[urajkumar]

After spending hours and hours on all Team BHP and other Auto sites waiting for Scoops for my perfect vehicle to come by, I finally decided to give up the chase and take the vehicle which ticked most boxes for my needs. Almost sounds like every guys pre-marriage woes

Before I jump in, I would like to get nostalgic about my previous affairs..eh...cars

Swift : Fondly called as Modern age ambassador by my drivers for its comfort and ease of usage. Perfect city vehicle and such a rev happy petrol engine, truly was a gem. It was quite a looker too & sold it at a fabulous resale value (Initial Cost:5.2 lakhs | Sold after 4 years for 3.75 lakhs).

[urajkumar]

Ford Ecosport: A lot has been said about my Ecosport choice in my ownership thread. Retrospectively speaking, I should have waited for the Automatic which I had initially booked and I would have still had it with me till 2017. It was a good car and always got a second glance from everyone. Again was sold at a good resale value considering ford had continued to raise the cost from initial days which made it a win-win to both me & buyer (Initial Cost: 8.5 lakhs | sold after 2 years for 6.75 lakhs)

[urajkumar]

A big thanks to the official Jazz thread which like a typical TeamBHP review is exhaustive and very articulate. I assure you my thread cannot hold a candle to the official thread and I am not even going to try it. I am a man of few words and so I have listed the points in a brief manner and hopefully helps similar people like me to lookout for specific things while doing a test drive to make an informed decision.

Requirements
I had sold my Ecosport in a hurry partly due to CRETA launch and also since I didnt want to spend on insurance and 2 year service when I know I am going to sell it soon. Since I had a Grand i10 AT at my disposal for some time, I was in no hurry and I started researching for my next vehicle. My requirements were as below

1) Safety - Something I sorely missed in both my previous cars but with 2 kids now, certainly the most important aspect
2) Automatic - In todays traffic its a nust have
3) Good ride Quality, rear space and comfort: As a family of 6 footers, rear space was important and so was ride quality
4) Features: Auto folding side mirrors was a must. So was Start button and keyless entry was mandatory
5) it must turn heads..at least a few

Alternatives Considered
So i kept researching & waiting for the perfect car only to be disappointed by various car launches.

1) CRETA: Didn't seem like an upgrade from Ecosport considering I was asked to pay double the cost for the diesel automatic.
2) XUV facelist didnt have Automatic which otherwise was perfect to me. By the time I finished the thread the AT has been launched but at almost double the cost of the Jazz I am not sure if I would bought it for my city based usage.
3) Polo GT didnt have rear space and recent VW woes kept me away
4) Baleno: Eagerly waited but Maruti broke my heart with the CVT Automatic launched in the second lowest version.

It was disheartening to see that automatics were never available in top trim and I wondered why car makers didn't leave the choice to customers. I am very sure there are customers like me who don't mind paying for the bells and whistles in an automatic. I had initially considered the Altis /Elantra too but now I decided it was going to be a hatch back as we have bigger cars at home for my rare highway drives and I didn't see the value of spending so much money on a city car. After the Baleno launch realized It was no use waiting for Maruti to launch the CVT in top version considering the huge waiting list. With the CRETA & i20 runaway success, also realized absolutely no chance of CRETA petrol AT or i20 AT in next 1 year.

Why "Nothing else is a Jazz"
1) My city car needs to be a hatchback: By now I was used to the Grand i-10 (which kind of was perfect except the lack of safety options) and it made me realize the convenience of a hatchback in the city for parking and driving in bumper to bumper traffic which was my primary requirement.

2) Why Jazz - I had never considered the Jazz so far since we already have a Brio at home and I didn't want to spend so much on a 1.2 liter engine in a bigger car as it will be lethargic. However I read an ad about the Jazz CVT in Autocar magazine having both a torque converter plus CVT which prompted me to take a Jazz test drive. Now I took a test drive and was happy with the driveability & ease. Mind you it is no GT but certainly felt brisk and good to drive in the city. I must also confess the possibility of being domesticated by the docile Grand i-10 by now too.

