size matters forged by fire dieseL debUt

Transcription

india
Rs 60
Honda Amaze
Honda’s first made-for-India compact diesel sedan is a game changer.
size matters
The science of optimising space
forged by fire
How quality is built into the Amaze
DIESEL DEBUT
Honda’s first diesel engine in India
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 AUTOCAR INDIA SUPPLEMENT JUNE 2013
idea
legends
birth
What’s the core idea
behind the Honda
Amaze? What went into
the creation of this newgeneration Honda? We
tell you the story.
We take you through
some of Honda’s
legendary powerplants.
Which is your favourite
Honda engine?
We take you to Honda’s
manufacturing facilities
to give you an exclusive
inside look at how an
Amaze is born.
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design
power
drive
How do you design a car
that’s compact on the
outside and spacious
inside? Honda’s latest
design secrets have
been revealed.
Honda debuts its much
awaited 1.5 i-DTEC
diesel motor. See all
the technical details
of this high-tech new
powerplant here.
We take the Amaze
out for a long drive for
this behind-the-wheel
report. Here’s the
complete story.
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foreword
The Amaze heralds a new dawn for Honda.
It is not just a new car, but an important
milestone for the company. In India, Honda
has established a reputation as a premium
and quality car brand. The Amaze will
spearhead Honda’s entry into the more
mainstream market. Honda believes that
solidly engineered good-quality cars should
not be the prerogative of the affluent layer of
society alone. The Amaze is, therefore, Honda’s
effort to inject its brand of quality in massvolume cars. To do that, Honda has taken
two very important steps.
First of all, as a specifically designedfor-India car, Honda has decided to take
advantage of India’s tax structure and
designed a sub-four-metre sedan. And then
Honda added a diesel motor under the
bonnet. Honda engines, from the first VTEC to
the latest i-VTEC, have earned a formidable
reputation in this country thanks to their
fantastic performance and bulletproof
reliability. The company’s first diesel offering
has a lot to live up to.
This is the story of the Amaze’s journey
from its inception to its final execution. We
explore the ideas that shaped this car. We
look at the design process. We delve into its
engineering details. We talk to the people
behind the car. And then we take it for a drive.
This is the full report.
An Autocar India Special Project
Printed and Published on behalf of Haymarket SAC
Publishing (India) Private Limited. Printed at Kala Jyothi
Process Pvt Ltd, Kondapur Unit, Survey No185, Kondapur
Village, Serilingampally Municipality RR District - 500 133 A.P.
Pictures Ashley Baxter, Rajeev Gaikwad, Somdatta Nhawkar,
Mohammed Shafiq Words Joy Chaudhuri, Gavin D’Souza,
Kedar Jaidev Design and Image editing Pralhad Kusuma
Print Production Prasad Gangurde
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our ability to negotiate complexities, get down to the basics and
deliver the result is what gives India the edge in the global market.
H
ow do you
make a product that appeals to
over 1.2 billion people? To add to
the task, there are 28 states in India,
each with its own diverse labyrinth
of cultures, religions, beliefs and
values. And let’s face it; we’re not
the easiest customers to please. We
want the heavens at the price of the
earth. We want the phone with the
most features at the cheapest price,
we want to buy LED televisions but
we want a free laptop with it, we want
a car that’s the size of a hatchback
and as comfortable as a limousine.
This is the conundrum for any brand
that offers its products in India. How
do you appeal to such a complex
audience? How do you give them
what they want, and get what you
want at the same time? How do we
make something that will improve
the lives of the people of India? And
how do you study such a culture?
Even a lifetime of research isn’t
enough to grasp a fraction of our
diversity. Where does the inspiration
come from? It could come from a
painting, a song, a temple, the design
of a sari, the silhouette of an elephant,
or even something as simple as bowl
of rice. It’s all around us, and its
interpretation determines the shape
of a product.
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THE CAR.
The car has always been a symbol
of pride for any Indian. Getting your
driving license is like a rite of passage.
We grow up waiting for that first time
we get to be behind the wheel. ‘My
first car’, that’s what we all work
towards. You won’t meet a single
person who has forgotten what his
first set of wheels was. That feeling
you get when you first drive back
home in a brand new car – there’s just
no comparing it to anything else in
the world. Ours is a country where you
measure yourself and your success by
the car you own. Buying a car signifies
you’ve moved up in the world, and it’s
this fascination with owning one that
drives car sales in India.
The design has to evoke all these
emotions. Designing a car that puts
a smile on your face the minute you
leave the showroom, and even years
after – now that’s the challenge.
THE CHALLENGE.
As a carmaker, Honda has a huge task
on its shoulders. It’s dealing with the
hopes and dreams of hardworking
men and women in India who toil
and save so that they can someday sit
What kind of a car do you need
to negotiate traffic like this?
behind the wheel of a fancy car. So
designing a car for the typical Indian
consumer is not something that can
be taken lightly.
Indian cities are congested,
there’s chock-a-block traffic
everywhere. Indian buyers want a car
that’s small and easy to manoeuvre
through tight spots, and at the same
time, they want a car that offers
limousine-like comfort on the inside.
Guess what the most important
concern of the Indian car buyer is.
That’s not where it stops; it can’t be
too expensive to buy either, and it has
to be extremely fuel efficient.
In India, sedans are associated
with luxury, but they have
traditionally been too big and
cumbersome to navigate on Indian
roads. So when the government
decided to introduce tax benefits for
cars under four metres in length, it
opened up a whole new compact
sedan segment. And this is the
segment Honda is targeting.
Honda decided to pick up the
challenge and design a ‘compact
luxury limousine’. Honda’s R&D
centre in Thailand became the war
room, where the company had to
decide how to put together the 10,000
pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to form
one complete masterpiece. But a car
isn’t just developed from behind a
desk in a studio; it emerges from the
people, the way we live, the way we
react to situations. So Honda’s R&D
team deployed its troops in India
to study the very people it would be
building the car for.
THE RIGHT CAR.
