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Booked mine yesterday. The cars I considered were the following. VW GT TSI, Avventura/Evo, Elite i20, Jazz. After the TD of Elite, I somehow felt it was missing something. But it was definitely VFM. I never had "ok! This is it" feeling with it. So I wanted to move on with TD of the TSI. I was completely bowled over. My son too loved it. However, getting a nod from the Home Ministry was tough as the rear leg room was small. Dropped Punto due to some weird driving position and the dead pedal coming my way with the clutch.

After waiting till 8th July, we ended up visiting the Honda showroom to see the new JAzz. My wife immediately liked the space it offered and me too being a big fan of Magic seats, just loved them. As everyone mentioned, the engine sucks big time on the low-end, where most of the city driving would fall within. Then realized I can overcome this by proper gearing and so went with the booking. This replaces my 6 years old A-Star as a city car. Delivery is due by this Friday.

PS: The chennai on road price of the VX was 8,53,818 and chose EW, RSA, Nil Dep Insurance and said no to 3M.

Excellent review. A few things defy logic and common sense too!

- Keyhole not integrated with the door handle. Why do that? It just looks plain ugly. Even the Brio has integrated keyhole.

- Cables in the glove box. So to switch USBs, the driver needs to lean into the passenger side glove box? Obviously can't do that while driving. Again, the Brio/Amaze has a more elegant solution.

- Dummy start/stop button cover. I can understand the international models also have this, but isn't it because there will be at least one variant that has the stop/start button?

- Weak low end in petrol. If the low end is weaker than the 1.2 doing duty in the Brio/Amaze, commuting in traffic is going to be a pain. With the Elite i20 also having an average petrol, there was an opportunity to attract buyers looking for a premium petrol hatch.

No doubt the Jazz will sell, but I would call it a missed opportunity by Honda to do a City in the hatchback space.

Very valid points..agree with all of them.

Point #1 was not present in the previous Jazz
Point #2 is only a problem in VX variant though.
Point #3 is a really stupid from Honda
Point #4 partly agree. I manage fine by using the gearbox properly and also the car makes up in the strong midrange and top end. Having said that Honda should have tuned the engine and gear ratios to provide better low end response but I guess FE is what Honda has prioritized.

Visited Crystal Honda in Viman nagar, Pune to check out Jazz. It has 2 on display. Sunset Orange in VX trim diesel and Urban Titanium in SV trim petrol. Top end diesel and petrol cost 10.32 lakhs and 8.64 lakhs respectively in Pune!
SA told me Sunset Orange will be available only in top end version and it's metallic! Didn't look so.
Took a small test drive of diesel Jazz. Here are my first impressions

1. Car looks really good in flesh. It has got its own distinct character and shape. I prefer her looks over i20.

1. While doors don't make a thud like Germans but are not tin cans either.

1. Car nose is far from driver seat. Atleast once you sink in the seat, it appears so. It's very spacious inside. Kudos Honda for brilliant packaging.

1. Loved the seats. They are thick and have good support all over, wrap around you.

1. The EPS is also nice to steer and easy on hands. Unlike my Figo's HPS unit. Gear shifts are typical Honda. Sure slotting gets. A little over small throw. But not as good as i20.

1. I was sold on ride quality. Really outstanding.

1. NVH could be better. Interior quality feels good. But no competition to i20. It looks well screwed together.

1. A/C felt effective. ICE sound quality is brilliant. Feather Touch controls. But the layout doesn't look symmetric or logical to me. Everything seems like designed in silos. And then put together. No harmony.

Checked out Jazz with my mom today in case I manage to sell Grand i10 ( efforts are ON for the task since last 3 months in order to get a good deal ).

Here are my views :

1) Exteriors. Yes, to each his own, but for me Jazz looked honest and has a distinct class of its own. Like Wagon R. Might not be overtly flashy or as crisp as Elite i20, but it does look nice. Easily looks the best of all cars sold by Honda in India.

2) Interiors. Quality not the best, Elite i20 is slightly better, Polo is in different league. But certainly not bad at all. More than reasonably above average.
The dash which seems way too high in City feels at adequate height in Jazz.
Steering is good to hold.

