All New Honda Jazz i-DTec MT Driven

[Nuvo]

Thanks for the review with loads of pictures.

I am little underwhelmed by the new Jazz. The improvement over previous generation and contemporaries is little less than what was expected.

A. First the positive things:
1. Style: Given the mono-volume design of Jazz, it’s difficult to make this car a head turner. But the new gen Jazz is a great looking car, made possible by some excusive deign touches and powerful cuts all around. Arguably the best looking Honda presently in sale in India.
2. Gizmo: ACC, rear camera, touch screen ICE, console with eco-mode enabled illuminated rings are nice add on over previous models.
3. Ride quality: Improves considerably over previous gen which was pretty harsh at low speed.
4. CVT option: Given the crowded cities of our country, automatic transmission is the need of the hour.
5. Price of petrol models: within i20 range except of VX which is slightly higher (deservingly).
6. Space: The USP of earlier Jazz is retained.

B. Things which are disappointing:
1. Glove box, centre console design, gear knob: Earlier car had 2 glove boxes, funky centre console and a nice golf ball type gear lever. New car has only one glove box, eccentric centre console (without any design symmetry) and a horrible looking gear knob. These small things take out the feel good factor of the car.
2. No change in petrol engine: Since this engine is more than 5 years old, I wish Honda had tweaked the engine too either boost up power or low end torque.
3. Diesel engine refinement leaves much to desire.
4. CVT is not offered in top model.
5. Magic seats which are synonymous with Jazz are not offered across the variants.

C. What should have been offered:
In its last avatar, Jazz was the best non-luxury hatchback money could buy in India. It was ahead of the nearest rivals i.e. i20 in terms of space, engine (power and refinement), dynamics and offered comparable feature list (especially after facelift in 2011).

But to meet price of i20, Honda has compromised and the end result could have been better. Instead Honda should have retailed its tag for best hatchback buy adopting the following strategy:

1. Eliminate E, S & V model and re-jig the models as S(with safety), present VX and VX with auto
2. Give safety features from the lower variant and make a statement.
3. Magic seats across the variants.
4. Diff between S & VX should have been: alloy wheel, rear camera, non-touch ICE, ACC.
5. VX with auto should have 2 options, normal model with 1.2 L engine and RS model with body kit and 1.5 L engine from City.
Indian market has been maturing rapidly. The pricing and model strategy of Honda could have worked in 2007 and would backfire now. A significant percentage of young Indians do not want to perceive things as per historical mindset and are more inclined to make a statement by themselves. That is why cars like Polo GT is seeing good demand and that is why i20 is outselling Xcent. Examples are plenty but we need to scratch the surface to see the trend.

In short, Honda should have projected Jazz as a premium hatch and demand the premium over i20 due to following factors:
1. Space,
2. Magic seats
3. Better engine
4. Automatic with paddle shifts.

D. Comparison with i20
All said and done, does Jazz make a good case over i20. Yes if you look for better engineering and no if you look for creature comfort. Presently lot many negativities are floating against Jazz bloated no doubt by some stupid observations by TBHP moderators in their review (E.g. how petrol engine of i20 is even better than Jazz).
I20 although improved by leap and bounds over the last gen model, still fall short on the following parameters:
• Boot space and passenger room
• Magic seat flexibility and practicality
• Steering/handling confidence
• Ride quality
• Engine power (petrol)
• Useful feature like FE (avg and Inst. ) and DTE indicators
• Better OEM sound system
• Better front seats
But on other feel good features i20 dominates and hence is a hit with masses. Also importantly many of its drawback/Jazz advantages are not instantaneously tangible. For example, it’s easy to show off auto headlamp but is it easy to show the improved dynamics of Jazz. No way.

E. Conclusion:
Hence, I believe i20 would comfortably clock 10k+ monthly figures in the present scenario (discounting the Creta/S Cross factor which could play a critical part in future). And for Jazz, a 3k figure should be what the Honda could potentially achieve, at the most.
Even with the changes outlined in C above, I guess Honda could have achieved this mark, albeit with better margin and reputation.

