[chirag08]

There seems to be no compelling reason to buy this over the elite i20. I prefer the looks of the i20 and apart from the Honda badge and extra space at the rear I don't really see this having any advantage over the elite i20 and frankly if made to choose I would reject this based on those wire hanging in the glove box alone, I have never seen anything like that in a car.
Hopefully Honda prices it lower than the i20, that would lure more people to consider it.

[Aaron:)]

I just recently checked out the Jazz in a dealership. Apparently only the V and VX variants have reached the dealerships.

Some observations -

1. Contrary to the previous posts, I did not find any USB/aux wires inside the glovebox.
2. The cabin is really spacious and comfortable. It has the I20 beaten IMO.
3. Plastic quality was exactly the same as the City. The I20 has a slight edge here, but the Jazz is pretty good too.
4. I found the integrated head rests on the V variant pretty useless for tall passengers, much like the City.

Going by the initial reviews, it's pretty close between the Jazz and I20.
The Jazz is more spacious and comfortable while the I20 has slightly better interiors. But the former might have better ride and handling.

The only negative is the noise levels of the diesel, especially in comparison with the super refined I20 diesel. I just hope it isn't much worse than a Polo.

Overall my choice is
Petrol - Jazz
Diesel - I20

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Honda has a chance to make it appealing with the pricing. Having dropped the ball twice with Jazz first and Mobilio second, I expect they would have learnt something from it.

I, for one, am feverishly hoping for the Jazz diesel to become a bestseller and cannibalise the sales of it's sedan cousin, the City.

The reason is simple - Honda is stretching things too far by plonking the same diesel mill in all of it's cars, from the affordable segment (Amaze, Jazz) to the premium segment (Mobilio, City). When the 6 lac-6.5 lac Amaze/Jazz offerings have the same diesel engine powertrain, why would the 12-lac City diesel prospect buy the same?

Now that the Jazz is coming with the same 1.5L mill (100PS, 200 Nm) paired to the same 6-speed box, I really hope buyers see the practicality and VFM offering in the Jazz and ditch the City diesel in favor of the Jazz diesel.

At least there was a clear demarcation between the diesel versions of the Amaze and the City - the absence of a 6th gear and a few minor tweaks in power/torque figures. Not to mention the difference in features.

But now? Save a few additional features offered in the top variant of the City (VX & VX(O) variants), it now makes no sense to go for the City diesels (upto the V variant), unless someone REALLY needs the boot AND/OR covets the "City" badge.

I am disappointed as a current City VMT i-DTEC owner. Today's prospective Honda customer is very knowledgeable - once he realises that the City diesel has lesser to offer in comparison to the Jazz diesel variant-to-variant, he will definitely lean for the premium hatchback.

At least Hyundai has a clear differentiation in it's product lineup regarding diesels - the Grand i10 comes with a 1.1L, the Elite i20 has a 1.4L, and the Verna/Creta have 1.4L/1.6L mills.

Honda thinks it's smart strategy by going the Maruti way - plonk the 1.3L Fiat MultiJet in everything under the sun from the Ritz to the Ciaz/S-Cross, but in Maruti's case, they at least have a strong excuse of not having a self-developed diesel, and are at least offering the 1.6L MJD in the S-Cross and mulling about plonking the 1.6L MJD in the Ciaz. No such thing from Honda, even when they have the option of the 1.6L i-DTEC, and/or further tweaking the 1.5L mill to produce better power/torque figures (at least).

Honda committed a mistake by plonking the same dashboard and speedometer from the Brio into the Mobilio, and they are repeating a mistake by continuing with the similarly-tuned i-DTEC for their entire range. The City will definitely feel overpriced now, if it wasn't already.

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by Aaron:)

I just recently checked out the Jazz in a dealership. Apparently only the V and VX variants have reached the dealerships.

Some observations -

1. Contrary to the previous posts, I did not find any USB/aux wires inside the glovebox.

Aaron, are you sure you saw the Jazz VX variant and that it had the touch-screen AVN unit? In that case, if there were no wires in the glove-box, I wonder how they would leave it like that in the media-drive cars?? If I understand correctly, the media-drive cars are usually given in perfect stock condition to make sure nothing wrong goes to the press and ONLY the correct information gets published though the reviews. Anyways, I will be pleasantly surprised if I do not find those wires inside glove-box in the sales cars.

[damager21]

Overdrive video review is also live now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX2F4yo5uKs

From 7:25 there is a comparison with Elite i20 as well

IAB Video walk around

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bXQYXaxLJ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D-fAYm4ROo

[sunsetorange]

Originally Posted by damager21

Overdrive video review is also live now

The review is good. I saw this in silent mode with subtitles. The subtitles were a scream! Please try it with subtitles by going to the settings toggle and select CC.

