Honda Jazz : Test Drive & Review

[prnvaa]

1. Firstly, awesome review and pics. Beats any of the car shows on tv with comments like 'great lines on the body and bold front' sort of stuff.

2. All said and done I think this might do well as a women's car - specially women with money. Coz should be easy to handle, great finish, great badge, etc. So maybe Honda just needs to find about 1700 women to sell to every month (which doesn't seem too much). By the way am in the market and was waiting for the Jazz (coz of Linea's really sad interiors). Maybe I'll wait for Punto. One of the sales guys who went for Punto training said its got amazing seats...wish they had those in the Linea.

3. On a lighter note - couple of quotes from the Honda's official Jazz website:
a. In exterior features they've actually listed 'Halogen Lights' - not sure of this one but aren't all stocks Halogens?
b. In safety & security it says - 'Full Size Spare Tyre' - This am sure of. Sounds like a joke to list this in features.
Anyway not meaning to bash Honda, I guess the people who made the website really dint have much stuff to put in it.

~NOM (no offences meant)

[Gagan.js]

God dammit here in Mumbai its touching like 8.6 and then add the price of alloys and ice and it touches 9!

The worst part...why so serious, it's like a slap in the face

Now lets talk competition:

1) GP

2) i20 CRDi, add say 1L to the current price tag, heck even add 1.5L and it makes a lot more sense than the jazz. Even the current i20 petrol makes sense with all the features.

3) Polo, surely VW > Honda


At the end of the day it is still a 1.2 engine and if this car is a success in our market I'll be astonished to see how far we are from becoming a mature market.

I think they are gambling on the Indian mentality so people go to look at jazz, see the price and buy the city instead.

[AyAn!]

Brilliant car.Horrible pricing.But why use City wheel caps??...Considering its a niche hatch

[d_payne]

Congrats Team-BHP on another cracker of a review! Great attention to detail, simple language, good flow and highlights all the points necessary for a car enthusiast (and even non-enthusiasts) to decide on buying.

My opinion:

Yes, its ridiculously priced. Honda almost seems to be pitching this is as an alternative to mid-range family sedans - more space for items & people, creature comforts, seating arrangements and generally a clever city vehicle. Remember the good ole Ford Fusion? It had "ridiculous" pricing since it did not fit into any category. Honda's positioning of the Jazz seems to be bordering on "sedan alternate" levels.

Taking that into account, it STILL does not justify the proximity to the much more premium Honda City itself! All this points at some inane alternative vehicle pricing and positioning in the line-up rather than a hatchback alternative. Heck it even looks MPV-ish. I know its a hatchback everywhere else in the world but in India, this car defies convention of "premium hatchback".

But having said that, this car is just plain under-equipped. Height-adjustable seats are a bare minimum at this price!

Ah well, if I had to bet I'd say it might just be the first Honda car to not do "so great" on the sales meters. Lets see.

Payne

PS: As usual, Honda's advertising is rock-bottom: "One life. Why so serious?" is the tagline for the Jazz! That points towards a fun-to-drive car which is not so practical but great on the feel-good factor, but this is SERIOUS car for a family. :| AH!

[cvvikram]

Originally Posted by finneyp

When people were shocked to hear the price of Jazz, Honda just grinned 'Why so serious? Its a Honda!'

Even if it is a Honda, there has to be limit in the price and that too for a 1.2l engine. If the On road price comes for 8.5-9.0L, that's a crazy price for hatchback!

Easily people can invest few bucks more to get good sedans.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by joy_swift

A hatchback for 7.5-7.7 lacs pusing this into SX4/Linea territory,more than Fiesta S and other sedans.

Ah, the Fiesta 1.6S! I know where the petrolheads will be headed.

Originally Posted by chncar

but ever since I discovered TBHP I have stopped taking them seriously...just thumb through them and look for interesting pictures I guess.

C'mon, aren't the pictures in this review right there with the best? Atleast in terms of subject matter & coverage?