3) Space and Seats. Awesome. Simply awesome. Mom, for the first time, liked the car and actually took the price list with her.
Front seats are quite accommodating for me, which says a lot as I do have broad shoulders and a heavy upper body.
Seat squab could be better, but its nothing to complain about.
Mom, for the first time after Baleno, Innova and upto some extent Wagon R, said that Jazz seats are near to Baleno. Very comfortable.

Rear Seats are same story. Sufficiently firm and comfortable. Excellent legroom, comfortable incline acts as a resting place. Very comfortable and convenient. This car can beat the "Compact Sedans" any given day, and handsomely at that.

4) Boot space. Huge for a small car. Easy to access too, and icing on the cake : shaped relatively well.

5) General Feel. Not as good as Polo, but certainly not bad. Again, quite a bit above average. Doors felt tough. General feel and build quality are better than Amaze, Brio and Mobilio.

What I feel :

Amaze sales might be hit due to Jazz. At showroom, all were busy in and around Jazz, and rightly so. Its so much better than Amaze.

Jazz is
-> Not overtly flashy like Elite i20, but looks nice on the road.
-> Most probably was designed with practicality in mind it seems, and well done Honda.
-> Offers more practicality than the Compact Sedans.

Lets see if pricing strategy pays off or not for Honda. With such space on offer, it serves the roll of daily drive and weekend family car quite well.

To summarize, I am as impressed with Jazz as I was unimpressed with Amaze/Brio/Mobilio. Could not TD due to time and queue for the same.

If budget is not a constraint and if you are looking for a car which offers practicality and space, my pick would be Honda Jazz VX. Yes there are some good features missing in Jazz like Push button, auto headlamp, keyless entry, etc. yet there are quite a few useful features which Jazz offers like Magic seats, Reverse parking camera, 7" touchscreen AVN, etc. The space which Jazz offers is unparalleled so this has to be the biggest reason for you to go for this.

If budget is a constraint and you are looking for a value for money top variant loaded with features, my recommendation would be to go with Elite i20 Asta.

If you are not interested in top variant of either Jazz or Elite i20 then I think the choice is pretty simple - go for Jazz SV variant. It is well loaded with features and offers huge space, hence super value for money

Finally, dragged myself to the Honda showroom to check out the Jazz. Whitefield Honda, Whitefield Road, Bangalore was the showroom. Did not do a test drive as the diesel variants were not available. The Sales guys expect it to reach in 10 days or so. Not really looking for the 1.2 i-VTEC as I am already tired with the 1.2 of our Dzire. Anyways, I spent almost an hour in the showroom checking out the cars and analyzing various aspects multiple times along with the general pulse of the public checking out the Jazz.

Probably because this was a Sunday, there were many guys and families checking out the car - As Honda targeted, these were families were the guys were between 25 and 35 with a small family with wife and 1 or 2 kids. Except for a family checking out the Mobilio, all others were there to check the Jazz. I saw how people nowadays come to the showrooms after reading all reviews and have a clear understanding on what to look for, what questions to ask, what is missing and what is not. For example: A lady asking why there was no engine bay protection for the petrol engine as the floor was clearly visible from under the bonnet. Many of them were also concerned about the absence of magic seats in the V variant. Some families expressed displeasure of the elevated middle seat in the rear bench of VX variant. The guy was telling his friend "May be Honda wants only four people to sit in their top end car and enjoy the comforts". Mostly the reaction was positive - I could see the awe when they saw the boot and also the amount of space on the rear. I actually saw at least two families putting down their money on the booking when I was present in the showroom. But then, will it be a success like i20 or City?? Hell NO.