What is the right car? That’s the big
question on the Honda engineers’
minds. How do they make the
perfect product? Honda isn’t one
to take shortcuts. The car has to be
uncompromising in its appearance,
style, performance and efficiency.
Plus, it has to suit Indian driving
conditions; and they are the harshest.
It has to be able to survive torrid
monsoons, navigate tricky ghat roads,
be easy to drive home in rush-hour
traffic, be able to carry your family
comfortably, and be fun to drive
when you spot an empty stretch
of smooth tarmac.
The first thing that pops into
your head when you hear Honda
is ‘reliability’. Ever since the first City
rolled out of showrooms in India
way back in 1997, the sentiment that
followed the Honda name was of
quality, and the brand has stuck to
this philosophy for all the years since.
This legacy has carried on to its newer,
more affordable products – cars like
the Brio – which, despite competing
in a price-sensitive segment, did not
compromise on Honda’s core values
of reliability and quality. So, after
months of painstaking work, the
result is the all-new Amaze. But has
Honda succeeded in making the right
car? It certainly looks like it. n
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The team behind the Amaze at Honda’s R&D centre in Thailand.
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The Honda Amaze is not just a new car.
It is a new category of car. A new kind of sedan.
H
ow do you
translate something like what the
typical Indian eats, or what he wears,
into the design of a car? This was the
task at hand for Honda’s designers.
Not just to create a new car, but a
whole new type of car. A new kind
of sedan. In fact, the design brief for
the Honda designers was to create
a ‘Smart Micro Limousine’. So, while
the car might be compact and under
four metres in length, it should be
designed to deliver the comfort of a
limousine. And to do that, Honda’s
engineers had to come up with some
really smart technological solutions,
something out of the box, something
no other competitor had tried.
Honda does not believe in
technology for technology’s sake.
That’s why every Honda car has
to adhere to the edict of ‘Man
Maximum, Machine Minimum’.
Before penning the lines of the
Amaze, Honda’s designers set out
to study the very people who they
were designing the car for. The
environment it would be operating in.
The geographical, climatic and road
conditions. The lifestyle of the people.
Their likes and dislikes. Honda even
carried out anthropomorphic studies.
It’s only after this that the designers
started work on giving shape to the
Honda Amaze. The result is a form
dictated not by the whims of fashion
but penned by the timelessness of
functionality. The result is the perks
of a luxury car with the footprint of a
compact sedan.
Designed to delight.
Let’s begin with the appearance
of the Amaze. How do you give a
compact car the road presence of a
prestigious sedan? Take a look at the
Amaze from the front; you will notice
that the car squats low and wide.
This muscular stance gives the car a
sporty mien. If you draw a line from
the headlights to the grille and up to
the hood, you will find that the line
characterises a sense of stability.
Now look at the car from the side.
Honda’s designers have very cleverly
utilised one of the most dynamic
geographical forms, the triangle.
Think about this; an arrow, an F1
car, a fighter plane are all essentially
triangular in shape. The Amaze uses
an overlapping double-triangle offset
fore and aft to evoke energy and
power, and at the same time, create
more interior space. The trunk has
been wrapped around to add stability
to the design. The result is a dynamic
harmony between the front and rear
ends of the car.
Look at the Amaze from the rear
and the element that dominates
is the graphic design of the rear
combination lamps. It extends to
the side of the body and emphasises
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The new honda amaze looks premium and feels premium.
This is a compact car with the demeanour of a limousine.
chapter 02
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honda amaze
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The Honda Amaze is
equipped with everything
you need to make your
journey more comfortable.
And your drive more fun.
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the car’s wide stance and adds to the
Amaze’s sporty feel.
It’s not just the designer’s broad
strokes that make the Amaze so
alluring, but also the attention to
the smallest details. For example,
take a closer look at the headlights.
They use large-diameter cylinders
that further emphasise the Amaze’s
presence. Chrome and black
garnishes create a 3D effect. Every
small detail exemplifies quality and
craftsmanship. Now look at the
wheels. The spokes are detailed to
make them look visually bigger and
add to the premium feel. Even the
‘Amaze’ badge emblazoned on the
car’s rear, in an energetic sweeping
font, is sculpted in 3D to catch the
light and add to the drama.
When you add it all together,
what you get is a profile that’s slick
and aerodynamic. To see Honda’s
obsession with detail, look at the
Amaze’s underbody. The chin
spoiler, underside cover and other
underbody parts have been designed
to reduce the turbulent airflow
beneath the vehicle, and further
enhance aerodynamic performance.
It’s not just the aesthetics the
designers were concerned about, but
also the structural integrity. They
have designed a high-performance
lightweight body for better fuel
efficiency. And they have ensured
that the body is strong and rigid
by using high-tensile steel. The
Amaze, like all other Honda cars, is
built using Advanced Compatibility
Engineering™ (ACE™) for highefficiency energy absorption. In
case of a collision, it is designed to
disperse the energy away from the
cabin and the passengers. Because
you deserve the best, and Honda
takes every step to make sure you
get the best.
The inside job.
What makes the Amaze special is
more than just the boot. Honda
engineers didn’t just tack a boot
onto a hatchback, but actually
extended the wheelbase by 60mm to
liberate more space in the cabin. So
the Amaze’s wheelbase measures
2405mm as against the Brio’s
2345mm. This sedan was designed
keeping rear-seat comfort in mind.
And space is one of the key factors
in keeping passengers comfortable.
If you think that the extended
wheelbase has compromised the
car’s agility, banish the thought. The
petrol-engined Amaze’s turning
radius is a mere 4.5 metres, making it
fantastically manoeuvrable, and easy
to slot into tight parking spaces on
our crowded streets.
The extended wheelbase means
you get more legroom and more
headroom. You get a big armrest
and there’s still space in the door to
store a water bottle. That is not to
say that front-seat comfort has been
compromised. On the contrary, the
front seats have been optimised for
spending long hours on the road
without fatigue rearing its ugly head.