The only fly in the ointment was lack of Start/Stop button and key-less entry which after a lot of though I decided to give up. The Magic seats, touch screen were not important to me & I was happy that rest of all features was present in the V version which sealed the deal.

Booking Experience
Being a BHPian I also knew nothing interesting was coming up in this segment for next year after Baleno and so I decided to take immediate delivery. I didn't look at the Honda City since the Jazz is made of same platform of City albeit without the Boot, 1.5 liter engine and cruise control etc all of which cost around 4 lakhs more and considering this is only a city car I didn't need these as well.

Hence I called all Honda dealers looking for a Silver V CVT (1.2 I-VTEC) and luckily one of the dealers had a customer who postponed his buy by a month and that car was immediately available. I negotiated a lot and managed to get free seat cover, mud flaps and foot mats which i guess by some of the comments in the Jazz thread was a lot. All these efforts for the kick one gets in these small wins. Total on road cost was INR 9,38,000 inclusive of the extended warrant, Road Side assistance but excluding accessories. I checked the VIN and confirmed it was a Sep manufactured vehicle.

However the sales experience at Maansarovar Honda was nothing great with me following up all the time till I shot an email to the senior management after which everything wen smooth. The SBI Loan was processed at 3 hours flat and this was from a so called lethargic govt owned bank. Another special mention on SBI again, I got my NOC, Form XX etc for my Ecosport foreclosure in 2 hours flat - truly SBI has come a long way!

The good and bad about its features: In the Automatic Hatchback segment the Jazz is probably the mostly loaded vehicle.

- Auto Folding ORVM
- Airbags & EBD
- Paddle shifters (Even GT does not offer this)
- Blue Tooth, USB and charging point
- Automatic Climate Control
- Driver Seat height adjuster (Baleno offers this only in Top trip which to me is not acceptable)
- Rear de-fogger, wiper
- Driver side one touch window with Pinch gaurd
- Rear view camera with 2 views - Yes its 2 and not 3 since there is hardly any difference between first 2 but the top down view is an excellent addition
- Advanced Multi-Information Combination Meter with Eco Assist Ambient Meter Rings, range, Avg efficiency display etc

There are some significant misses for this segment too
- Start/Stop Button was a huge miss for me since I am used to the convenience in Grand i10. Honda should have offered this.
- The USP of Jazz magic seats not available in a big miss for many but since I hardly have any use for the same does not matter to me.
- While I didn't want the touch music system since I prefer the button systems, it will be a miss for many
- Missing cruise control but not important to me since this is only a city car
- Navigation is a miss, a convenience I surely miss
- Wish Honda had given a DRL & projectors like Baleno. That is a must have for me and my attempt to add a DRL accessory has not come out well

Safety & related equipment
- 2 Airbags - though a part of me wanted 6 airbags. Still fine since this was strictly a city car with 95% being driven only by me
- EBD
- ACE Body structure, where there is a lot of debate on Latin Ncap crash rating I am quite confident the India Jazz must be equally good

Exterior styling & design
In my eyes it looks fabulous, futuristic and SLICK (and so the name) ! In terms of looks i rank i20 --> Jazz --> Baleno. In terms of fit & finish, the Jazz is probably not as good as Hyundai but certainly better than Baleno which feels a little tacky in some places. However in the end with Automatic being the most important choice, the Jazz wins hands down for being a jack of all trades but master of none.

So I asked my 4 year son "how do you like our new Car?" Pat comes the immediate reply "pa the van looks really nice" I looked back at the Jazz again! Signnn ... yes it does look like a shrunken Innova. The perspective these kids nowadays have.

