as we head south for the summer, well, just for the weekend, but it still makes for a well-deserved break

Honda Amaze

A wise man once said, “Do what you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”. From where we’re sitting that’s not something difficult to understand. Yes, there are challenges and, yes, there are even times when you even question the sanity of colleagues, but that’s all dismissed either by the sound of an engine starting up or someone trying their best to sound like VTEC kicking in higher up the rev-range. There’s a funny thing about work, not all of it is work per se, but you do feel the need to recharge your batteries after months going by without realisation. What better way than to hit the road and head for the beach. That’s exactly what we did! A shiny new long-term Amaze had just arrived with just under 12,000 kilometres on the clock, and, it was a baptism of fire for the Honda, with luggage packed in and us heading off.

At first, the western coast was a give, but wewere looking forward to something different. Usually, the drive invariably takes us to Goa and one of the beach hotels. This time, as it turned out, we were in a mood to explore a bit more.

We would push on to Karwar. Our Amaze is the i-DTEC diesel and that meant one tankful would be more than enough one way, and we would not have to fill up until we were on our way back. The big boot swallowed all our luggage and even more items which demanded space of their own. All good, then.

Honda Amaze Interior

The highway is always better early morning. That’s what they all say, anyway. Even at 4.30 am, there are trucks lumbering in all the three lanes, invariably trying to overtake each other, trying to do faster single-digit speeds than the other, while the triple-digit horsepower stays blocked. Even so, there is always a window of opportunity and, when you have 100 blown horses, why not use them? Once past, the Amaze got to stretch its legs a bit.

On the open road, the Honda proves its mettle. The i-DTEC diesel motor makes 100 PS and a considerable 200 Nm of torque, the kind you would expect from a 2.0-litre petrol not too long ago. Personally, I prefer an engine that makes its presence felt, so the whirr from the motor at highway speeds was a pleasing addition. The car feels quite light, but feels stable at the same time. It’s easy to manoeuvre and overtaking is just a down-shift away.

Red soil alongside signalled our arrival in Goa. We chose the scenic route, obviously. You can’t visit Goa and not visit the beach. Even driving through meant we would take the road that went past Calangute and Candolim with the sun beginning to prepare for its dip into the horizon. We headed past Panaji and into Karwar, our stop for the night. But first, there were things to do and places to see. A journey to the docks and popular sea-food restaurants was mandatory before we settled in for the night.

There was a lot we wanted to do the next day too, but we decided to high-tail it to Dandeli before heading back to Pune. The route would take us through the scenic beauty of the Anshi National Park and the forests of the Kali river basin. However, it was the Bison Valley Resort that had got our attention among the places of interest, apart from the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, of course.

Honda Amaze Boot Space

The stopover provided a much-needed break and let us unwind in the beautiful surroundings. It was quite warm, but the serene greenery more than made up for it. Time was short, though, and we had to make it back home not too late into the night. With over 400 kilometres to go, it wouldn’t take too long, although we would have to fill up en route. Even with a fuel efficiency of over 20 kilometres to a litre, the distance was more than what the 35-litre fuel tank could handle.

The Amaze was a great companion on this quick getaway and we were glad to have got two days to spend driving it around scenic locales and return home anxious to get back to work. Needless to say, it also makes for a great daily driver. It’s been busy even after the trip, handling Pune traffic and even some late night drives. How great is the Amaze? We’re putting it through its paces, so look out for more details of its efficiency and running costs in the next issue!