Sedans, by definition, need to
have a boot. But what sets the Amaze
apart is the sheer size of its boot. A
full 400 litres to swallow all your
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Honda designers
were not satisfied
with creating just
class-leading space or
comfort. They wanted
the Amaze to be a ‘oneclass-above’ experience.
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The Amaze is compact on the outside
but surprisingly spacious On the
inside. And very comfortable too.
400-litre boot
swallows up all
your luggage.
chapter 02
design
The trunk has been wrapped around tightly to add stability to the
design and achieve harmony between the front and rear ends.
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luggage, with space for more.
While we don’t always travel
with suitcases, we nearly always
travel with things like mobile phones,
laptops, books and bottles. So the
Amaze has been designed with
storage space and cubbyholes for all
your knick-knacks. The large glove
compartment can hold a surprising
amount of stuff. The centre console
has built-in cupholders and space to
hold small items like mobile phones.
The centre console also holds a onelitre water bottle that’s accessible to
everyone in the car.
Honda’s designers were not
satisfied with creating just classleading space or comfort. They
wanted the Amaze to be a ‘one-classabove’ experience. So, after putting in
the basics, they decided to garnish it
with all the goodies they could come
up with. A rich and elegant two-tone
interior sets the stage. And giving it
character is the Amaze’s distinctively
designed instrument cluster. In the
centre is the speedometer, flanked by
a tacho and a cluster of information
lights. What sets it apart is the way
the dials have been unified to present
a striking 3D facia. At night, the
illumination emphasises the triple-
meter layout. It’s a design you would
expect in a more expensive vehicle
rather than a compact sedan.
Here’s another special feature of
the Amaze, designed specifically for
our hot Indian summers. To counter
India’s high ambient temperature,
the Amaze comes with a special
heat-absorbing front windshield.
In-house testing has shown that the
temperature at the dashboard was six
degrees lower after the car had been
parked out in the sun for 20 minutes.
The Amaze has a wonderful way
of making your trip less stressful,
a great audio system. The piano
black and silver fully integrated
two-DIN system looks the part too.
It is equipped with both USB and
auxiliary inputs to connect your iPod
or MP3 player. Four buttons and a
rotary selector allow you to control
every function, from changing
tracks to browsing folders. Powering
the music is a 45W x 4-channel
high-power amplifier channelled
through four polypropylene-cone
neodymium-magnet speakers.
The Honda Amaze blends style
with comfort, and value with luxury.
What Honda has designed is not a
new car, but a new kind of car. n
“Cost is the biggest challenge for anyone coming into India. But cutting costs
doesn’t mean cutting down on quality. We at Honda cannot introduce a lousy
car into the market because we need our customers to drive a quality car, so
whatever happens, the quality stays. We simply did what we always do, but
in a smarter way. We just had to find a way to deliver that same good quality
that we always have to the customer – there is no shortcut. What we have
done this time is search the Indian market for what kind of materials were
available; what kind of suppliers there were to produce the best quality that
we could put in our cars. This is where we tried to cut the costs. We tried to find
high-quality but cost-friendly parts in India.”
THE AMAZE is the culmination of many
years of research, innovation and
hard work by Honda associates in
Japan, Thailand and India.
Hisao Takahashi,
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“The Amaze is designed with the Indian market in mind. If there was no India, there
would be no Amaze. To specifically design a car for India, we took the help of our
marketing team in India, which is always studying things. They came back with a set
of parameters. People wanted a compact car’s exterior footprint with limousine-like
interior comfort. The popular colour for the interiors in India is beige, since it signals
luxury. And also, one litre is the standard size of water bottle in India. So they have really
done a lot of homework. The other thing we observed was that Indian people have
longer legs, and so this car had to have more legroom than what we produce in Japan.
It had to be comfortable in the front, comfortable in the back, and also have a big boot
that you can put a lot of stuff in. And all that had to fit in less than four metres.”
Atsushi Arisaka,
Large Project Leader for Amaze and Chief Engineer, Honda R&D Asia Pacific
“The all-new Honda Amaze is equipped with a new-generation 1.5L i-DTEC
diesel engine, which has been specially developed for India, and the popular
1.2L i-VTEC petrol engine. It is the culmination of many years of research,
innovation and hard work by Honda associates in Japan, Thailand and
India. We have overcome many challenges in terms of timelines, technology
and costs to launch the Honda Amaze in India at an attractive price. We are
committed to providing our Amaze customers the same durability, quality,
reliability and superior levels of service that we provide to the customers of
our other Honda models.”
Hironori Kanayama,
President & CEO, Honda Cars India Ltd
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team leaders
President, Honda R&D Asia Pacific
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legends
The one that started the revolution. The 1493cc, four-cylinder D15B ‘Hyper
16’ engine (named for its four-valve-per-cylinder layout) produced 101PS, a
figure mainstream Indian car buyers were only just coming to terms with.
What’s more, it used PGM-FI (Honda’s programmed fuel-injection system)
for the optimal mix in the combustion chamber, and two-hole needle-less
injectors to better cope with poor fuel quality – a big concern in India. But
if the responsiveness of this 100PS-per-tonne car didn’t blow you away, the
refinement surely would. At the time, nothing short of a German luxury sedan
was that silent. This was an engine that delivered on just about all fronts
– performance, economy, refinement and driveability, and it was a revelation.
But the best was yet to come.
2004 Honda Accord
If the City’s four-cylinder VTEC engine
made a name for Honda in India as a
maker of performance-oriented family
cars, the Accord’s V6 was the one to really
drive the point home. Introduced in
2004, this 3.0L SOHC VTEC V6 produced
a whopping 224PS and 276NM of torque,
enough to drive the luxury saloon from a
standstill to 100kph in just 9.46 seconds.
This was not only enough to embarrass
many of the sportscars available at the
time, it was unlike anything anyone
shopping for a mainstream luxury car
had ever seen before. Even Accord
owners who had sampled the 143PS 2.4L
engine were blown away by this veritable
hot-rod. This was the car for the CEO
who liked to drive himself around once
in a while.
honda amaze
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R’ and ‘VTEC’ are now common
parlance in the automotive world.