Wheels & tyres
The puny MRF tyres (sadly I didn't get bridgestones) and bland alloys didn't appeal to me and I always upgrade my alloys & tyres since it makes a very good difference in comfort and elevates the look. Hence i upgraded to Michelin Primacy 3 ST 196-60R15 which is a wider tyre but almost same diameter. Initially I found the ride to be bouncy which I suspected to be over inflation. I checked and it was at 44 PSI which I changed it to 32 (Front Wheels) and 30 (back wheels) after which it now glides over all potholes. This is certainly a time to test the ride quality in chennai and the Jazz has come out in flying colors. After a lot of research I preferred the Primacy 3ST (ST- Silent Tires) since I wanted a good ride quality and usage is very less. Being a soft compound the tyres are expected to wear out sooner but since I find ride quality very important in the city and am quite sure I would have sold my car before it crosses 40k I went ahead with this option instead of XM2 or Pilot sport 3.

Interior space & comfort
Space, Space and more Space all over. The huge windshield, windows, legroom all add to a very comfortable place for the family. This was the most important factor which tilted me from Polo GT to Jazz. My wife & kids are happy with space & headroom on offer. However I still wish I had a chance to experience the Magic seats which I believe are much better. Its almost insane that none of the manufactures offer a complete Automatic hatchback package to customers and decide for themselves. However the market is improving and AT in all cars as an option is not too far away. Hopefully the next car i buy is a complete buy with zero compromises.

Driving ergonomics
The more I drive, the more I feel the front seats are not positioned right in the Jazz. The steering should have been adjustable for both rake and reach instead of just one. Also the front seats don't travel back very far which results in my left leg being slightly bent all the time being a 6 footer. So I am still unsuccessfully trying different combinations to get this right. It has left me wondering if the limited front seat movement is one reason for huge rear space. Please ensure that during your test drive, you check for your sitting comfort with a long drive. The height adjust works ok but it is limited and should have had more play.

Air conditioner, Audio system & sound quality
The Automatic climate control works well and touch screen option is quite nice. The AC chills quickly but with the never ending rains in chennai last week, need to test this over a period of time to comment more. The swipe option for Fan and temperature is nice and I never felt the lack of button controls so far as I keep it on Auto mode and dont have to adjust after that in my limited usage.

The Audio system blue tooth is the best I have seen compared to Grand i10 or Ford - it connects instantly when you sit inside and shows battery level, signal strength etc which are very cool. However when I try to read the contacts, it says the version is not compatible which didn't happen initially. I must delete and reconnect but I guess I will lose the speed dail options which is an easy way to connect to your home and friends whom you mostly call. How I wish i could operate the dialing also from the steering since you can only connect or disconnect the call using the steering buttons. So making a call from your list requires you to take your hand off the steering which should have been configured in the steering itself.

The sound quality seems on par with the market though I wish the speakers were a little clearer. The options given for shuffle / Repeat etc on the screen is easy and steering mounted controls are easy to operate. I have saved all FM channels and USB is read immediately. All in all seems like a decent system so far. I am someone who needs good music and not very particular on the finer nuances which I have seen lot of people are good at.

Engine performance & CVT
The CVT -1.2 I-vtec combo is a different animal in the Jazz CVT compared to the Brio AT. Trust me when I say that since we have a Brio MT at home and my friend has Brio AT which I have driven. The Jazz feels much better and smoother to drive. Start the car and you will have to check if it has started because its that silent. Press the accelerator and you will see it move slowly forward with a micro second lag in a linear manner. Try pushing it hard and you will feel the lag during gear changes but then again this is not a car to be pushed for speed. However it is far better than the Grand i10 and Brio Automatic. Since this is going to be a city car, I have not felt the need for more power so far and Paddle shifters might never be used. I don't see a big different in the S mode and guess the Paddle shifters would have been useful only if there was a 1.5 i-VTEC inside. If you are thinking you can use S mode/Paddle for spirited highway driving, please don't.

However to me this is a perfect city AT car with adequate power. Big cheers to Honda for not using the AT (torque converter) from the Brio which would have been cheaper for Honda. Thankfully they mated the CVT from City in the Jazz. Oh Yes I too wish for the 1.5 petrol engine from the City but knowing that's could bump up the cost to 12 lakhs, I still feel this is a very good compromise. The entire drive experience is like any Honda - Smooth, Quite and Refined. However It is certainly not fast like a GT and or feels connected to the road like a Ford.