 

[souvikjana83]

Awesome Review. Deserves 5 star rating

I went to Honda Showroom in Pune to get a look and feel of the Jazz. I loved the exterior design of the car. Its definitely better than the duck beak design of the Elite i20. The interior is practical and one definitely gets most of the things that one want. Although its not as good as those of the Elite i20 and the i20 will definitely score good points over the Jazz on Interiors. The USP of Jazz are the Space and the Magic Seats and I definitely felt the Magic Seats should be there across all variants. Wont cost Honda anything extra. Also since its so spacious inside, it doesn't feel claustrophobic as it was the case with the i20. The boot was just amazing and no other hatch can give that much space. Also the safety features are there from mid variants and that is very much needed.

I took TD of the diesel 1.5 VX MT. I read that it become very noisy inside the cabin due to the high noise levels of the diesel engine. But I personally didnt find any. Only when I pushed the engine to higher rpm, I heard the happy revvs of the engine. The engine is responsive and it will be a good drive on the highways. City drive will also be ok although one might need to change gear a bit more at lower rpms. Nonetheless it is a good choice and if someone want to drive the vehicle for long drives the diesel will be the best option. The FE of 27.3 is another plus point.

However I felt the price difference of 1.3L is quite high between the petrol and diesel versions and will make people to think twice. Also some of the cost cutting was quite evident and Honda shouldnt have done that (no start stop button and the cap instead, hanging USB wires).

I have not taken the TD for the Petrol so I cant comment on that. Planning to do that next week.

Thanks for the review with loads of pictures.

I am little underwhelmed by the new Jazz. The improvement over previous generation and contemporaries is little less than what was expected.

Totally agree with you. Its like we all want to love the Jazz but Honda is making it difficult to do so . I was waiting for this launch to happen for such a long time and then it fizzled out. Well I will drive my spark a bit more till Honda upgrades the Jazz with at least some of the feedback it will get from its users.

 

[Akash1886]

I took TD of the diesel 1.5 VX MT. I read that it become very noisy inside the cabin due to the high noise levels of the diesel engine. But I personally didnt find any. Only when I pushed the engine to higher rpm, I heard the happy revvs of the engine.

Buddy thanks for the appreciation! I too drove the Diesel one and VX trim. Respecting your feedback, I would like to say, in comparison to present day Diesel Hatchbacks (baring Celerio Diesel), the 1.5 L I-dtec (being carried from present gen Honda City) does need lot of refinement in terms of NVH as its pretty evident. NVH of i-Dtec for me is one big drawback. Also, as the Jazz shares its platform with the Honda City, so even those who own i-Dtec CITY shall agree with the fact that NVH of their Honda CITY i-Dtec is on higher side.

Regards

Akash

 

[souvikjana83]

Buddy thanks for the appreciation! I too drove the Diesel one and VX trim. Respecting your feedback, I would like to say, in comparison to present day Diesel Hatchbacks (baring Celerio Diesel), the 1.5 L I-dtec (being carried from present gen Honda City) does need lot of refinement in terms of NVH as its pretty evident. NVH of i-Dtec for me is one big drawback. Also, as the Jazz shares its platform with the Honda City, so even those who own i-Dtec CITY shall agree with the fact that NVH of their Honda CITY i-Dtec is on higher side.

Regards

Akash

Might be. I have not driven the City Diesel so won't be able to comment on that. However my personal opinion was that the noise didn't bother me much. What was more concerning to me was the price difference between the petrol and the diesel versions and that whether it will make sense to buy the diesel.

Given the current fuel prices, it will take the diesel 60k kms before it will become profitable. Unless one is driving 50-100 kms everyday, it really dont make sense to buy the diesel. However the petrol is underpowered and sluggish and the 1.5 iVTEC should have been there. Hence if I want to buy the Jazz I will be confused on whether to compromise on money or ride in traffic . Also there is no VX with the CVT and I just cant think of any reason why.

