[Vitalstatistiks]

There are only three things that sell a car in India- Features, features and features

-A one line summary of (so-far) nine page discussion on Jazz v comparable price warriors

[tejas08]

An Eagerly awaited review for me as I was always in love with the Previous Generation Jazz for the Design Language.

While going through the posts on this review thread, I have seen many comparisions (Positive & Negative towards Jazz). I will put my verdict in two ways.

Car Enthusiast's Verdict

Car to be placed in Third after Elite i20 & Polo GT.

Reasons:

• 1.5L Petrol Engine should have been provided when the 1.2L Engine is already doing duty on the Brio
• 1.5L iDTEC is way behind compared to the Elite i20 Diesel Mill. The Polo GT TDI is in a different league, if we ignore the reliability issues of VW
• 50K higher pricing of Diesel over Elite i20 & at par pricing with Polo GT TDI is not at all acceptable considering the Honda Engine
• Some glaring Cost cutting measures not to the liking of Enthusiasts looking for a quality product

A Non-Enthusiast Common Man's Verdict

Equally Placed on par with Elite i20 and the Polo GT coming in the Third Place

Reasons:

• Sporty Design of Jazz would appeal more to a majority of the people than the Elite 120. For the Average Indian car buyer, the Polo's Deisgn is boring
• FE of 18 something for petrol manual, 19 something for Petrol Automatic & 27 something for Diesel is way above the Polo GT TSI & TDI. Even the Elite i20 Diesel ARAI ratings are less than 23. Suddenly the Polo GT TDI appears over-priced for the FE figures it provides
• VW after-sales is what scares a majority of the people
• Features-wise Elite i20 and Jazz are on par with each other with some differences here and there.
• Safety Features wise Honda is slightly ahead of i20. Diesel get ABS standard and 2 Airbags start from Mid-Variant. For i20, ABS is only from the Mid-Variant in both Petrol and Diesel. Only one airbag in the Mid-Variant of Elite i20 and none below that.
• Polo GT TSI & TDI has only one variant each in Petrol & Diesel. People need to look at the Regular Polo in that case for lower variants
• A big plus point in the Jazz is the Space availability. Leg space as well as boot Space regardless of the Magic Seats.

Car Enthusiasts I would say form only about 10% of the Car owners where are the rest of the 90% fall in the second category. Looking from this point of view, I think Honda has done a pretty decent job on the Jazz. It might not set the sales chart on fire like the Elite i20 but it will surely surpass the Polo (GT & Regular combined) in the Sales with a decent margin.

[drhoneycake]

Spectacular review. Very detailed as usual.

Unfortunately, I don't see how this can beat the Elite i20 ???

If we were to replace our alto800 with a car, it would be the Elite i20 hands down, followed by the polo. The i20 seems better in every way - build quality, interior quality, features, looks, the diesel engine and is marginally lighter on the pocket too.....

[Aaron:)]

As far as sales are concerned, I don't think the Jazz would've ever outsold the i20, keeping in mind the established i20 brand and Honda's production constraints.

I'm sure Honda knew this too, and would be aiming for a respectable share of the segment, and I don't see any reason why they can't achieve it.

It may be beaten by the i20 on a few counts but there's no doubt that it is a well rounded package and is one of the best cars in its segment.

[geeash]

I was sincerely hoping for jazz to launch a fully loaded CVT. Since that's history now I am sincerely hoping for jazz to eat up a bit of city's sales so that there will be price cut for City and I can go and buy one. At present premium pricing that city commands I don't think I can afford one. I think there is a no limit for the greediness in me.

Having said that I always thought Honda never launched jazz for mass market. They always preferred jazz to be a niche product and wanted it to cater only premium customers. I also remember the good amount of price bashing that jazz received when the first generation was launched that too only in petrol when the market was gearing up for diesel hatches.

In I20 elite the hyundais have thrown in all they can to give a customer a complete package to cater the masses at great pricing. I sincerely doubt the thought of enthusiasts that Honda jazz will eat up the I20s

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

However I fail to understand why the Honda diesel is so noisy compare to the engine from Fiat or the one from Hyundai.

I guess this query might have been answered already, but let me add my 2 cents. As Suhaas has mentioned in his review, the i-Dtec is an all aluminum block and head, whereas Fiat and other engines have cast iron block and aluminum heads. Cast iron has greater damping capabilities compared to aluminum. Hence the all aluminum Honda diesels will inherently be more noisy compared to others.