Originally Posted by uneet

Hi GTO,

Can u please comment yr take between Jazz, i20 and Fabia.
You may also comment about Fabia diesel option point of view as that will help in deciding.
Thks in advance.

In a nutshell:

- Jazz : Honda reliability + low cost of ownership, the most spacious interiors of three, refinement, flexible storage, overpriced, quality.

- i20 : Loaded to the brim with equipment, (strangely) sharper to drive than the Jazz, awesome looker

- Fabia : solid build, expensive to own, shoddy service, best ride quality from this trio, lacklustre engines

Originally Posted by roms

A very detailed and well written review GTO. Seriously, a propective Jazz customer would require just the 1st page of this thread to make his decision.

Thanks. Your brief writeup covers the car well, and is exactly in line with my observations!

Infact, the interiors feel much better than that of the ANHC and more in the league of the NHC in terms of quality.

Agreed

The stock tyres are MRF ZVTS, unlike the Michelin Energy ZM1+ on the ANHC

Different tyre options. At the test, there were some Jazz' with Michelins too.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Indian premium hatch segment is tricky, one that the Fabia has failed at and the i20 just about managing to get along. Can Honda crack the premium hatch code?

Sharing its platform with the City, the Jazz is a thoroughly contemporary supermini, introduced to North America & UK in Y2008. It has a near identical wheel base to the City (shorter by only 50 mm), the same width and a taller stance. The car wears an MPV-like profile, especially when viewed from the front & the side, and comes across as a one-box automobile. The design is fresh, the Jazz looking distinctly premium in person. Fit, finish & paint quality are top class. Look at the side profile picture and you can tell that cabin space is stretched as much as possible. “Man maximum, machine minimum”. Yet, in my books, the i20 is the better looker.

Great review GTO. So good that you ought to get paid for it. Like many others on TBHP I look forward to a write up on the Fiat GP. Now that's one of the hatches (along the VW Polo and the Mini) that I look forward to test driving.

Rgds,

[GTO]

Originally Posted by grvanand

However, Honda must launch this car with a 1.5L engine as well, I feel Jazz beats ANHC in all other respects such as quality, plastics, innovative engineering and works.

Agreed on the latter part of your sentence. But larger engine? At what price?

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

8 year maturity and positioning in 130 (out of 170) countries explain the refinement, the performance and the appeal of the car to different nationalities and economic background people.

Japs usually localise platforms (Asian City, Euro Accord, American Accord are all unique) while Germans sell pretty much the same car (C, E, S Class Mercedes for example). This is one of the rare Jap cars that is sold in identical form worldwide.

Originally Posted by vvvinod

7.3 LK for a hatch back and that doesnt have Alloy wheels

True. Inexplicable.

Originally Posted by Mpower

Did Honda say what are the production targets and what sales they are expecting?

20,000 p.a. is a number I've seen thrown around on this thread.

Also did they provide any technical gyan on the engine. As in how they created this unique for India engine?

I think it's exactly the same as that for other countries.

Originally Posted by pavthebiker

i was just about to go in for the Fiesta S...i love driving!!

Since you love driving (duh, why else would you be here!!), it is the Fiesta 1.6S for you. And the sedan's compact dimensions + quick steering make it very chuckable.

Originally Posted by joshguy

not going to be a hit in chennai market

Isn't Chennai a hard-core diesel market?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by androdev

The members including myself have immense regard for you, and anybody who has been around on the forum for awhile would know that your integrity is non-negotiable.

Thank you. Your trust is treasured.

Do these seller-organized reviews command the same credibility as our old-fashioned independent reviews?

The car is the same & it's a BHPian behind the wheel. The only difference is : The testdrive distance is MUCH longer. Plus, you have access to engineers to clarify queries. Surely more valuable than me doing a 20 minute dealership drive?

Will members be still encouraged to provide their own independent reviews like before when a professionally-done review already exists?