[DicKy]

27.3km/l ARAI figure!!! Pity the celerio ddis

The autocar review is up, can't wait for the real road test of TeamBHP.

The car look every bit a winner, now waiting for the Aspire to be launched to make a final call for me, but by the time both will have an year long waiting list.

[Vigkey]

@ Turbo_Torq: Please find my responses below.

Either I experienced an aural deceit or she said the 1.5 iDtec is mated to a 7-speed manual tranny

Not only that buddy. According to the ACI reviewer, the side character lines resemble that of Mobilio. I ask her "How in the world? Are you blind madam??" I mean, those are Copy Paste from the City (or rather the ones in City are Copy Paste from the Jazz) and have nothing, whatsoever, to do with Mobilio.

I am actually surprised - many reviewers say the dashboard and meter console to be lifted from City - which in reality is not but fail to find similarity between the character lines which in reality are the same.

Poor under thigh support in the rear - both normal and magic seats - I think this may not be much of a deal breaker and can(?) be taken care of with a visit to a seat/upholstery dealer.

Not as much a deal breaker, but would not have hurt Honda to give an inch or two more of support. And I do not really like to modify much in my car.

High NVH in diesel - not corrected yet even after this being the fourth car with this engine - Don't wanna comment on the diesel but ACI did mention that the NVH levels although not on par with the competition are definitely improved over the previous offerings that had the same engine viz. Amaze, Mobilio and City.

Improved - Yes, Good enough - No is the feedback from most reviewers. I guess we are spoiled a lot by Hyundai's super-refined diesel though. I will check it out in my TD as I actually am a pretty sedate driver. When I drove the Amaze and City extensively a couple of months back, I didnt find them too bad. So an improved NVH in Jazz should not bother me much

Uninspiring Petrol manual - I believe so but can affirm only after a proper, hands-on TD.

Totally agree - these factors vary with individual as can be ascertained only by a detailed TD.

Puny 175/65 R15 tires in top variants and even smaller 175/70 R14 in other variants - Again, this can be fixed but it woulda added an extra brownie point if Honda had provided her with better OEM footwear.

Exactly my point - I can always buy 195 section tires, but wouldn't it be sweet if Honda was considerate enough and provided them OEM. We are not asking too much, are we?

Absence of Multi-view reverse camera display in the VX trim HU display again - I fail to understand the logic of this exclusion in the top variant.

Limitation of the HU, I presume. But Honda should have pushed their vendor to design the HU accordingly than to pass on a badly engineered product to the buyers

Space saver 14" tire even on the top end - TOO BAD HONDA - Pass. I can live with it.

Will severely hamper tire rotations for most users who use the spare tire also in rotation. Also, in case of a puncture, we will be forced to fix it immediately and put it back to action, like in the US - thankfully it is not a donut as we get in US

Absence of rear AC vents (even from under the seats) - Did the previous-gen Jazz have them?

Yes, at least the face-lift version had it for sure. Owners can confirm. There were 2 vents from under each front seat and was a well appreciated feature then - when none of the non-premium cars had such a feature. Pity, if they chose to skip this - I was actually very hopeful to get this. It is not even a complex mechanism

[Bhodrolok]

I think Honda is betting big time on the diesel version with its class leading mileage to make a dent on the i20. Also I think the Honda brand holds more value to the customer than Hyundai. So if they can price the diesel top end below the i20 Asta, we will see the Jazz do healthy numbers.

Originally Posted by chirag08

There seems to be no compelling reason to buy this over the elite i20.

[damager21]

Top 2 variants comparison of Honda Jazz with Hyundai Elite i20. Clearly Jazz stands out on space while i20 beats Jazz on features

[ashua]

I had already read in some of the early reviews (before Saturday) that there is nothing wow about the new Jazz. So I would consider my expectations lowered before reading the detailed reviews.
But still find myself disappointed after reading the detailed reviews. (I was interested in the petrol automatic.)

The biggest disappointment is at the way Honda has treated the rear seats in its 'premium' hatchback. Less than average under thigh support and low headrests are a huge let down and a deal breaker for me personally. I would consider these basic in a standard car let alone a premium one.

Having read the reviews strongly feel that Honda would need to price the Jazz very competitively to do good. I would go so far to say it needs to significantly undercut the competition 15K-30K (variant for variant).

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by damager21

Top 2 variants comparison of Honda Jazz with Hyundai Elite i20. Clearly Jazz stands out on space while i20 beats Jazz on features

Wow Damager21, that is quite comprehensive. Good job buddy!!! By the way, I think Honda is yet to officially give out the specs, right?