[The Observer]

The review is splendid ! It is so detailed that i wonder at the tons of effort it takes and a big congrats to both Vid and Suhaas ! Thanks a bunch and it is simply because of these quality reviews that Team BHP is the best !

Coming to the topic of the review "Mr Jazz" , definitely a negative overtone with most of us barring a few who are feeling positive, and from my side i was keenly waiting for the Jazz and after reading the review (lets call it the ground reality) i have to say i am feeling a bit let down.

its simple , if its the Jazz i want the magic seats , i am looking for a diesel , so that means top end VX MT ,in Bangalore that translates to 10.77 OTR , are you crazy Honda ?!! In any case let the market decide who is crazy about the Jazz ( Honda or the customers) , for sure i will take a long TD and get a good feel of the jazz, but Jazz will most likely move to one of the other options in my list as i was looking at buying a new car in the next 3 months.

Yes the absence of a push button start does not affect me , but the plastic over there will always remind me ! The fuel lid inside and spare tyre enclosure area only have primer, hope i don't have to lift floor mats and discover the same there.

NVH is also a big downer , atleast i can tolerate , women and children on long drives tend to immediately notice the clatter and complain, so this is also a big downer for me , i have seen them ( my family members) complain on the Maruti swift diesel , fiesta diesel , here the benchmark is the i20 diesel and Jazz falls short - may be the higher mileage can compensate for most, i am not sure if my wife will agree to this.

Magic seats - awesome thing , no comparison, will make this a truly utilitarian car.

Safety - tend to feel Jazz has a more stronger build and structure than say the i20 ,again i am not sure about this so would i pay a lac premium over the i20 top end diesel ?? - not quite.

Driving : Here the Jazz is more confidence inspiring than the i20 , but the i20 is not that bad that i have to pay a premium of a lakh for the Jazz,

All these could have been simply avoided if Honda had provided magic seats alteast on 2 more variants instead of keeping it only on the top end and pricing it far from the competition does not go down too well - at least with me. ( 9.6 OTR Bangalore for an elite i20 top spec and 10.77 for the jazz )

[hemanth.anand]

I was eagerly waiting for this review and the car.
The review as usual impressed me and it earned a deserving 5 stars.
The car however was a dampener.

I had initially written the cons of the car. But then before posting it that way, I thought "we should always see the positives first".
So what positives did I see in this car?
1. Nice styling. I liked it. The piano black grille, the rear (it is good even though I don't like chrome) the LED tail lamps. Styling is definitely up-market, modern and exciting than the generally boring designs of car that we are used to.
2. The space-It has always been a positive of Jazz
3. Low loading bay, It definitely helps during international travels with those huge and heavy baggages
4. Magic Seats. those are lots of combinations for different kinds of hauling.

And now for What I had written initially; the cons.

1. Just the 'cap' on the start/stop button is enough to kill the 'premium' tag attached to this hatchback
2. The small 175 section 15" tyres when the competition is giving 16" tyres.
3. Absence of reach adjusting steering wheel.
4. Absence of Height adjusting seatbelts
5. That joke of a dead pedal
6. Pricing-we are not getting what we are supposed to get for the money we shell out
7. No black colour! many people in our country may not buy a black car for reasons best known to them but a black colour would have been very good for this styling and would have matched the nice all-black interiors

IMO, Overall its a good option but definitely not the best of the options out there.
If at all Honda's Jazz can hurt the sales of any car it will be their own City.

[jeet8686]

Originally Posted by Ryuu

You win some you loose some with this car.

The SV variant I was looking for is priced around 11k (metallic colour) more than i20 Sportz. While Jazz does not get integrated blinkers, auto AC, it gets a passenger airbag.

Fair enough. Jazz makes a formidable case for itself in the petrol segment. I am inclined towards Jazz now. Does anybody have a pic how the manual AC would like on the dash?

I too think that SV petrol is a good alternative for i20 sportz and am inclined towards Jazz.

Most reviews mention that the under thigh support for lower model is not good. If I buy a seat cover then does it help in some extent?

Review mentions the central locking system on Jazz is speed sensitive. Does that mean that the car unlocks automaticaly once it comes to stand still?

[adik1984]

Originally Posted by jeet8686

I too think that SV petrol is a good alternative for i20 sportz and am inclined towards Jazz.

Most reviews mention that the under thigh support for lower model is not good. If I buy a seat cover then does it help in some extent?

Review mentions the central locking system on Jazz is speed sensitive. Does that mean that the car unlocks automaticaly once it comes to stand still?