Here are my impressions -

Exteriors

Front

• The car looks awesome in flesh. Looks pretty big and has its own character. No doubts on the road-presence and should be pretty unique too - considering it won't sell as much as the i20 or Swift.
• Exterior panels and gaps were pretty consistent. Even though the gaps were not very tight, they were very consistent.
• Paint quality and finish looked very good to me. The Orange shade looked stunning. I am sure it is not metallic, but is it pearl finish?? Honda dealers have only mentioned Taffeta White is the only non-metallic shade. I wanted to check out the Urban Titanium but it was not present in the showroom. The Silver one also looked good.
• Sheet metal quality was decent enough and except the roof, no other metal portion flexed when I pressed using my thumb.
• The glossy black grille with chrome lip looked very good and MUCH better and classy compared to the chrome ones in the City and Mobilio.
• The honeycomb panel between the fog lamps on the bumper to allow air-flow flexed very easily.
• Headlamp cluster looks very classy and modern - integrates very well with the grille.
• The jets for the Wiper fluid is not the rectangular unit as in the City. It has 2 round units with 3 nozzles each. Like RavenAvi mentioned, the quality of the plastic looks below average. Under sunshine, it will become dull very soon.
• I actually prefer the round fog lamps to the differently shaped ones in some other cars. To be it goes well with the design of this car

Side

• Side profile looks good. The tires did not look as under-sized as it appears in the picture, but R16 would have given it stunning looks. However, the thickness is less - should at least have been 185. Alloys also looks better than it looked in pictures.
• The doors were decently heavy and closed with a reassuring sound - might not come close to the Europeans, but is pretty much on par with i20. The wing mirrors on the door looks good.
• Doors open REALLY WIDE and getting in an out is super easy for anyone of any age.
• Character lines borrowed from the City looks good and breaks the monotony on the side. Also gives a more sporty feel.

Rear

• The rear looks very different and the Volvo like vertical reflectors are very well to my liking. The LED tail lamps also looks classy.
• The chrome on the hatch looks big and a glossy black one would have been better and consistent with the overall design.
• Rear Spoiler on the VX looks very sporty and gels with the overall sporty personality of the Jazz. The LED HMSL on it looks much better integrated compared to the ones on other variants.
• Rear bumper just for namesake. I would prefer at least a couple of centimeters more. I guess Honda should have given the car a length of 3999 mm and given the extra couple of centimeters to the rear bumper.
• Only VX gets mud-guards by default and even they are not body-colored. City gets body-colored units.
• The boot opening lever is old-fashioned. Not sure what comes in the Swift / i20.

Interiors

Front

• Design philosophy is very similar to that of City's. The HU and ACC units are slightly tilted towards the driver which is more apparent while seated in the co-driver seat.
• The presence of dummy round panel where the Push button for Start should have been there is an eye-sore but should it be a deal breaker? I am not sure.
• The HU in the VX variant looks decently integrated and to me - it does not look as bad as some reviews point out (including ours). To my eyes, both the HUs look equally good (or bad). The display unit is pretty big but I did not get a chance to check the touch effectiveness or the UI.
• The unit on V looks better integrated probably because the buttons come out of the piano-black console rather than from the audio unit itself unlike the one in VX, where the unit has with all buttons on the itself and the whole thing placed in the piano black panel.
• Quality of plastics is good enough to me and is not as bad as many reviews claim them to be. May not be in the levels of Polo but pretty much on par with i20's. The beige color and the grains used in i20 might give it a more premium look and feel but quality wise, I don't think they are too different. Both of them are hard but will last long enough and age well.
• In fact, I found the hand rest on doors to be better that those in i20. Felt more comfortable and easy on hands.
• Glove box is just sufficient and wires dangling in it is a strict NO to me. Pathetic work from Honda on this. SA said, since the AVN unit is huge, Honda was not able to integrate the wires to where it is in V variant, which sounds too absurd to me.
• When I asked if I can opt for the VX and get the HU in V variant, he clarified that the unit in V cannot be retrofitted in VX and even if done, it will be a huge task as the present panel housing the charging port in VX does not have provision for Aux and USB. So, that panel along with the piano black panel will have to be changed.
• All switches, controls, stalks are very similar to City's and feel good enough to use. Might not be as good as the i20's, but definitely not bad.
• Steering wheel looks very good and feels premium to hold.
• The dials look very classy and unique as it is slightly different from the one on City.
• The phone controls on the steering and paddle shifters has a nice click on operating and has good quality and feel to use.
• The siver detailing on the AC vents and doors breaks the monotony and lends a classy and premium look.
• The quality of black fabric on the VX was much better than the beige in V. To me, the front seats felt pretty much the same to sit on. There was good support and was very comfortable. The contrast stitching on the seat is not white though, it is grey.
• The button for Central lock is removed, but locking the driver side door using the lock-button centrally locks all doors.
• Gear level looks very basic and lacks the premium look and feel. I could see the metal rod of the gear lever and looked pathetic. In my Dzire, I could feel the rod under the art-leather cover.
• The cup holders plastics looked durable but shiny, probably a lesser grade of plastic.
• The gray color on the VX roof looked better than the beige on the lower models
• The sun visors looks to be of good quality and the mirror on passenger side gets a lid.