Of course, YES!! Anyone who wishes to contribute is welcomed (just like most did on the Ritz thread!). No single person defines the content or opinion of this community. She is larger than anyone of us.

But the real value doesn't come from these press drives or dealership rip drives....it's from the ownership reviews! After 50 of us own a particular car (most recent example being the popular Linea) for 50,000 kms, there really is no better person to tell on the car. Ownership reviews rock.

I liked how it was explained why you went for displaying ads on the site even though you did not have to explain to the members.

Thanks

Long rant. Just thought I should tell how I felt.

Hope my answer throws more clarity on the situation.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by CBlazer

While Honda seems to be harping on whether Indians are willing to dish out a premium for a hatchback, they seem to forget that such cars are about premium features in the first place. I would have bought this car at even 8.2 OTR Bangalore, if it gave me all the premium features like the Fabia or the i20.

Absolutely. A premium price ought to equate to premium equipment.

Originally Posted by shuvc

To me, it seems that GTO put in a lot of thought and effort to present his view of the car in a structured detailed manner. And hence it has the flavour of a professional writeup. This is something that any other forum member is free to do.

Sure did (appreciate the appreciation ). Just like I follow a certain formal point-wise format for articles in the Advice section, as an example.

[autocarcr]

Don't feel bad that I am criticizing Honda but I think they have gone too far with the Jazz! They have shear atrocity to price the Jazz close to sedans from other manufacturers like Fiat Linea and Ford Fiesta (so what if it is 80,000 cheaper than a City which is also ridiculously over priced). They are running on only one thing which is called brand name! I think the Indian consumers have a big blog of wool over their eyes if they go for such cars. I mean the i20@6 lacs has 6 airbags and all the other features of the Jazz and more (except those magic seats which are at any rate similar to split folding seats in other sedans). Also I dont think people have noticed but the spare parts of any Honda Car is very costly- and I don't think that there is anything in this car which will make consumers pay close to 8.5 lakh on road when one could get a Fiat Linea (with twice as many features and improved Fiat service or even a Ford Fiesta for that matter!) Wake up Honda buyers you are giving them numbers which they dont deserve (the City still is preventing better VFM cars like Linea from getting a good market share- I mean common the City does not have Climate control nor fog lamps nor a CD player for that ridiculous price! and nor does the JAzz so dont buy this car as it has virtually nothing that its more cheaper, VFM competitors like he i20 and the soon to be launched Grande Punto) If you ask me by a Grande Punto instead or for that matter, a Fiat Linea!!!! DOWN with JAZZ!

[rkbharat]

With that price and not so impressive looks, I have doubts that this car will pickup. This is not ANHC or NHC, this is still hatch. at almost 7.5 lakhs. This makes i20, more better buy

I hope it will not inherit the fate of fabia

[sps]

Another superb review. Proud to be part of this forum where the auto review standards are much more than what is there in some auto magazines

Saw a jazz here in Trivandrum, parked on the road side since the trailor in which it was travelling got a puncture. I initially thought it to be ritz from the back. On the sides, it looked as if it's a vista.

[Gilead]

GTO: Fantastic review. I had been looking forward to this launch and review for a while now and it was good to know that you formed your opinions after a fairly long-ish drive. Much better than the regular run around the block test drives that most of us take.

I had been hoping against hope that the Jazz would be available at 6.5 OTR, but alas. I will not be able to afford it for a while longer, but it does sound like a very decent car.

How does the car handle quick overtaking moves on the highway? Does it have enough grunt in 5th gear or did you have to have to constantly downshift?

Awesome review overall and my advance congratulations to future Jazz owners. As for me, I am most probably going to book the i20 Asta in the near future.

[mustang89]

GTO:fantastic review sir.felt like i was actually going around the car.
and as far as the car goes i want to say are honda trying to make for the global recession through indian consumers.first they get the city which is ridiculuosly overpriced with not so many features,then they get the v6 which is also overpriced with no features except the engine and now this.complete shocker.
seriously hope that the jazz fails so that honda learns some lesson..