It’s more than just engineering.
Because ‘Just engineering’ doesn’t
develop a loyal fan following. ‘Just
engineering’ doesn’t make a place
for itself in history.
V6, 2997cc, petrol, 4 valves/cyl, SOHC
power 224PS at 6300rpm torque 276NM at 5000rpm
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In-line 4cyl, 1493cc, petrol, 4 valves/cyl, SOHC power 101PS at 6400rpm torque 127NM at 4700rpm
2000 Honda City
India’s first VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and
Lift Electronic Control) engine was also India’s
introduction to performance family sedans.
The concept of variable valve timing was pretty
much unheard of back then, and to most people
was one of those high-tech acronyms they only
saw in brochures of luxury cars. But because
this was a Honda City, more people began
to understand the benefits. They now knew
it was possible to team power and pin-sharp
responsiveness with great fuel efficiency. It’s
only now that variable valve timing is starting to
become the norm at the mainstream end of the
Indian car market, and we owe it all to this one
amazing engine.
In-line 4cyl, 1493cc, petrol, 4 valves/cyl, SOHC
2003 Honda City
The 2003 City was a very different car from the one that went before
it. It did a better job of living up to its name, adding space, comfort,
luxury and safety to a car meant for the urban grind. The 1497cc i-DSI
(Intelligent Dual and Sequential Injection) engine was in keeping with
that concept, and featured a lot of new technology. Intelligent twinspark ignition meant that the combustion chamber worked at its most
efficient. Subsequently, this meant that even though the 78PS power
output was not much, it was always produced just where you needed it.
But of course, the biggest benefit of this motor was the fuel economy it
delivered, with figures that could rival even some small diesel engines.
In-line 4cyl, 1497cc, petrol, 2 valves/cyl, SOHC power 78PS at 5000rpm torque 126NM at 2700rpm
1.5L i-DSI
1998 Honda City
the years, and something they
proudly flaunt (and rightfully so). A
Honda engine is more than just the
heart of the car it is fitted to, it’s the
heart of the entire company. It’s a
brand in itself, and it’s no wonder
that terms like ‘Hyper16’, ‘Type
1.5L VTEC
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1.5L Hyper16
chapter 03
legends
We’re familiar with Honda’s
cars. We know that they are well built,
reliable, spacious, comfortable, safe
and packed with technology. But
under the surface, there’s one thing
that all Honda cars share, something
that has defined the company over
3.0L V6 VTEC
The successor to the 3.0L V6 VTEC that went before it, this new 3.5L
lump took the Accord even further into performance sedan territory.
The power figure was now a staggering 275PS which, along with 338NM
of torque, was enough to wrench the now bigger Accord to 100kph in
just 8.6 seconds. At the time, it was also the most powerful mainstream
passenger car engine Honda had ever launched. But this engine wasn’t
just about raw guts; it was intelligent too. It was given the latest iteration
of Honda’s i-VTEC system, and for those worried about outrageous fuel
bills, there was Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) that
could shut down two or even three of the six cylinders to save fuel when
the engine didn’t need them.
V6, 3471cc, petrol, 4 valves/cyl, SOHC power 275PS at 6200rpm torque 338NM at 5000rpm
2.2L i-CTDi
2009 Honda Accord Mk3
This was the very genesis of Honda’s
diesel movement. It’s not surprising that
the company’s first crack at an oilburner made its debut in the dieseldominated European market. The
award-winning four-cylinder 2.2L
i-CTDi engine was first fitted to the
European Accord sedan and station
wagon (and later the CR-V), and
promised class-leading power, torque,
fuel-consumption and emissions figures,
which are very important credentials in
the very stringent EU market. If its 140PS
of power and 343NM of torque wasn’t
enough to tempt buyers, the 18.5kpl
fuel consumption figure surely was.
This engine was later uprated to 150PS,
and given the now ubiquitous i-DTEC
badging, and there was just no looking
back from then on.
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3.5L V6 i-VTEC
2004 Honda Accord Euro
In-line 4cyl, 2204cc, diesel, 4 valves/cyl, DOHC
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RA168-E 1.5L v6 TURBO
1988 McLaren MP4/4
It is simply the most successful car in
Formula 1 history, winning 15 out of 16
races in a single season, with F1 legends
Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna at the
helm. And though the chassis came from
McLaren, under the surface beat a heart
of pure Japanese sinew. Honda’s 1494cc,
80-degree turbo V6 pushed out 690PS
at 14,000rpm, which was lower than the
previous year’s monstrous 1014PS output
in qualifying, due to new restrictive
turbocharger regulations. An entirely
different naturally-aspirated engine
regulation for the 1989 season would see
this engine be replaced by another Honda
engine, this time a V10, in the McLaren
MP4/5, but the RA168-E will always be
remembered as the greatest engine in
arguably the greatest era of F1.
80-degree V6, 1,494cc turbo petrol power 690PS at 14,000rpm
2013 Honda Civic Euro
This is when Earth Dreams became a reality. The 1.6L i-DTEC with an
all-aluminium open-deck high-pressure die-cast engine block is the
lightest engine in its class, which not only makes cars that use it more
fuel efficient, it makes them better handlers too. In the UK-model
Honda Civic, this engine produces 120PS and 300NM of torque. More
importantly, it allows for a claimed fuel economy of 28kpl. These
improvements are achieved thanks to the very latest in diesel engine
technology, refinements to the i-DTEC formula, and decades of
experience in making the best engines on the planet. It’s no wonder that
it was the starting point for the engine you will drive in your Amaze.
In-line 4cyl, 1596cc, diesel, 4 valves/cyl power 120PS at 4000rpm torque 300NM at 2000rpm
1.6L i-DTEC Earth Dreams
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Honda’s Earth Dreams technology aims to achieve
top-of-the-industry fuel efficiency in every class of vehicle.
