Honda Jazz ownership report!

[bijujj]

Sorry for the delay in posting this. Got my car one week back, but could not do much driving except in city. Covered around 500 Kms only.
No pitcures for the time being. Will upload in a weeks time.

Initial impressions

* Very well put together car. No initial hick-ups, no rattling, no loose plastics. Absolutely no issues so far.

*Buying experience was very pleasant. Got an overdose of follow up calls ( four of them in one week, two from dealer and two from Honda sales)

* Driving is smooth. Gear shifts are precise. At idling it is very quiet and totally vibration free. I don't know how these Japs achieve such perfection!!

*Compared to my opel corsa 1.6, pick up is sluggish in 3rd gear. In city traffic need to down shiift quite often. Out of all the cars I've driven, the feel is closest to the ANHC. On a highway, I think I will still prefer Opel, in which on the 5th, going from 80-120 is not a problem at all. But let me reserve my final comments for a few more weeks.

* Steering has better feed back compared to cars like Zen or Alto. But I still prefer the hydraulic power steering of Opel, though it was heavier. But at parking speeds, Jazz is easier to maneuver.

* Turning radius is small. Much easier to take 'U' turns compared to Opel.


* Suspension is rigid. So at low speeds compared to Opel, more of the pot holes and other road irregularities creep into the cabin. On the positive, as speed picks up ride quality improves a lot.

* Was initially a bit apprehensive about the Rear set comfort. But surprisingly we are finding it quite ok. Rear seats are a bit too upright, but then you get enough leg space and head room. Overall ambience is also quite good.

* Handling is ok. No issues on that front. View from the drivers seat is great. Quarter glasses on the front are effective.

* Space utilization is amazing. So far we felt that it is good family car. Very difficult to categorize this in a traditional hatch category, it gives all the feeling of a spacious sedan.

* Attention to details is amazing. the way interior lights are designed, or how you suddenly find a small niche to put your spectacles exactly where you want that to be, or the way rear seats flattens to give you a perfectly flat loading area etc. etc.

* I got MRF tyres. Was expecting Michelin. At speed can hear quite a bit of tyre noise.

* Coming to Fuel efficiency. According to my calculations (full tank to full tank), it gave 11.2. Onboard computer shows, 12.7 Kmpl.
To give a comparison, our Maruti Alto gives 14-15Kmpl and Opel give 8-9Kpml. This is again bumper to bumper traffic. Will update on the highway mileage in a couple of weeks.

To summarise, so far it is a very good experience.

[GTO]

Great report & congratulations on a fab hatch! Do upload pictures soon.

Originally Posted by bijujj

Very well put together car. No initial hick-ups, no rattling, no loose plastics. Absolutely no issues so far.

Typically Honda.

Driving is smooth. Gear shifts are precise. At idling it is very quiet and totally vibration free. I don't know how these Japs achieve such perfection!!

I had also mentioned the super-smooth idle. One can feel the mechanical precision.

Compared to my opel corsa 1.6, pick up is sluggish in 3rd gear. In city traffic need to down shiift quite often. Out of all the cars I've driven, the feel is closest to the ANHC. On a highway, I think I will still prefer Opel, in which on the 5th, going from 80-120 is not a problem at all. But let me reserve my final comments for a few more weeks.

Low end torque is not the Jazz' strong point. It needs to be worked.

But at parking speeds, Jazz is easier to maneuver.

Easy? It's like a playstation at parking speeds.

Suspension is rigid. So at low speeds compared to Opel, more of the pot holes and other road irregularities creep into the cabin. On the positive, as speed picks up ride quality improves a lot.

Yup, the stiffness can be felt at low speeds.

Was initially a bit apprehensive about the Rear set comfort. But surprisingly we are finding it quite ok. Rear seats are a bit too upright, but then you get enough leg space and head room. Overall ambience is also quite good.

Quarter glasses on the front are effective.

Space utilization is amazing.

All down to the packaging. Right after the Jazz, I drove the Punto and was wondering "Where has all that space & sense of roominess gone?".

The quarter glasses on the Jazz are actually useable, they help eliminate the blind spot. The same on the Punto are cosmetic only.