Based on my observation, I would like to highlight a few inconsistencies here, if you don't mind

• Jazz has height-adjustable seat-belts by the look of it, but i20 does not
• Jazz V variant does not get 60:40 split
• Jazz neither gets a fold-able key nor a smart key - it is just the normal key with buttons
• Are we sure Jazz gets pretensioners? I don't think City gets them but Amaze gets them - understand Honda logic?? I don't
• Even though both gets alloys, the winner should be i20 as it gives stunning diamond cut alloys
• Even though both gets roof antenna, the winner should be Jazz for giving stub type antenna
• Jazz VX gets seat-back pockets behind driver seat also, which i20 does not
• i20 gets tweeters, which Jazz does not
• Jazz VX gets a rear spoiler with integrated HMSL
• Jazz gets LED tail lamps and i20 gets combi lamps on the boot lid - evens out, I guess
• Jazz gets all sporty black interiors with contrast stitching in VX, while i20 gets dual tone interiors - again evens out, I guess

[chncar]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I, for one, am feverishly hoping for the Jazz diesel to become a bestseller and cannibalise the sales of it's sedan cousin, the City.

The reason is simple - Honda is stretching things too far by plonking the same diesel mill in all of it's cars, from the affordable segment (Amaze, Jazz) to the premium segment (Mobilio, City). When the 6 lac-6.5 lac Amaze/Jazz offerings have the same diesel engine powertrain, why would the 12-lac City diesel prospect buy the same?

Now that the Jazz is coming with the same 1.5L mill (100PS, 200 Nm) paired to the same 6-speed box, I really hope buyers see the practicality and VFM offering in the Jazz and ditch the City diesel in favor of the Jazz diesel.

At least there was a clear demarcation between the diesel versions of the Amaze and the City - the absence of a 6th gear and a few minor tweaks in power/torque figures. Not to mention the difference in features.

But now? Save a few additional features offered in the top variant of the City (VX & VX(O) variants), it now makes no sense to go for the City diesels (upto the V variant), unless someone REALLY needs the boot AND/OR covets the "City" badge.

I am disappointed as a current City VMT i-DTEC owner. Today's prospective Honda customer is very knowledgeable - once he realises that the City diesel has lesser to offer in comparison to the Jazz diesel variant-to-variant, he will definitely lean for the premium hatchback.

At least Hyundai has a clear differentiation in it's product lineup regarding diesels - the Grand i10 comes with a 1.1L, the Elite i20 has a 1.4L, and the Verna/Creta have 1.4L/1.6L mills.

Honda thinks it's smart strategy by going the Maruti way - plonk the 1.3L Fiat MultiJet in everything under the sun from the Ritz to the Ciaz/S-Cross, but in Maruti's case, they at least have a strong excuse of not having a self-developed diesel, and are at least offering the 1.6L MJD in the S-Cross and mulling about plonking the 1.6L MJD in the Ciaz. No such thing from Honda, even when they have the option of the 1.6L i-DTEC, and/or further tweaking the 1.5L mill to produce better power/torque figures (at least).

Honda committed a mistake by plonking the same dashboard and speedometer from the Brio into the Mobilio, and they are repeating a mistake by continuing with the similarly-tuned i-DTEC for their entire range. The City will definitely feel overpriced now, if it wasn't already.

I don't see any reason for Honda to sabotage the Jazz just to make the city look more appealing.

To my mind, the Jazz is a much more superior offering to the City. And most of the international market would agree with that as well. The Jazz is priced on-par with or more expensive than the city in most countries. It is just the quirks of the Indian excise structure that allow the Jazz to be priced cheaper.

Also, the Jazz/Fit is a global success in every market Honda operates in, whereas a City is just a derivative for developing markets and is not sold in most western countries with more mature markets.

The only reason for someone to think that the Honda City is superior to the Jazz, is the Indian sedan=status mentality that should be on it's way out.

[karthick_b]

Originally Posted by Aaron:)

I just recently checked out the Jazz in a dealership. Apparently only the V and VX variants have reached the dealerships.

Some observations -

Thanks for your heads up review mate. And your last closing words choosing Jazz for petrol and i20 for Diesel is an absolute good choice.

Eventhough the Jazz diesel is noisy, the ARAI figures are higher than the i20 CRDi engine and could pull a lot audience towards the Jazz. This is surely a winner, just like the City. It would be interesting to see the City's sales after the Jazz goes live.

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Wow Damager21, that is quite comprehensive. Good job buddy!!! By the way, I think Honda is yet to officially give out the specs, right?

Thanks for the useful and handy observations buddy. The Jazz has almost all necessary features covered. The magic seats and touchscreen unit are undoubtedly the selling points of the Jazz over the i20. The interior space and practicality combined with the mature driving dynamics and Honda badge can be a huge boon for buyers.

[Bhodrolok]

:Sorry Honda but I don't think its worth even a test drive as anyone looking for an automatic; the decision of giving the option of an Auto transmission for the VX trim kills it for me at least. Hopefully they will provide the option later but considering the fact that the i20 elite doesn't even have an auto after almost a year, I wouldn't be holding my breath for it!