Jeet, speed sensitive lock function is applicable only to lock the car once it surpasses 20KMPH. Even the same functionality is there in the New honda city.

Reverse action does'nt hold true

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by jeet8686

Review mentions the central locking system on Jazz is speed sensitive. Does that mean that the car unlocks automaticaly once it comes to stand still?

Normally this means that when the car starts moving and gets to a certain speed, around 20 kmph let's say, the doors and such get locked. In some cars, when the car ignition is turned off, the car unlocks. Not sure if the latter is also available in Jazz.

[Chetan_Rao]

Why is every manufacturer bent on 'bits and pieces' treatment?

Why can't we have a full-loaded 'has everything we make for this car' automatic with the added practicality of magic seats? Why the need to choose one OR another?

Not to forget, magic seats are the USP of this car globally so makes no sense to offer it only with the top end. The other omissions are so glaring and in-your-face, it won't go down well with the discerning customer.

I sold my car a few months ago and was looking at this as a possible replacement. Honda isn't getting my money, unless there's a 1.5 iVTEC VX CVT variant in the near future.

Disappointing. Very disappointing.

[premjit]

Great review as usual and fantastic pics which actually do a lot of the talking. The sheet attention to detail you guys have is amazing.

Somehow, I am not too impressed with the vehicle, specially the interiors which seem tacky in some aspects. The Start-Stop button cover, the afterthought aftermarket looking HU, The dead pedal, the plastic cover on the door pad all reek of a sheer disregard for the aesthetic senses of the Indian customer. Clearly, after the Mobilio, Honda should have realised that the Badge and the name isn't reason enough to buy the product.

Now coming to my two cents on the price and the positioning; The Jazz seems to have its work cut out at both ends of the price band at which it comes in. At the lower end, the Swift V (xi and di) are formidable hatchbacks with a great engine and interiors which improve with every model year. At the higher end, the Swift Z versions offer similar, if not better features at a lower price. Coming to the Elite i20, I think it's gained tremendous acceptance among the premium hatch lovers and it seems to be "The" car to buy if you're in the market for a premium hatch.

It will be tough for Honda to take away "marketshare" and "mindshare" from these two stalwarts, but wishing them all the very best.

Regards
Premjit

[adimicra]

I think the negative reactions in this thread are highly overdone. Comments like 1 lakh premium over the I20 .. and it's not as if I20 has no negatives or missing features (the long outdated antenna, no FE/DTE, audio system with single line display and lots of buttons, underpowered petrol specially on the highway, no speed sending door locks, below average handling and ride quality at high speeds, less space and boot space compared to jazz etc etc)

Anyways, as an owner of the previous gen Jazz I feel good about the update.
The only things Honda has messed up according to me are -

• The V variant should have flat folding seats and 60:40 split options if not all the magic seat combinations
• The VX looks like an afterthought - the audio system is out of place , the USB connector in the glovebox, single position for the reverse camera etc etc.
• The adjustable headrests and black interiors should have been offered in the V variant.
• Why the circular provision for the start-stop button the DRLs near the fog lights if no version of the car have those?
  

Some features which have been dropped in the Jazz and are present in my car -

• Dual glovebox
• cup holder near the passenger side AC vent (the current one has only one on the driver side)
• height adjustable seat betls
• vanity mirror for driver

Some features offered which I would have really liked in my car -

• Auto climate control
• Bluetooth handsfree calling
• map lights and rear cabin light (my car has only one)

Some features which are only present in the VX but were present in all version of the previous gen Jazz -

• magic seats
• adjustable head rests

Apart from some missing features, the main issues with the previous gen Jazz was the low-speed ride quality and the lack of bottom end response. I am glad Honda has taken care of the ride quality but disappointed about nothing being done on the 2nd issue. I think it's extremely lazy of Honda to not do any tweaks to the ECU or gear ratios for the next generation car. But still, it remains one of the better petrol engines in the segment.

PS - can anyone post the night time pictures of the Jazz with lights on?

[chaith.turbo]

Fantastic Review as always .

Jazz is quite disappointing for me or Maybe my expectations were too much.
There was a time when Honda cars had the best Interiors and the best build quality in every segment. Hyundai/Maruti were struggling to meet this benchmark.

But few years later, the wheel has turned, Honda seem to struggle to meet Hyundai standards now.
It makes me very sad as I always wanted to buy a Honda simply because of the Quality interiors. I think I have to move on.
Looks like Honda has sold their souls to meet numbers.