Rear

• Under-thigh support on the VX is slightly better than the ones in lower variants. Also the lower variants appeared to have a slightly lower seating. However, it is not as bad as mentioned in our review. The difference will be noticeable for someone like me (height 6' 3"). Any Indian of average height will probably not even notice the difference (unless told).
• I had tried the i20 last week and the under-thigh support was only slightly better - probably around a centimeter. I am sure Mod Vidyut was sitting pretty relaxed on the seats and not upright - because I felt to have better thigh support than what is pictured there.
• Middle portion of the VX is totally unwelcome for an adult, I mean only 3/4th of his bottom will be touching the seat stupid: Good enough to seat children. Lower variants have a much better middle seat.
• Leg-room was plenty and I could comfortably sit behind by driving position (seat pushed all the way back and low with slight recline) with a couple of inches still left between my knees and seat.

Boot

• Boot was humongous and good enough for any family for a weekend outing. Also good enough for an airport trip and could move a house folding the rear seat flat - well, almost flat.
• The boot floor, above the R14 steel spare wheel is just name-sake. Very thin and light - not sure if it will last long.
• The tires on the display car were Goodyears and MRF, but the spare in both cars were MRF. Looks like they procured R14 tires from MRF only and R15 from Michelin, Bridgestone, MRF and Goodyear.

I did not ask for any SA's help to take me through the features on the car. I am very sure, we know pretty much everything they are going to tell us (if not more). I did not want to hear anything from the misinformed over enthusiastic SA as I will inevitably end up in an argument with him trying to correct him.

I had only 4 questions to them to them and their answers in Italics.

• Can magic seats be procured as an accessory or option in V trim? - Honda is not providing that option now, but might provide in the future based on customer feedback.
• Can the HU in V be moved to VX with all features as in V? - No, it will not be possible.
• Any alternative to the dangling cables in the glove box in VX variants? - No, you will have to live with it.
• City SV had customer complaints in audio call quality, especially when AC is ON, as the mic was placed on the HU itself and below the AC vents. City V and VX did not have the problem as the mic was on the roof. Now, Jazz SV and V has the same design with mic on the roof, but VX gets it on the HU, do you think this design will cause issues? - No, we did not get any complaints in City SV. Also, there is no mic on the roof - the mic is on the Audio system itself and there will be no issue.

And the inevitable happened - I would not let him go and conversation followed.

• I took him to the V CVT model and showed him the mic on the roof and then to the VX MT and showed the mic on the HU - No, the one on top is not mic. Since this is automatic, it is a feature in automatic. The mic on both models are on the HU itself. Actually the mic on the VX is also not where you showed me - the mic is integrated and you cannot see it from outside :Frustrati It is not a external mouth-piece mic
• Unfortunately they did not have a V manual on display. I told him, the CVT vs Manual is on the gearbox and what is this unit on the roof between the map-lights doing? - I understand what you say, but it is a feature exclusive for automatic and is not a mic. Mic is in the HU itself and you will not be able to see it from outside

The saying goes, arguing with idiots only makes you more idiotic and I did not want to become an idiot. Also, people were starting to notice our discussion. So, I smiled at him and at myself for wasting my time, and said "Fine. Good job" and left.

Conclusion

Honda has missed a Golden opportunity here. They should have priced VX variant at the range they are offering V now, or at least have offered magic seats in the V variant at the current price. I am sure that would have given a very very tough fight to i20. Now, buyer has to make a compromise even while opting for top 2 variants -

• V - No magic seats but costs almost as much as the i20 Asta even though significantly lesser than the VX.
• VX - Mas magic seats, but costs significantly more than i20 Asta and also compromises on some features available in the V variant.