H
onda is one
of the most celebrated names in
engine technology. It’s a reputation
built over the years, a big part of
which is its world-beating F1 racing
engines. Think Senna and Prost in
1988, blowing away the competition
in their McLarens powered by
Honda’s RA168-E motor. Then
there are the innovative hybrid
and fuel cell engines, and some
of the most loved high-revving
sportscar powertrains around.
Not to forget the series of engines
that have powered Honda cars in
India since 1997.
Honda has recently released the
roadmap of its next-generation
program, dubbed Earth Dreams
technology. It is essentially a set of
technological advances that aims
to achieve top-of-the-industry fuel
efficiency in every class of vehicle.
And it’s not just about fuel efficiency.
Powertrains that deliver driving fun
are an essential part of the Earth
Dreams mission.
honda amaze
power
chapter 04
power
capacity below the critical 1.5L mark
to qualify as a small car engine and
gain excise benefits.
A diesel to delight.
The featherweight
heavyweight.
Honda already had a 2.2L diesel
engine in its portfolio, but decided
to develop a smaller, lighter, more
efficient diesel motor as a part
of its Earth Dreams Technology
drive. The result was a 1.6L i-DTEC
engine. Since diesel engines up to
1.5L enjoy tax benefits in India, the
engine was modified to meet the
mark. Honda’s 1.5L i-DTEC motor
for India uses the same architecture
as the 1.6L and also comes with
the same sophisticated hardware
to reduce weight and friction. The
only differences are that the Indian
version has a smaller, fixed-geometry
turbo (FGT) and no Diesel Particulate
Filter (DPF), which is not needed in
India. The 1.5L shares its pistons
with the 1.6 (the bore is the same)
and hence it is only the stroke that
has been reduced to bring the
What is it about the new Honda
i-DTEC engine that has got the
experts talking?
First of all, it’s the weight of the
engine. The less mass the engine has
to move, including its own weight,
the more efficient it is. A lighter car
with a lighter engine, means lower
emissions and better fuel efficiency.
And what Honda has managed to
design is the lightest diesel engine in
its torque performance class!
Therefore, each individual
component of the i-DTEC engine was
redesigned and manufactured with
an eye on reducing weight and size.
In fact, this i-DTEC motor is 47kg
lighter than Honda’s 2.2L engine. The
i-DTEC motor has an aluminium
cylinder head joined to an open deck
aluminium block. Plus, the distance
between the cylinders has been
33
The 1498cc i-DTEC diesel engine
puts out 100PS at 3600rpm.
36
It’s not just the architecture of the engine
That is new. Honda’s engineers have gone
down to the very molecular structure of
the metals used in this engine.
reduced. The cylinders are only 8mm
thick and the engine uses lighter
pistons and connecting rods too.
The friction point.
Friction can be a good thing. Friction
between your shoes and the ground,
or your tyres and the road is what
propels you forward.
But when it comes to the
workings of the internal combustion
engine, friction is a bad thing.
Friction means resistance, and
heat. More friction also means more
energy consumption and lower
efficiency. Which is why engineers are
constantly trying to reduce friction
in the internal components of the
engine to make them more efficient.
To reduce friction in the
i-DTEC engine, Honda engineers
have fine-tuned precision
components for further efficiency.
An example would be the shorter
and thinner piston skirt. This not
only reduces emissions and improves
fuel efficiency; it also improves the
engine’s response, both on and off
the throttle, making the car more
fun to drive. Honda engineers have
managed to reduce the mechanical
friction of the engine to a level
equivalent to an existing petrol
engine, which is an outstanding
achievement.
Moreover, Honda has specially
developed a low-viscosity engine oil
for the i-DTEC engine that protects
it during cold starts. And unlike other
high-tech engine oils, it doesn’t come
with a high price tag.
And then some more.
Another feature of the engine is a
Bosch solenoid injection system
with 1600bar of pressure, so that
the fuel is injected faster with finer
atomisation for cleaner, more
efficient combustion. This is
augmented by a high intake flow and
a high swirl head port to reduce hot
spots. There is also an exhaust gas
recirculation system that operates
at high and low pressure to reduce
honda amaze
power
chapter 04
power
37
The 1.2L i-VTEC engine combines
exceptional fuel economy with
effortless acceleration.
chapter 04
power
honda amaze
power
Five-speed manual
transmission
brings out the
full potential
of the engine.
38
39
mono-nitrogen oxide emissions.
It’s not just the physical
architecture of the engine which
is new – Honda’s engineers have
gone down to the very molecular
structure of the metals used in this
engine. This motor is built using a
process called thixotropic casting,
which alters the molecular structure
of aluminium so that it can be spread
like butter. How clever is that!
To improve smoothness, Honda
has used liquid-filled mounts, rather
than rubber mounts for the engine,
and this has greatly improved the
noise, vibration and harshness (NVH)
levels on this car.
Put it all together and
what you get are some very
competitive numbers. 100PS of
power at 3600rpm and 200Nm of
torque at 1750rpm. And an ARAIcertified fuel consumption of 25.8kpl
on the Indian Driving Cycle - the
highest figure of any car in India!
putting the ‘ease’ in diesel.
Imagine a rough, craggy mountain
that rises up to a sharp unforgiving
peak, with unpredictable, rocky
terrain all over its slopes. Now,
imagine a smooth plateau, with
a forgiving incline and a flat top.
Given the choice, which would
you rather scale?
Most compact diesel engines in
the market today are like a mountain.
They tend to produce their torque in
quick and urgent blasts, forcing you
to adjust your driving style and be
cautious with the accelerator pedal in
order to accelerate smoothly at low
revs. This means that while you could
take off from a standstill quite quickly,
you have to concentrate quite hard if
you want to do it smoothly.
This is where the i-DTEC diesel
engine is different. It is like a plateau
– all about putting you at ease. Along
with attaining the best-in-class fuel
efficiency, Honda’s engineers also
set out to make the most driveable
diesel engine. They opted for a
small turbocharger for better initial
responses, and tuned it so that
there’s almost zero turbo lag. They
set the gear ratios according to Indian
drivers’ shifting style, which involves
more mid-speed overtaking and
fewer high-rev moments. And they
managed all this while still delivering
the most powerful motor in the
segment.