Overall NVH levels, Fuel efficiency
The Jazz is very quite. I can see a lot of effort to put rubber beading's all round and it seems to be working. So far with my limited driving, avg fuel efficiency is 9.5 KMPL. However I hope it improves after the first service. The Green color in the Speedometer and real time efficiency indicator are useful. I wonder how much will it cost Honda to put a petrol sticker in the fuel Lid considering they are also offering the Diesel - Yes its missing and I frantically run every time i fuel up to inform the attendant its Petrol. I must add my own sticker soon.

Suspension, Handling & ride quality
The suspension is excellent and ride quality has drastically improved after the tire upgrade. When we were all drifting around in chennai ocean last week, the Jazz was gliding over the potholes without any hassel, a very feeble THUDs through only on the big holes. Since I have been confined in the city, it is too early to comment on Handling but I dont expect it to be a scorcher from my initial assessment. For those who think ride quality is most important, try upgrading your basic OEM car tires to a premium brand like Michelin Primacy 3ST or Conti MC5 at least once and you will be a convert thereafter.

Steering & Braking
The Steering looks premium with the silver inserts and its great to touch due to the leather. Its a typical Honda steering with a feather touch effort but it does not feel connected enough with the road which is again a typical Honda trait. How I wish they included rest of the steering button options available in abroad models but ah well we are a developing country still in Honda eyes. Braking seems effective in the city so far but yet to test them outside the city.

Ground clearance
Very good Ground clearance. Like I said we were wading through Chennai ocean, the Jazz sailed through with flying colors. No water entered the car and didn't scrape anywhere. They seem to have learnt about Indian market from their City Launch earlier. Guess the Jazz might never face another situation more demanding like last week and it certainly passed.

[urajkumar]

Considering the official review was comprehensive as every TeamBHP review is, I have mentioned a small crisp review for ease of consumption. I have driven around 300 KM so far. My daily usage is around 10 KM in city traffic.

Excellent
1) 2 Airbags, ABS & EBD. The much talked about ACE structure, pedestrian injury prevention etc are all confidence inspiring
2) Decent power for an automatic. Except for the tiny lag during initial throttle, I didn't feel the need for more power in the city. The highway experience will be different but I am quite sure my Jazz might never see the highway. My friend who has an Brio AT was amazed at the smoothness, pickup and said the 1.2 engine seems to be a different beast in the Jazz. I agree.
3) Almost all bells and whistles are available in this automatic barring start-stop button and keyless entry. To quote a few Paddle shifters, Bluetooth connectivity (which shows battery level, network etc - Cool), Music system, Auto folding ORVMs, Automatic climate control and music system display etc are good. Green Eco mode surround light is a good touch - guess no other automatic car in this range offers so much which is why I heard 50% of Jazz petrol cars are the Automatics. A big miss by the Baleno and i20 who are so far not effected anyway.
4) Space and more space, something the Jazz has always been known for and that still holds good. This was the single influencing factor between Polo GT and Jazz for me - with 2 kids I didn't want them to be suffocated in the rear seats.
5) Its always Silent inside the car. Nothing penetrates the Jazz
6) It is smoooooth. I cant explain why but feels like driving a electric toy car. The steering, engine, ride comfort. Everything feels butter smooth. you have to ride this car to understand what I am saying. Some might not like it but I love it

Good
1) The Touch screen AC is decent and not difficut to use as read from many comments. Auto Climate works well and no compliants so far
2) Brakes effective with enough bite & gives good control
3) Fuel efficiency so far is shown around 10 KMPL but I guess I will have to wait for first service
4) I saw few comments on seats not being comfortable but I found them to be good. Especially found the back/lumbar support good.
5) Interior quality and buttons are of premium quality
6) Good large side mirrors which give good vision
7) Well thought out cubby holes and the one next to steering is very useful
8) Good Ground clearance.