As I said earlier, I want to love the Jazz but Honda is making it very difficult for me to do so.

 

[Akash1886]

What was more concerning to me was the price difference between the petrol and the diesel versions and that whether it will make sense to buy the diesel.

Absolutely right. Diesel Jazz is commanding an insane premium.

Given the current fuel prices, it will take the diesel 60k kms before it will become profitable. Unless one is driving 50-100 kms everyday, it really dont make sense to buy the diesel. if I want to buy the Jazz I will be confused on whether to compromise on money or ride in traffic.

Well lets take an example here buddy: Considering a daily use of 50 Km so in a month it becomes 30x50 = 1500 km which annually comes to 18K Kms. Hence for attaining the profitability of diesel car in Jazz one needs to keep it for minimum of 3 years and some months for clocking 60K on ODO. Now seeing the general trend, in 3-4 years of time, any car shall go under wear and tear, will also not be covered in Warranty (until of-course extended warranty is there) and the depreciation will also be there. So, if as a example again we assume a monthly depreciation on Jazz to be 4K then annually it comes to 48k or round figure 50K so in 3 years the Jazz would be depreciated by 1.5 Lacs. So, in case some one buys a model of Jazz that shall cost 7 Lac on road for example then in 3 years it would cost 5.5 Lac which makes the owner often think that in 3-4 years it is right time to start the search for a alternative because after 3-4 years the re-sale of any car becomes pretty low and its difficult to strike a good deal. Moreover, if by chance a face-lift comes up in 3-4 years then further the value of present model will fall. Honda is pretty fast in getting a face-lift! Honda City has seen so many face-lifts since 2011. Therefore, profitability of owning a car does not solely depends on the type of fuel it uses. It also depends on many more things.

Also there is no VX with the CVT and I just cant think of any reason why.

Well, Honda is not a Aladdin's Ginny who fulfills all the wishes of the master. If Honda gives CVT in Diesel, then who'll ever by their petrol CVT? If one gets 1.5 L Diesel engine, Auto transmission, better FE, magic seat and stuff then why would any one pay for a lesser power petrol engine with CVT? Therefore, keeping the target audience in mind, Honda etched out the variant line up which is OK.

Regards

Akash

 

[Nuvo]

Honda iDtec is a new engine. Hence due to less depreciation and to recover initial investment (including R&D cost), Honda has no other option but to price it higher in the initial period.

Ivtec is on the other hand is an old engine and all tools, die etc. might have completely depreciated by now. So Honda can price it sensibly.

This is the only reason I could think of about the glaring price difference between petrol and diesel models.

 

[rselva]

I agree that Jazz diesel is overpriced ,and so are higher Petrol trims - when compared to main competition. Potential Jazz customers should be happy with higher price as we all know Honda production capacity is so low when compared to Hyundai and Maruthi that if Jazz prices were to undercuts, say, i20 , there will be a looong waiting period due to low production capacity of Honda. I think Honda has priced the lower trims of Jazz right taking it's production capacity and it's target audience.

 

[souvikjana83]

If I am someone who would want to buy a car today and would like to have practicality, good boot and honda reliability, I would definitely think to buy the Amaze than Jazz. It runs great and have 400 ltrs of boot and cost less than the Jazz. Looks wise and features wise it is as good as the jazz. The magic seats will be missing but you get a sedan over a hatch at lesser price with more boot space and great ride.

 

[Ajay Sreedhar]

If I am someone who would want to buy a car today and would like to have practicality, good boot and honda reliability, I would definitely think to buy the Amaze than Jazz. It runs gr8 and have 400 ltrs of boot and cost less than the Jazz. Looks wise and features wise it is as good as the jazz. The magic seats will be missing

With all respect to your views, will you get the same premium feel of the jazz in amaze? And the seats, don't the broader seats of jazz hold you better than the thinner seats of amaze/brio?

but you get a sedan over a hatch at lesser price with more boot space and gr8 ride.

