[yedukrishnan199]

Congratulations on your purchase, the Honda Jazz CVT was on my radar for quite a long time, but its eventual discontinuation from the market is a worrying factor, Why doesn't Honda bring the New Honda Jazz/Fit to India?. Why did Honda have to do away with the Magic seats. These were some of the questions I had in my mind when I was considering the Jazz.

To add to that the prospect of Honda relying on just the City and the Amaze, two sedans on bringing them volumes in a market skewed towards SUVs is worrying to say the least. I wonder how long it is till Honda decide to shut shop in India

[rajivr1612]

Jazz is a compelling product, same goes for the Amaze. But it's distressing why companies don't go the whole nine yards when releasing a product. What kept me away from these two almost good products were lack of pretty basic stuff in an automatic :

1) No hill hold in both of them.
2) Amaze Diesel CVT does not have cruise control, but the manual one has. I lost my marbles looking at the features list.
3) No adjustable headrest at back.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Very nice review. Jazz is a no nonsense city car.

Thanks!

Congratulations on your i20 ! Drive safe!

Originally Posted by Zen Av8r

Congratulations for picking up a very practical car. You will enjoy your ownership of this beautiful car. Wishing you many safe miles and happiness with your Jazz.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Zen Av8r

I too picked up my Jazz V CVT from Brigade Honda, Yelahanka in 2015. Over the years, the tyres have been upsized to 185/65 R15 and I have changed the infotainment system to a Sony XAV-AX5000. I am getting an average of 13 kmpl in city traffic and 15-16 kmpl on highways. The car has enough grunt for the twisties in Coorg but runs short of breath beyond 100 kmph on the highways.

Nice to know that you are having fun with the car. Do you rev the engine on the highways? Or are you a relaxed driver?

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

Loved reading this post to the end! I particularly love how the Jazz looks in this shade of white, quite upmarket as compared to the other colours. With the Polo out of the equation, I feel the Jazz would be my first pick for a premium hatch. The interior especially looks quite premium.

Wishing you many happy miles ahead with that slick CVT!

Thanks!

Completely agree with you. Polo would have been a tough competitor for Jazz.

Originally Posted by yedukrishnan199

Congratulations on your purchase,

Thanks!

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

Jazz is a compelling product, same goes for the Amaze. But it's distressing why companies don't go the whole nine yards when releasing a product. What kept me away from these two almost good products were lack of pretty basic stuff in an automatic :

1) No hill hold in both of them.
2) Amaze Diesel CVT does not have cruise control, but the manual one has. I lost my marbles looking at the features list.
3) No adjustable headrest at back.

True. Lack of market research coupled with lack of domain knowledge within the decision making team, often spell disaster. Everything boils down to pick and choose of features based on a budget, which can backfire.

Everything said and done, they still have good numbers to justify their decision.

[Zen Av8r]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Nice to know that you are having fun with the car. Do you rev the engine on the highways? Or are you a relaxed driver?

I am a lightfooted, relaxed driver generally not exceeding 100 kmph on highways. I have noticed that the engine starts losing steam if there is a slight incline and one wants to maintain speed at 100. I miss the cruise control feature and speed sensing door locks. Unfortunately, Honda is not upgrade friendly on this front.

[shancz]

Thanks for a very well written, crisp and detailed review. It was very pleasing to read

Your K10 looked brilliant too and the Jazz is a worthy upgrade. Yours in pearl white looks serene.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

AC controller is not an extended part of the Infotainment system to play with; AC is part of the car's safety feature and is as sacrosanct as the gear lever in the car!

Thanks for highlighting the most ignored, misunderstood and important safety and convenience feature
This is the first time I have read anyone explicitly focusing on it and I second your views.

[CCRider]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Overall, Jazz is an excellent premium city hatch! Enjoying every bit of it!

Congratulations ! Reading your review made me regret my recent decision.
I planned to buy two new cars - a small city car and a mid sized car that can also be used for occasional highway travel. Wanted one of the car to be an EV.

Jazz was the only car that ticked all my requirements in the mid size segment - safety, ride comfort, smooth cvt - but after getting to know that it will be discontinued and also due to lack of a compact hatch EV (hoped for the Altroz EV which never got launched) dropped the idea and ended up buying a Santro Amt as the city beater. But now with the launch of Tiago EV, along with Jazz CVT it would have made good combo.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by Zen Av8r

I am a lightfooted, relaxed driver generally not exceeding 100 kmph on highways. I have noticed that the engine starts losing steam if there is a slight incline and one wants to maintain speed at 100.