Passion for petrol.
While Honda’s i-DTEC engine is
hogging the headlines, let’s not
forget Honda’s exceptional 1.2L
i-VTEC motor that powers the
petrol Amaze. Here’s a walk through
memory lane. Let us remind you that
i-VTEC reinvented the way modern
engines breathe altogether.
The concept is really quite
simple – in the same way that you
breathe more heavily when you
exert yourself, an engine needs more
air when it is spinning faster.
So, when you really put
your foot down, the motor’s intake
valves should be open more. But
when you’re just chugging along
at city speeds, fully open valves
are wasteful.
Then Honda’s engineers came
up with VTEC, or ‘Variable Valve
Timing and Lift Electronic Control’.
The first of its kind in the world, it’s
only now that this technology is
reaching the rest of the mainstream.
i-VTEC is the latest version of the
VTEC system, and it uses computer
control to alter the valve opening
based on your engine speed. As a
result, it transforms the engine’s
performance based on what you
need in the moment – superior
power or low fuel consumption.
The 1.2L i-VTEC engine has two
intake and two exhaust valves for
each of its cylinders. At low rpms,
the engine closes off one intake
valve for enhanced fuel economy. At
mid to high rpms, both the intake
valves are allowed to open for a
seamless surge of power.
better fuel consumption.
The Amaze’s exhaust system
concentrates the gases in the
cylinder heads, thereby
preventing heat loss. The result
is quicker activation of the
catalyst and reduced emissions.
In addition, a high-heat-resistance
catalytic converter is located
directly below the exhaust
manifold. Since the catalyst
tolerates higher gas temperatures,
it helps reduce fuel consumption.
cleaner and leaner.
A good engine is only half the job
done. You need to mate it to the
correct transmission to exploit its
full power.
To exploit the full potential of
the Amaze’s engines, Honda has
mated them to five-speed manual
transmissions whose gear ratios
The i-VTEC system is not the
only way the Amaze reduces
wastage and saves fuel, though.
Exhaust emissions are created by
unburnt fuel. The cleaner your
vehicle, the more efficiently your
fuel burns, which ultimately means
Taming the power.
honda amaze
power
chapter 04
power
40
41
have been optimised for the best
balance between performance
and fuel economy. There is no
one formula to arrive at the correct
gear ratios. It takes exhaustive
testing and seat-of-the-pants
experience to get the ratios correct,
so as not to disappoint either the
spirited or the frugal driver. It’s an
art as much as a science, one Honda
has gotten spot-on.
The petrol-powered Amaze
also comes with a five-speed
automatic transmission. A gearbox is
designed to deliver the best
fuel consumption without
compromising on performance.
To do so, Honda engineers have
designed a more compact ’box
with lower friction. And a wide
lock-up clutch that facilitates
linear acceleration and improves
fuel efficiency. So, now you
can negotiate rush-hour traffic
without losing your cool, or
your money.
Stopping on slopes.
One of the nightmares of any new
or less experienced driver is a car’s
propensity to roll back on inclines
or hills. Therefore, the Amaze is
equipped with a creep control
system and tilt sensor. When the car
is stopped at an incline, the sensor
reads the degree of incline. Based on
this data, the system provides the
ideal amount of creep to prevent it
from rolling backward and assists the
driver in resuming forward motion. n
“We aimed to offer the best driveability
for Indian drivers according to the way
they drive, while also delivering the
best power and fuel economy.”
42
Fuel efficiency and power are often
conflicting, yet this engine is classleading on both counts. How have
you achieved this?
We first set the targets for power and
torque, and once we achieved these,
we worked towards the fuel economy
figure, altering one component at a time
till we reached it. For example, we used
low-friction piston rings and then tested
for the best balance of piston clearance
and tension until we found it. We also
had to really put a lot of precision into
constructing the block. We also used a
relatively small turbo. But in doing so,
we ran the risk of not having enough
power. So we had to make the exhaust
gas cleaner to reduce friction. When we
did that, it was possible to get the power
figure that we targeted without the
associated fuel consumption.
What sort of testing did you do with
the diesel engines in India and what
did you learn from it?
Our testing of diesel engines in India
started much before the 1.5L i-DTEC
engine was developed. We first brought
in three European-market cars – Accords
and CR-Vs – fitted with the 2.2L diesel
engine, and ran them for 2,00,000km
each. This was to test both the quality
of diesel fuel and the engine’s durability
in India. Later on, we brought in 11 cars
with the 1.5L engine and ran them for
7,00,000km. After this exhaustive testing
we found that the only part that needed
to be changed from the European car
was the oil seal for the crankcase due to
the high dust conditions in India. Apart
from that, we also ascertained that the
service intervals will need to be shorter in
India compared to Europe.
The reason Honda didn’t bring the
2.2L diesel to India was said to be
the country’s poor fuel quality.
How did you get around this for
the new engine?
The quality of fuel has become much
better since BS IV emission norms were
put in place, and although it is still not
ideal, we have tried to make up for this
with the new engine. The worry was
that high suplhur content would
affect the Exhaust Gas Recirculation
(EGR) system, and so it would need
a considerable amount of protective
coating to guard it against this. But India
has an advantage here. We discovered
that because India is warmer than Europe
and temperatures rarely drop below zero,
sulphur is less likely to stick to the coating.
So ultimately, we didn’t need to use
excessive amounts of coating, despite the
high sulphur content.
How did you manage to lower the
displacement from the European
1.6L to the India-specific 1.5L?
It was sort of a trial and error process.
The block is the same one used in the
European 1.6L engine. We also had preset power and torque figures to achieve,
and we set the bore value and valve
value accordingly – and these could not
be changed. So, while the bore is the
same, the stroke has been made shorter.