To me SV and V variant seems the most VFM especially to those who do not consider Magic seats as an absolute necessity. SV misses on ACC and some cosmetic features but still is VFM for what it offers.

Here are the ex-showroom prices for the Jazz and Elite I20 petrol models in Hyderabad





As you can see, the difference except the top end variant is very minimal.
And considering the fact that both the SV and V variants of the Jazz have safety features like dual airbags,ABS,rear wash/wipe, those variants make a strong case against the Sportz and Sportz (O) variants of the I20.

The SV variant looks extremely VFM to me.

The VX definitely looks overpriced. May be the magic seats mechanism is not that cost effective for Honda

I would think the other way round. Honda wants to project the magic seats as a USP, hence wants to charge a premium for this offering, though from manufacturing cost perspective the incremental cost would be only marginal.

Infact going by Maruti's philosophy offering it in every variant would have made it cheaper for Honda :uncontrol
Looks like Honda wants to call "Utility" as a premium feature... I am wondering why didn't they reduce the boot space on purpose in the lower variants!!

Only thing is folks considering buying SV and then spending 48k on "Honda" Alloy wheels is not recommended. It is better to directly go for "V" in such cases, as there are lot more features for another 40k extra from SV to V plus you get financing at the time of the purchase itself.

Excellent review this, rated 5 stars!

Personally, even with all the negative feeling here, I still love the car.

Most importanly, for the space it offers. My normal usage will be in city but for the weekend and long trips, I need the extra legroom and the large boot. My family has habit to pack "a little extra" for our trips and fitting all those luggage in my Santro is a different task altogether.

Though, I love the magic seats but the price difference over V (or SV for that matter) is huge and the dangling cables and missing some other features makes VX a no-no for me.

One thing I wanted to know, is there a child restraint (isofix) available in any of the variants?

I have asked this question to every SA that I have met around but they do not give me a satisfactory answer

"Can magic seats be fitted for V trim and below as an option fitment - at Honda service center?"

Some of them respond with a feeble yes - we can try sir, after you buy the V CVT version
Others say - no sir, its available only for VX. it has been designed like that (!!)
While few others speculate - maybe Honda will come with limited edition shortly for V CVT which will have magic seats and other few goodies

Does anyone have any insight into this?

I happened to be driving past Peninsular Honda yesterday & stopped to check out the Honda Jazz. The showroom was virtually empty. They had an orange CVT V and a silver VX. No test drives are apparently given out on Sundays which is puzzling. The Jazz has a 6000 rupee handling charge along with a variable amount (depending on which model you pick) of between Rs 590 to 953 for optional 'Engine Protector'. When I asked what it is, I was told that it is for insurance against damage from water logging etc:


They have been told that only white is a solid colour and orange is metallic. I asked him about it 4 - 5 times and he finally agreed that it looks solid to them but they are going by what they were told. I later realized that the pricing sheet says only Tafeta White is solid. Total on road price for the Jazz V CVT with all options is 9,17,930.


They have 80 odd bookings with quite a few of them for the V and VX. They have got delivery of around 45 cars as of now so waiting period should be around a month or so for new bookings. Deliveries across Kerala start on the 18th IIRC.


Since the VW showroom is virtually next door, I hopped in to take a test ride of the GT TSI. I was telling the sales guy there that it is a toss up between the GT and the Jazz CVT. He was mentioning that they were willing to work out something on the pricing front given that the Jazz undercuts the Polo's on road price of 9,67,992.

I have a question for people who experienced the reverse camera of the I20 and the jazz (or City).

I understand that the I20's reverse camera is displayed on the rear view mirror and the Jazz or City has it displayed on the ICE. Also, there is something called adaptive guidelines for I20 whereas the City or Jazz has 3 viewing modes for the reverse camera.

Additionally, I20 does have parking sensors.

So, from a usability point of view, which one is better?

The System in i20 is better. Sensors are better in judging the distance, being audible. Camera becomes difficult when light is poor, and in slushy condition where the camera is soiled with mud. Hence ideally a combination would be the best.