Jazz I-VTEC being Petrol NA engine, both power (6000 rpm) and torque (4800 rpm) peaks at higher RPMs. Car will be fun to drive if the engine is revved between 4000 - 6500 RPMs. Use paddle shifters in sports mode try this sometime for fun!

Originally Posted by shancz

Thanks for a very well written, crisp and detailed review. It was very pleasing to read.

Your K10 looked brilliant too and the Jazz is a worthy upgrade. Yours in pearl white looks serene.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by CCRider

Congratulations ! Reading your review made me regret my recent decision.

Last time when I bought Alto, VB-San and may other fellow Bhpians suggested me to consider a safer alternative. At that time, Alto suited our requirements and therefore I purchased it. If I had purchased a safer car, maybe I would have retained it for a longer time.

This is part of life. There is always a next time. Please don't bother / revisit your decision. Santro AMT is an excellent city car. Zippy to drive! Enjoy while you have it!

[locusjag]

Great choice with the Jazz CVT! Please see if you can possibly swap out the rear seat for an older variants rear seat - which I believe may have had height adjustable headrests. I'm pretty sure I've seen those in older ones.

[CCRider]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

This is part of life. There is always a next time. Please don't bother / revisit your decision. Santro AMT is an excellent city car. Zippy to drive! Enjoy while you have it!

Thanks ChetanBG. Indeed the santro amt is a great city car and probably the best AMT among the ABC segments.
Have to wait for the right EV now .

[VikramCS]

Hearty Congratulations!

My ownership experience: Honda Jazz V CVT automatic

"If something can be done tomorrow, don't do it today" well that's how i kept postponing penning down my ownership experience. Apologies. It’s been close to 9-months since I purchased this car, and so far have covered close to 8.5K+ kilometers.

Disclaimer: This is my first ownership review, please bear with me. It'll be a long post, appreciate your patience.

Need for change: Well, I was happy with my Toyota Etios Liva V (Petrol) which I was using from 3+ years. Owning Toyotas is simply a joy - absolutely fuss-free ownership. Fill, Drive and repeat; very reliable and comfortable. It could easily carry 4 adults + my kid and luggage for 3-day trips. Then, why change in 3 years? No, i didn't get any promotion, no salary hike either..! However, what i started to get aplenty was pain in my left foot, ankles and left shoulder joint - it was bad and I could not even lift my left arm vertically up. Got X-rays done and Doctor mentioned that some liquid in joints (can't recollect the medical terminology) had started to dry-up. He put me on medication for a month and advised me to stop driving for a month at-least (with complete respect to the Doctor - what the hell? give-up driving? Sorry, impossible). It was clear that clutch and gear were taking a toll - so, finally after driving Manual Transmission (MT) for 14 years, it was time to get comfortable: go for an automatic.

Which car?: My requirements were simple:
- Reliable, comfortable for both City and Highways
- Safety: at-least 4-star {Just to recollect: Etios Liva was one of the first hatch-backs to be rated 4-stars by GNCAP. The model tested had 2 airbags and body shell was rated 'stable'. ABS was added later. Safety was one of the key reasons for getting Liva against a lot of "popular choices"}
- Proper automatic (NO AMT)
- Stable highways manners and decent handling
- Spacious cabin and generous boot-space
- Budget ~8L (lower the better. Since budget was on lower-side, was looking for pre-owned cars.

I'll not get into selection details, but took test drive of Baleno, i20, Jazz and Polo. My brother owns Baleno CVT, and, i had travelled on road-trips with him for over 2K kilometers - it was easier to decide. i20 didn't meet my requirements. Polo, though a little short on space, was undoubtedly the best to drive. However, being a family man, was inclined to go for spacious car - hence, Jazz automatic was finalized.

I found a decent deal and booked a pre-owned Jazz CVT (2017) that had about 25K on the odo. Did a background check and was convinced to put my money on it.