City would be a proper sedan. No I am not starting a debate

 

[BJPL]

What I feel really positive about Jazz is, in addition to space and practicality, it offers ABS+ Airbags(passenger & Driver) from the SV (P) trim which is priced around 7.4 lakh OTR. It may be missing some fancy 'features', but these safety features may save your life and money.
What I really miss in Jazz is speed sensitive auto lock and height adjustable seat belts.

 

[nishant5858]

What I feel really positive about Jazz is, in addition to space and practicality, it offers ABS Airbags(passenger & Driver) from the SV (P) trim which is priced around 7.4 lakh OTR. It may be missing some fancy 'features', but these safety features may save your life and money.
What I really miss in Jazz is speed sensitive auto lock and height adjustable seat belts.

Add to that a better petrol engine and more efficient diesel engine. It also rides & handles better then i20. Overall I feel the Jazz is better car then i20, but many won't agree with that.

Regarding Auto lock, it is there in Jazz though Seatbelts cannot be height adjusted. But it won't make much difference, I have Rapid & it too has height adjustable seatbelts but I have rarely adjusted it. So it's of no use for me at least.

 

[allhyundaicars]

that's a nice write up and detailed review akash obviously my review will not be as extensive as your's but still would like to share my experience.

i TD the petrol jazz today since my father was thinking of replacing his i10. so i thought why not check the 2 new stars , the jazz and the elite i20.
first i went to ring road honda located near paschim vihar. the showroom itself was huge plus the service area.
loads and loads of space just like their cars :P





anyways , since there was so much crowd me and my friend were walking around checking the 2 variants of the jazz and i also checked the brio. anyways after 10 minutes i saw the receptionist and asked her for the adviser to show us the car.

meanwhile i sat in the jazz and the interiors seemed ok to me. i fixed the front seat according to my preference and then sat back and i was so surprised to see the available space. i'm 5"11 BTW :P



the adviser came we went on a TD . the model was VMT. sorry no pics of the TD Model.

anyways i heard that the petrol seems lethargic under 2500 rpm. i took the car out of the service lane and the car seemed fine to me. i said to myself it isn't that bad.

then the main road started and i was shocked to see the acceleration of this car this was not lethargic but pathetic. i pressed the accelerator as hard as i could and in the 3rd gear the car hardly moved. no response whatsoever.
this would be troublesome to operate in delhi traffic or any traffic.
only after 2500 rpm the car moved.
came back after 15 minutes of TD and i was interested in the petrol S model.
i gave a chance to the jazz because the JAZZ SMT varaint and ELite i20 magna Variant both costed the same and both has equal amount of features where jazz has rear defogger and elite i20 has cool glove box useless according to me.

some random pics and the price list is also attached.

some points
* odd gear knob
*there were 3 cars ready for delivery saw 4 jazz , all white in color and watching 6 jazz in the showroom made me thinking why they have displayed so many cars.
*seat cushioning was good.

 

[Akash1886]

that's a nice write up and detailed review akash obviously my review will not be as extensive as your's but still would like to share my experience.

i TD the petrol jazz today since my father was thinking of replacing his i10.

Buddy, your inputs are as much important as mine or any of our fellow buddies. A review may be written by one person but a collective effort makes it success.

Regards

Akash

 

[nishant5858]

then the main road started and i was shocked to see the acceleration of this car this was not lethargic but pathetic. i pressed the accelerator as hard as i could and in the 3rd gear the car hardly moved. no response whatsoever.
this would be troublesome to operate in delhi traffic or any traffic.
only after 2500 rpm the car moved.

At what speed were you in 3rd gear ?

 

[allhyundaicars]

At what speed were you in 3rd gear ?

Car was near 35kmph. And i guess till 50 it didn't move.