Attention to details is amazing. the way interior lights are designed, or how you suddenly find a small niche to put your spectacles exactly where you want that to be, or the way rear seats flattens to give you a perfectly flat loading area etc. etc.

All in the smaller details. For instance, the rear seats will fold down even with the front pushed all the way back. And the folding operation is entirely a one hand task.

I got MRF tyres. Was expecting Michelin. At speed can hear quite a bit of tyre noise.

Horrible! Upgrade is the highest priority. Switch over to comfort oriented Michelins. You will feel the difference in ride quality.

To summarise, so far it is a very good experience.

Sure is. Drive safe!

[StarVegabond]

Congratulations bijujj,

had you checked for the tyre choices ?, Honda always has minimum two choices for tyres. for my ANHC, i was offered Michelin and MRF, i had chosen Michelin.

what accessories have you fitted in ?

pl post the pictures of fully loaded Jazz, loaded with the stuff you mentioned in your requirement list initially, we can all see how Jazz fulfills your needs.

don't be serious, drive safe, have fun

[mobike008]

Nice report. Do upgrade the MRF to Michelins and you may even think of wider section tyres to give that perfect stance and improve it's handling.

[?ushk@r]

Nice one Biju and congos for the ride.. I can understand if you are comparing it with the 1.6

Originally Posted by bijujj

*Compared to my opel corsa 1.6, pick up is sluggish in 3rd gear. In city traffic need to down shiift quite often. Out of all the cars I've driven, the feel is closest to the ANHC. On a highway, I think I will still prefer Opel, in which on the 5th, going from 80-120 is not a problem at all. But let me reserve my final comments for a few more weeks.

Heard that Honda is planning to upgrade that engine to 1.5.. hopefully it should be good

[karanraheja]

Congrats Biju. Jazz is a great hatch ( apart from price) . I love the interiors. Heck they look better than ANHC's . Please post some pics.

[indigoedge]

Man! That's supposedly a fantastic car. My colleague test drove it and said that if it wasn't for budget constraints, the Jazz was what he would buy.

Congrats Biju! The car makes you a very special member here indeed!

[vasant3]

I have not driven much,I am trying to adjust myself for manual shift(wish honda had come with automatic).I am used to automatics as I drove CRV since 2003,the one I am driving now is 2007 2.4 AWD.I think CRV has stiffer suspension than Jazz.I find Jazz ride very comfortable.There is no height adjustment for driver seat,and you can not adjust steering for reach.the magic seats are very good,very easy to operate much better than CRV.I think I made a right decision for choosing Jazz over I20.It is about 1.6lacks more but for a long run including resale value for Hondas it is worth it.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by vasant3

.I think I made a right decision for choosing Jazz over I20.It is about 1.6lacks more but for a long run including resale value for Hondas it is worth it.

The perfect decision for you, if you are holding on the CRV, which is a great car to do intercity. I wanted a car for two to do intercity in, and the i20 asta suited me more than the Jazz. Feels better planted for the purpose. But the interiors of the Jazz are a standout, even at that price. I know people crib about things such as the recirc lever, but even that is a well made and slick selector as such levers go.
What all of this tells us is that there is no such thing as the perfect car, it all depends on what you expect it to do for you. One common factor that remains is after sales support that has to be good for every option to be viable.

[jp2u]

Ahh finally we have some different review other than the GP, Congrats mate on your buy. can wait to see the pics, so post it soon and is this car a good VFM ?

[rupa_upadhyay]

Congratz Bijujj, do post snaps of your Jazzz

[srishiva]

Congrats Man. Enjoy your car. Let us also enjoy some photos please, specifically the interiors.

[muralisk]

Congratulation Bijujj and a great first hand review. Am sure a lot of potential buyers would benefit from this review as well.

The Japs have very well perfected the art of engineering when it comes to precision and am quite sure that give great deal of importance to their quality process and hence, it shows in the finished product.

Have fun and drive safe.

[vasant3]

Here are some photos of my Red CRV and white Jazz.

[Rotorhead]

Originally Posted by vasant3

Here are some photos of my Red CRV and white Jazz.

Two beautiful cars and your choice of colors for the CRV and jazz are great. So now you have the CRv for the open highways and the jazz to waltz you through the crowded city. Thats what is called practicality.