Experience
(a) Driving in City : Jazz CVT is easy and smooth to drive. I live in Bangalore and can't thank enough the convenience of this smooth automatic from Honda. No head-nods, no jerks- just pleasure! No clutch, no frequent gear-changes – very easy to drive. With gentle accelerator inputs, progress is little slow initially, but, suits my 'city-driving' style where i prefer to make gradual progress especially while moving in a sea of two-wheelers, autos, cabs and BMTC buses.
I do not feel lack of power, especially for relaxed driving. Yes, can’t launch aggressively from traffic signals, but, I have left that adventure to other road-users. When conditions permit brisk progress, simply use the paddle shifters (can be used in D mode as well), drop a step and the car rushes forward. When roads are little free (they seldom are!) a little more pressure on A pedal is sufficient to move ahead of traffic. All-in-all Jazz CVT is a capable + comfortable city car.

(b) Driving on Highways: Well, neither am I an enthusiastic nor a sedate driver – I drive according to the road conditions, although at times I’m a little aggressive. Now, in the D mode, with firm pressure on A pedal, Jazz makes ample progress (not quick!) in lower rpms, but as revs rise it can comfortably get to around 80-ish in reasonable time. Progress upto 100 km/hr is brisk, but beyond that, takes time to reach 120-130 mark. Whenever there is a need for quick acceleration, use paddle shifters to drop down – I sometimes employ double-drop: drop a step (let’s say car is in D4 around 70-ish, I drop to D3 and get the push; again, I drop a step which’ll bring it back to D3 and allow to rev higher thereby gaining speed). I’m not sure whether this is the right way to step-down in a CVT, I’ll let the experts comment.

Power output of Jazz CVT is around 90PS, while the car weighs over a ton. It’s not a very quick car, but, even in the D mode, I can easily reach triple-digit speeds, with 2-adults + 5-year-old daughter + luggage on-board. Again, no comparison to Polo, but, Jazz is not a slow car.

When in mood for fun, slot to S mode and the car makes quick progress by holding on till higher rpms. Using paddle shifters in Sports mode can help manual control – this is real fun. I have used this combination and managed to gain very quick speeds. Have hit ~100 in S3, 130 in S4..etc. Disclaimer: I do not recommend driving beyond speed-limits. For testing purpose, when road conditions were ideal, had tested the car’s ability. Please drive safe.

Though I do not redline the iVtec frequently, have observed that at higher rpms(5K+), engine response is comparatively better than lower rpms.

(c ) Ride, handling and comfort: At highway speeds, Jazz is stable and solid. Yes, as revs rise, one can hear engine’s roar, but it’s music to ears and not at all disturbing. I found the car stable around corners and is not nervous around twists. Straight line stability is impressive and brakes are confidence inspiring. Road undulations are handled well and the car does not lose composure. I found the suspension set-up to be balanced. Ride quality is comfortable at city speeds; on long highway trips, though the car is comfortable overall, at times when in higher speeds, some unruly potholes tend to make it bouncy at the rear. Just to compare Jazz with Liva – my parents (father aged 70+; mother 60+) in the rear seat, feel little more comfortable in Liva than Jazz, however, the difference may not be significant.

Body roll is controlled and direction changes happen without much drama. Steering response is acceptable and it nicely weighs-up at higher speeds.

(d) Wheels, tires and Ground clearance: I have read multiple times that Honda provides skinny tires – unable to comment on tire size, not sure whether upsizing tires can increase comfort/grip levels. However, I recently replaced old tires with same-size MRF ZVTV tires from Madhu’s Tyres, Bangalore. Probably, I should have enquired about upsizing!

Ground clearance is adequate: despite travelling on pothole-ridden roads and unscientific road-humps, haven't scraped the car’s underbelly (I can’t control the urge to curse the folks responsible for unscientific humps though – some are mountains, not humps…who designed, laid and approved them!?).

(e) Interiors: As you might have observed, this section comes below the more important sections above. For me, a car should have: a good engine, reliable gearbox, sufficient safety, comfortable ride and confident handling. Personally, creature comforts, 10-inch TVs, gimmicky features, sunroof etc. are not very important to me.

- Dashboard, fit and finish: Good quality interiors at this price-point for a previous generation car. No panel gaps, no rattling sounds…current odo stands at a tad below 34K.

- Music system: I’m not an audiophile and hardly switch-on the music. My family members like to talk more than listen (to music I mean). I’d say the music system does its job well -steering mounted audio controls are helpful (wonder why there is no mute button though).

- Seats: are comfortable for long drives. I assume there’s no lumbar support, but, the seats offer enough cushion to the occupants for long journeys – no issues here.