The 1.5L Earth Dreams engine has
been designed for India, so has it
been tuned any differently from
the European engine?
We did a detailed study of Indian
driving styles in a number of Indian
cities, focussing on how drivers use
the accelerator pedal on different
kinds of roads with varying traffic
conditions. Our observations were
that Indian drivers tend to shift up
gears early and rarely rev the engine
more than 3000rpm. So, we tuned the
engine to be more effective below that
point, particularly around the 2500rpm
region. We aimed to offer the best
driveability for Indian drivers according to
the way they drive, while also delivering
the best power and fuel economy.
What about the gearbox for the diesel
engine; is that new as well?
The five-speed manual gearbox is very
similar to the European unit. The basic
design is the same and even the gearbox
casing is the same, but each of the ratios
and even the final drive ratio are unique
to India. They too have been chosen in
the interest of better driveability. n
honda amaze
interview
chapter 04
interview
Ryuji Matsukado, Chief Engineer, Honda R&D Japan and Asst. Large Project Leader for Amaze
43
honda amaze
birth
chapter 05
birth
44
45
birth
chapter 05
birth
honda amaze
birth
46
47
The honda amaze makes its journey from
raw metal to finished product across two
facilities – in tapukara and in greater noida.
it is born from a combination of state-of-the-art
machinery and delicate craftsmanship.
The satisfying
smoothness
with which each
gearchange occurs:
you have a team of
skilled craftsmen to
thank for that.
The engine block:
what starts out as a
chunk of aluminium
is carved out,
whittled down and
refined to perfection.
These hunks of iron
are what give the
Amaze its subtle
curves. They are
the dies that punch
sheetmetal into the
shapes we recognise.
48
honda amaze
birth
chapter 05
birth
An army of robots
whirrs and buzzes
with clockwork
precision, welding
together spots you
didn’t even know
existed.
Fresh off the press,
hundreds of Amaze
body panels await
their journey to
Greater Noida for
assembly.
49
Part man, part
machine. It’s not
all robots; the more
delicate welds and
rivets need a human
touch.
the action never stops. At its current capacity,
the greater noida production line can produce
up to four hundred and forty cars a day.
50
honda amaze
birth
chapter 05
birth
Pièce de résistance:
the Amaze has its
defining feature
– the boot lid–
installed by hand.
This innocuous sheet
tells assemblers
exactly which car
they are putting
together; weaponsgrade adhesive
is applied with
millimetric precision
to a windshield.
This is where soul
meets body. A newly
assembled 1.5L i-DTEC
diesel engine enters
its new home in the
nose of the Amaze.
51
bright lights tell no lies. every honda car built in
india travels down this busy production line, and
every one must face the most stringent of quality
tests before it’s deemed suitable for the showroom.
53  AUTOCAR INDIA SUPPLEMENT june 2013
chapter 05
birth
honda amaze
birth
AUTOCAR INDIA SUPPLEMENT june 2013  52
52
53
inspected, checked, scrutinised – a brand new
honda amaze steps off the production line.
a few FINAL diagnostic tests later, it’s on its
way to a showroom near you.
chapter 06
drive
honda amaze
drive
54
55
drive
56
honda amaze
drive
chapter 06
drive
Within just a few minutes, you realise
that the engineers at Honda have
delivered a peach of a diesel engine.
57
58
T
here are two ways to
evaluate a car. The first way is to look
at the numbers. The power output,
torque, acceleration figures, top
speed, fuel consumption, gear ratios
et al. But the figures tell you only half
the story. The second part of the story
is how these numbers translate to
on-road performance. How does the
car feel to drive? How does the car
make you feel? What is the car like
to live with? So let’s look beyond the
numbers and take Honda’s newest for
a drive. Will it amaze? Or not?
Waiting for us is not one but three
cars bearing the Amaze signature. But
with three suffixes. The first reads iVTEC. The second reads i-DTEC. And
the third has no badge differentiating
it, but it’s the automatic. Aside from
the badges, it’s difficult to tell the
diesel apart from the petrol.
Stand-out design.
There is no doubt that the Honda
Amaze stands apart from other cars
in the sub-four-metre segment due
to the cohesiveness of its design.
It doesn’t look like a truncated or
chopped version of some other car; in
fact, you can’t even tell that this is a
sub-four-metre saloon. The lines flow
smoothly over the Amaze’s nose on
to the elongated roof and down over
the boot. It looks positively attractive
with the two slashes across the side of
the car and the nicely-styled tail-lights.
So, it passes the first test. Yes, the car
looks nice and attractive. You don’t
need to make any excuses for its looks.
On the contrary, it’s a car you would
definitely flaunt.
Get behind the wheel of the
amaze and you will find
yourself getting comfortable
rather quickly.
honda amaze
drive
chapter 06
drive
59
60
Compact outside.
Spacious inside.
The Honda Amaze
combines the best of
both worlds.
honda amaze
drive
chapter 06
drive
Honda designers have engineered 60mm
more space between the Amaze’s front
and rear wheels as compared to the Brio.
Let’s take a look inside. Open
the door and step in. The first thing
you will notice is the amount of
space inside. Honda’s designers
have engineered 60mm more space
between the Amaze’s front and rear
wheels as compared to the Brio. They
have lengthened the wheelbase
to free more leg space for the
passengers. The longer wheelbase
also means longer doors. So the
older members in your family will
find it easier to get in and out of the
rear seats. The seats too are well
cushioned and the passengers are
made more comfortable with longer
armrests and door pockets. And don’t
forget there is a 400-litre boot behind
you to swallow all your luggage. But
our purpose here is to drive the car.
And for that we need to check out the
front seats.
Get behind the wheel and you
will find yourself getting comfortable
rather quickly. The driver’s seat
has height adjustment and holds
you comfortably even on long
journeys. The dashboard, with its
low cowl, gives you fantastic forward
visibility. The audio system and
61
air-con work efficiently to keep you
comfortable. The green ‘Eco’ light on
the instrument cluster starts glowing
happily when you are driving
economically and making every
drop of fuel count. Check out all the
controls, they fall easily to hand. It’s
time to go for a drive.
driven by diesel.