Bad
1) The start-stop button should have been there. The missing button area in dashboard is a ugly reminder of Honda cost cutting in India.
2) Why not offer the RS version of Honda CVT with 1.5 liter engine than this 1.2 engine? This one is a gripe against the govt nonsensical rules more than anything. If I had the power, I would have given excise duty benefits basis the fuel efficiency, emission levels & crash testing scores instead
3) The Automatic should indicate the mode chosen by a light indicator - I keep slotting the gear into S mode instead of D - I somehow didn't face this in other automatics cars I have driven. Weird
4) Fit & finish not on par with Hyundai I guess. The bonnet for example kinds of flows over the headlamp and there is a gap seen which should have been tight
5) The black finish around the music system is a finger print magnet. Honda should have given something better.
6) The auto folding ORVM works only with the car switched on. having been used to Grand i10 where it closes when you lock the door, I keep forgetting to close the ORVM and always have to step back into the car and close. At least Honda should have allowed the button to work even if car is switched off.
7) The steering buttons should ideally help us navigate through the menu. For example If i need to call, I have to search from the list using the system buttons. When you read the manual, it is all the more infuriating to see many more options given in the steering for the south africa models.
8) Honda not offering the RED / Sky Blue color is another miss. I think these are brilliant colors for a car like Jazz and it would have attracted a lot of young crown. The orange somehow does not cut it in my opinion
9) Honda in my opinion has over priced the Jazz by 50k. It could have been better priced but then it would have become so common like the i20 which is the only silver lining. All said and done, this Jazz unlike the previous generation will not be a failure.
10) The under thigh support in the rear as many mentioned could have been better. Still my wife has not complained and chances of me sitting back is almost NIL.

Ugly
1) The A-Pillar creates quite a blind stop for me, not sure if others felt it but in spite of quarter glass i was not comfortable with the view especially during the night.
2) Missing the telescopic rake/reach adjustment for the steering. Just height adjustment is not enough. The seats not having full range add to the problem and so I don't feel like I have got the best seating position possible.
4) I am 6'1 and I strongly feel that my left leg needs more space to rest but the seat is not going back any further and this could be a big issue in long drives. Is that how Jazz has achieved the rear leg room? hmmmm please check this while doing your test drive.

The extra toppings

I always try a little bit to make my car stand out from other cars even if its in a small way, so here is the list of accessories what I have added so far

1) Seat Cover - basis my experience in Ecosport fabric where it was tuff to clean dirt marks. This along with mudflaps and footmats were given by Honda
2) Fog Light - DRL (INR 7500) - Not happy with quality of this accessory from Honda
3) Rear parking Sensors in addition to camera which I always find more useful (INR 6500) - Good stuff from Honda
4) Osram Night breakers @ MotoMall (INR 2000).
5) Beige Arm rest to match the seat covers - Ordered on aliexpress and got ti delivered in less than 10 days. excellent packing and service (INR 4700)
6) Lenso Alloys exchanged with Honda Jazz alloys for a differential amount of INR 17000. People with a keen eye would have noticed from my previous car pictures that I have a fetish for alloys.
7) Upgraded to Michelin Primacy3ST 19560R15 in exchange for OEM MRF typrs at differential amount of INR 12000 - Tyre and alloy upgrade done at Raja tyres, chennai who is just excellent and very helpful. The ride initially seemed bouncy till i checked to see that they were inflated to 44 PSI. I then changed to 32 for front tires and 30 for back tires after which the Jazz seems to glide over potholes with hardly any noise and the Thud noise is very minimal. All in all its a very good investment for the upgrade.
8) lastly all our cars in our family have mirror /fancy numbers. However this time the number series running was not helpful and so I settled for 4546 at a cost of INR 16000.

[urajkumar]

So anyway enough of the long story which is repetitive & boring. I will share some pics which I guess will say the story better. After all a picture is worth a thousand words.

I know the current Jazz official review thread is already kind of silent but I still wanted to create my report to help the few buyers like me who are looking for an automatic hatch. Kindly do let me know if you have any queries and I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities.