- Space: Jazz has acres of space, believe me, even Liva offered lot of space. Head-room is more than sufficient - my family members, including me, are on shorter side, but even six-footers will not have much to complain in Jazz

- Boot-space: Let’s just say my wife is happy with it, no explanation required.

- Air-conditioning: AC is very comfortable for all occupants. No complaints of less throw or cooling from rear occupants so far. When I switch-on AC, I increase the fan-speed and lower the temperature a bit, and, then adjust as per need. My car also comes with auto-AC, but I hardly use-it.

(f) “Kitna deti hai”??: ji vo exactly ‘pata nahi’. I believe the right method to measure mileage is do a tank-full to tank-full, and, ideally refill from the same petrol bunk. However, I have not measured mileage this way so far in Jazz, and, am in no mood too..!
Going by the MID:
in City (depending on traffic density): 10.5-12 kmpl
on highways (depending on my mood!!): 15–16.5 kmpl

As we all know, mileage is sensitive to individual driving style. On highways, when maintaining a constant cruising speed ~90, have managed between 17-18kmpl. Aggressive acceleration, racing beyond 110+, using Sports mode – these will drop mileage. Choice, is clearly the drivers!

(g) Service costs: Honda recommends a 6-month service interval for Jazz (probably, models later than 2018/2019 come with a 12-month/10K kms service interval, other owners can confirm) - I believe this was Honda’s ploy to make Dealers profitable.
Anyway, I try and stick to manufacturer’s guidelines and have got my car serviced once so far – at Magnum Honda (Kanakapura road). Service experience was good, but, as usual SA’s try to increase their commission by pushing unnecessary stuff – just follow the owner’s manual and save yourself some money.

Last service cost was around 6.3K, and, I expect average costs will be in vicinity of 6K, which I think is fair for premium hatch-back.

Upgrades:
- Headlights: OEM fitted ones are basic. However, I hardly drive on highways during nigh-time, so this upgrade is not urgent. For city usage, current ones are okay-ish.
- Arm-rest: Honda dealerships quoted 7K, so have to check outside.

Conclusion: Jazz CVT is a fantastic product – a spacious, comfortable car with Honda’s famed iVtec engine plus reliable automatic gearbox. One can’t go wrong with Jazz – sad that Honda decided to discontinue this car.

Dear Honda: why can’t you just plonk the RS1.0L turbo engine (available in Thailand market) in Jazz, bump-up the power output to 100-105PS, keep prices competitive (at-least initially) … you’d have a winner on hand. I can’t believe that you don’t even market your products properly in this age and time? Please increase your marketing spend, upgrade the product and I’m sure the numbers will follow.

Lastly, Jazz will not please very keen and enthusiastic drivers – it’s not folks who want to fly from 0-100. For pure driving pleasure get a Polo, but, for balanced needs Jazz should do fine.

Thanks for sticking till the end, and I hope it's useful to readers/prospective buyers.

[bajoseph04]

Congrats on your new car purchase and wish you a million happy miles! Jazz is a perfect family car. If ground clearance was not a factor, I would have gone with a Jazz instead of the WRV. With WRV I miss the 60:40 split magic seats and with the Idtec, I had to live with the diesel clatter which the engine compensates with the excellent mileage. I've done a hassle-free 5+ years and 56k on Odo with almost zero niggles as on date.

[Voodooblaster]

Congratulations on your excellent decision and welcome to Jazz Family

Please go through GKMahajan's (My 2015 Honda Jazz V CVT (Automatic)) review for 2015 model and my review for 2019 model details (The Magic Carpet - My Honda Jazz Petrol CVT (Automatic))

We can find out the addition/deletion of features over a period of 7 years based on all 3 reviews


Absence of rear headrest, AC vent and magic seats and isofix are the major grouses against an otherwise good allrounder

Jazz CVT is an excellent product and scores above the 4th Gen City in Fit and Finish, and also crash test score.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Tyre upgrade: Stock tyres were Goodyear Assurance 175/65 R15 84T and was changed to Vredestein Ultrac 185/65 R15 88V. Tyre upgrade was done on the very next day after delivery before the odometer reading crossed 100 Kms, to ensure a good buyback value for the stock tyres. Deviation in diameter falls within 2%, which is in the permissible range. The new tyres come with better quality rubber, wider gripper tyre, 6mm higher ground clearance, higher load and speed rating.

For tyre swap, were you able to use the existing alloys ?