Let’s try out Honda’s 1.5L 100PS
Earth Dreams diesel first. Turn on
the ignition. The thick steering wheel
feels good to grip. Slot the gearlever
The Honda Amaze
proves that being
frugal doesn’t mean
it can’t be fun to
drive too.
honda
amaze
honda
amaze
30
30
To achieve such low fuel consumption with a 1.5L engine and
a 100PS is a monumental achievement. Honda has got it spot on.
into first, the clutch is nice and
light. The gearshifts are positive and
crisp. Within just a few minutes, you
realise that the engineers at Honda
have delivered a peach of an engine.
It has been tuned to be responsive
from the word go. Unlike many
diesels, there’s no delay between
you putting your foot down and the
car shooting forward. It starts pulling
well from as low as 1200rpm and
power flows in a seamless manner
all the way to 4000rpm. In fact, the
Amaze’s linear power delivery masks
its performance because there is no
sudden spike or surge of power. The
wide powerband makes the Amaze
really nice to drive in city traffic,
where you need a responsive engine.
You don’t need to shift gears as often
as in other diesel cars. And when you
show it an open stretch of road, the
Amaze gathers up its skirts and flies.
Like other Honda engines, there’s
life at the top-end of the powerband
too. Honda took a long time to come
up with a diesel engine. But after
driving it, you will agree that the
wait has been worth it. They have
got it spot on. The headline news
is its fuel efficiency, which is a
record breaking 25.8kpl in the
official Indian Driving Cycle. To
achieve such low fuel consumption
with a 1.5L engine and 100PS
of power is a monumental
achievement. The 1.5L i-DTEC
engine truly continues the Honda
tradition of making great engines.
The petrol buzz.
For the petrolheads, Honda offers
the fantastic 1.2L i-VTEC we saw
doing duty in the Brio to power their
newest compact sedan. How does
the petrol-powered Amaze do on
our roads? If you are an enthusiastic
driver, you will love the way it drives.
It’s a fast, strong performer and this
is apparent as soon as you wind
up the 1.2L four-cylinder engine
and let it stretch its legs. There
is a noticeable spike in power at
4500rpm and, like all Honda engines,
its snarl tells you that it enjoys
being wrung hard all the way to the
6500rpm redline. There is enough
performance on tap to give you a
nice little buzz. In fact, the Amaze
will hit a 100kph in just over 13
seconds. Impressed?
Honda is offering the petrol
Amaze with an automatic option. It’s
a great way to beat the stressful thrust
and parry of the rush-hour gridlock.
The auto ’box, with its sprightly and
energetic response at the tap of the
accelerator, is just what you need to
quickly close the gap as you weave
through traffic. You could call it
the point-and-shoot car. Yes, the
Honda Amaze automatic is great at
delivering ease of driving without
losing out on the fun.
It’s not just the engine or the
transmission that is the secret of a
great drive. The suspension plays a
major part too. And in India, with
its varied road conditions, from potholed tracks to smooth expressways,
the engineers had to get the setup right. And they have.
Honda has taken care
to give the Amaze good
ground clearance.
This keeps the car’s
underbody clean on the worst of
speed breakers, even with a full load.
The raised, long-travel suspension
also helps it ride well over our badly
built roads. What’s impressive
chapter 00
drive
honda amaze
drive
The five-speed
automatic gearbox
makes light work of
heavy traffic.
30
What also adds to the driving experience is the
steering, which, though electrically powerassisted, is quite accurate and well weighted.
is that the jacked up suspension
doesn’t compromise driving manners.
The Amaze feels well planted and
precise to punt around corners,
and this feeling of confidence and
poise remains even when you go
faster. What also adds to the driving
experience is the steering, which,
though electrically power-assisted, is
quite accurate and well weighted. It
is both light at low speeds and not
overly light as you go faster, which
really is nice.
Well, that’s a lot said. But to sum
it up, the Honda Amaze is everything
most people want, and need, in a car.
It looks good and the design belies
the fact that this is a sub-four-metre
sedan. The interiors are spacious
and comfortable. The engines are
powerful and economical. It comes
with a 2-year/40,000km warranty.
And now the service and spares are
also very competitively priced. You
can now enjoy driving and owning
a prestigious Honda car without
paying through your nose for it. In
short, Honda has delivered an
Amaze-ing car. n
65
verdict
Seems like Honda has mined
my thoughts. I like the looks
of it. Even the interior design
is very classy. But what I
like even more is the diesel
engine’s smooth nature and
how the Amaze runs.
chapter 06
drive
Atul Kapoor
Age 35
Businessman
66
I need a very spacious and
comfortable car and the
Amaze ticks both these
boxes. It’s a good looking
car too and I think the
boot has been very well
integrated into the design.
Ajit Mishra
Age 25
IT professional
Just the car for our Indian road
conditions. Not too big, nor
too small. In fact, the cabin
feels as spacious as any other
bigger sedan. But it’s the diesel
engine that is the highlight;
powerful and efficient.
honda amaze
verdict
Deepali Kapoor
Age 24
Marketing manager
67
Charu Sharma
Age 24
Sales professional
Seems like the perfect car for
g
someone like me. I enjoyed drivin
the Amaze and found it very
nimble and effortless to drive
y
around. Plus, the diesel’s efficienc
should make it economical too.
Siddhartha Handa
Age 27
Sales manager
Honda has given me just the car
I wanted. Wonderful to drive, it
feels rock solid on the road. The
diesel engine is a revelation; it
feels smooth and very powerful
throughout. I simply love it.
Priyanka Rathore
Age 22
Sales professional
I think the Amaze is the perfect
car for long drives and holidays.
The diesel’s economy and a large
boot are just the things you need.
The best bit is that it has all the
r.
trimmings that one wants in a ca
RNI NO 71739/99

size matters forged by fire dieseL debUt

Transcription

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