Everything put together the on-road cost of the car is around 10 Lakhs and I can confidently say that in the hatchback Automatic segment where you are looking at a comfortable, spacious, feature packed, safe car with a good resale value & service experience, this is the best Automatic family hatchback available in the market at the moment until i-20 or Baleno decide to up the ante. Please note the emphasis on the work 'family'. For a bachelor the Polo GT would be much better option & I also didn't include AMT cars as I personally don't consider AMTs as equal to automatic - that is just my opinion please.

Last but not the least I must thank Aditya and GTO for refusing to move my initial threads from Assembly line to the Forum insisting I give more details to help more TeamBHPians and public. I traveled back to my school days where my teacher used to return my bullet point essays with a similar comment. Honestly speaking, hats off to the moderators who in spite of their busy lives ensure the quality of the forum is always maintained.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Piyush46]

Hey,
Congratulations on your new ride. Jazz is an outstanding VFM car as per my view. Wish you a lot of happy mile munching.

My friend has the old jazz and it has always impressed me with the amount of space and comfort it offers.

Thankfully they mated the CVT from City in the Jazz.

Is the rubber band effect present there in the jazz ?
Asking so because have driven my friend's city CVT and it has that typical rubber band effect.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by urajkumar

Try pushing it hard and you will feel the lag during gear changes but then again this is not a car to be pushed for speed.

There is nothing like 'gear changes' in CVT as there are no steps/fixed gear ratios, rather you have contentiously variable gear ratio, which is why it feels smooth. But the problem is the 'rubber band effect' where the car doesn't accelerate in proportion with the pace of engine climbing the rev range.

[GKMahajan]

Dear urajkumar,

You are setting a high standard for the review. I am going to have a tough time with my review.

I came across a lot of threads where there is a variation of opinions on the tire changing options and its effect on the warranty. Did you check with your dealer - whether the warranty is still valid with the tire size change?

Another point - I think it is interesting that many others think that the Magic Seats were required in the CVT. I am one of those who is not attracted by that feature - which seems to be your opinion too. Not that I would not have taken it! Just that it is not a deal killer.

Girish Mahajan

[Flanker99]

Hi urajkumar. First of all, a very well put together ownership thread.

Was curious about one thing though. Is the DRL an official Honda accessory that was offered by your dealership or did you source it from abroad? If it's the latter doesn't it affect your warranty in anyway?

And can you please elaborate as to why you are not satisfied with the quality? Is it the build quality you are referring to or is the light not bright enough?

[jvm_1986]

Hi urajkumar,
Congrats on the Jazz CVT. I think I have seen the car few days back. The alloys look really good on road. Nice to see you listening to a song from one of my favourite movies. Wishing you many fuss free miles with the Jazz

[nitninja]

Hi there and congratulations for your new acquisition, should say alloys look brilliant on the car. We met at raja tyres and I was the guy with white polo,hope you remember me.

[praveen_v]

Congrats urajkumar on your new ride. I have to say that this is one terrific ownership report. I started off initially trying to skim through and read it fully later, but I was glued to it and read it completely. Very nicely composed and even covers smaller but important details regarding which the official review could not cover.

Very nice to hear that it did well during the recent rains. That was one really testing time for all the cars on road.

The TBHP review says that the windows can be rolled up even after switching off the engine but before opening any doors. Can you check if the same applies to the auto folding mirrors too as you mentioned it doesnt work after switching off the engine?

Can you also let us know a bit more on the DRL from honda? They look good from the pics. Why do you think it is Bad?

Regarding the armrest from aliexpress, can you comment on the fit and finish? Is it fitting firmly in the slot or will it shake/come loose after a while? Are they worth buying?

[viv_cal]

Hi urajkumar! Congrats for your new ride and thanks for an excellent review!

The alloys have totally transformed the look of this already awesome looking vehicle. As asked by others, i too want to know whether installing these DRLS would affect your warranty in any way?

Wish you many happy miles. Drive safe!

[ikoneer]

Congratulations on your new car.

I am also looking for an AT and in the process of test drives. Jazz is there in my prospective list.

I test drove Amaze AT and Jazz AT, and felt Amaze to be more convenient to drive than Jazz, will have to do another detailed test drive again.