And I suggest that you should swap the spare tyre with a 185/65 R15 sized alloy/rim and tyre combo

Since you had gone for a upsize on the normal tires, size difference between spare and 185/65 R15 will be a bit high

As it is, the space saver tyre and rim is a smaller than the stock 175/65 R15

Will warranty be affected on upsizing the tyres ?

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Great choice with the Jazz CVT!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by VikramCS

Hearty Congratulations!

My ownership experience: Honda Jazz V CVT automatic

Thanks and congratulations to you too!

Originally Posted by VikramCS

Upgrades:
- Headlights: OEM fitted ones are basic. However, I hardly drive on highways during nigh-time, so this upgrade is not urgent. For city usage, current ones are okay-ish.

You can replace the bulb with Philips Extreme vision. That will improve the visibility by 25%.

Check the OEM bulb rating and replace with the same rating. Usually the rating will be 60/55 watts H4 halogen bulbs. No need to upgrade to a 100/90 watts bulb with a relay contact.

Originally Posted by bajoseph04

Congrats on your new car purchase and wish you a million happy miles! Jazz is a perfect family car.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

Congratulations on your excellent decision and welcome to Jazz Family

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

Please go through GKMahajan's (My 2015 Honda Jazz V CVT (Automatic)) review for 2015 model and my review for 2019 model details (The Magic Carpet - My Honda Jazz Petrol CVT (Automatic))

We can find out the addition/deletion of features over a period of 7 years based on all 3 reviews

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

For tyre swap, were you able to use the existing alloys ?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

And I suggest that you should swap the spare tyre with a 185/65 R15 sized alloy/rim and tyre combo

Steel RIM has already been ordered. Expected by the end of this month. Will update once done.

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

Will warranty be affected on upsizing the tyres ?

As the diameter is within allowable limits, it should not affect warranty in my opinion.


Update @ 1000 Kms on the ODO:

First inspection service was carried out. This was mostly a visual inspection of fluid levels and the suspension related fasteners were re-torqued.

Duration: 1 hr

12V power socket which was ordered about 15 days back had still not arrived. It was ordered to be fixed inside the driver's hand-rest to provide power outlet to the rear passengers. I will update once it is received and installed.


Honda Jazz has 3 substantially large openings for the rats to enter the cabin!

1. A four inch height opening just behind the engine fire wall.

2. One each on both side of the rear wheel arches.

This was covered with stainless steel mesh. Infact, these were fixed with a permanent glue. This costed me Rs.3100 + GST.

A ripoff I thought! But was necessary, never-the-less.

A sump guard and a 15 inch steel RIM (for the spare wheel) has been ordered and will be delivered by this month end. I will update once this is received and fixed.


I-VTEC is an extremely rev happy engine. CVT transmission in sports mode + paddle shifters, allows the car to be literally driven like a manual. Gear shifts feels like a TC rather than a CVT! Had fun with the car on the highway and literally loved it! Engine sound over 4000 RPM is simply additive and music to the ears!

[VikramCS]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Thanks!



Thanks and congratulations to you too!



You can replace the bulb with Philips Extreme vision. That will improve the visibility by 25%.

Check the OEM bulb rating and replace with the same rating. Usually the rating will be 60/55 watts H4 halogen bulbs. No need to upgrade to a 100/90 watts bulb with a relay contact.



Honda Jazz has 3 substantially large openings for the rats to enter the cabin!

1. A four inch height opening just behind the engine fire wall.

2. One each on both side of the rear wheel arches.

This was covered with stainless steel mesh. Infact, these were fixed with a permanent glue. This costed me Rs.3100 + GST.

A ripoff I thought! But was necessary, never-the-less.

D

Thank you very much. Really appreciate your inputs on both the headlights upgrade, and, more importantly the rat-mesh. One question: did you get them fixed at dealership? If yes, which one?

To me, 3K is worth-it, it'll allow you to be in peace. 3 years back, i had got rat mesh fixed for my Liva and it costed me 1.5K for just one opening, hence, feel 3K to cover three openings is acceptable.

[VikramCS]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Thanks!

I-VTEC is an extremely rev happy engine. CVT transmission in sports mode + paddle shifters, allows the car to be literally driven like a manual. Gear shifts feels like a TC rather than a CVT! Had fun with the car on the highway and literally loved it! Engine sound over 4000 RPM is simply additive and music to the ears!

Completely agree - btw, the 1.5L iVtec on the 5th generation City is even mouth-watering