Team-BHP - My new Honda Jazz

I dedicate my first post to all the fans of the automobile.

First of all let me begin by stating that I am new to your team and I consider it a honour to be a part of team-bhp. I also express my thanks to all the members whose discussions which I observed as a guest played a huge role in shaping my decision to go for the Jazz.

I took delivery of a Rallye Red Honda Jazz XMT on 23rd Jan 2011 from Capital Honda. It gives me great pleasure for me to declare that Jazz is the only vehicle which impressed all the members of my family. Many of them were impressed by its practicality and space.

Meanwhile, I have driven the vehicle for around 300 kms and I am blown away by the way the vehicle exudes comfort and smoothness. It glides over the pothole strewn roads of Chennai. I am impressed by its extremely low levels of Noise and Vibration. Fuel efficiency is excellent. I get an average of 14-15 kmpl while driving in city traffic. I have checked the readings on the information display with the level of fuel in the tank. It perfectly corresponds.

Though I was a little bit disappointed at the features offered considering the price, the features which the vehicle has are extremely useful, practical. Safety features are top notch. International versions rev along with a lot of hi-tech features that makes the car a match for the i20. It is a shame that Honda doesn't offer a little of these. Ground clearance, which is inherent in Honda cars, may be an issue as well though it is higher than ANHC.

We had to wait a full period of 2 weeks while the consignment arrived from the factory in Noida with 2011 Chassis and components.

I will state more information on the car later along with the dealership experience which was one of the most memorable and enjoyable ever. The folks at Capital Honda were extremely professional.

Overall, the Car is a perfect example of Japanese perfection, versatility and Seizosuru ( Manufacture ) and I would recommend the car for anyone who are able and willing.:thumbs up

Hello Carfans!,

Here I will attempt to give a complete TD and Ownership experience for the first 300kms for my Honda Jazz XMT plus add a few more photos that some members requested. I will also answer the queries along the way.

First, I came to know of the Jazz's superior and frugal qualities from the Jazz Ownership reports on team-bhp. I read most of the forums regarding the Jazz and I realized that it was not Price or VFM that counted rather the Nature of the car itself which gave one of the best levels of satisfaction and quality.

December the 31st, 2010

So I went to the Capital Honda dealership and came into contact with Mr. Rajkumar on Dec. 31 2010. The way we were invited itself was markedly different from other places. We were asked if we could take a cup of tea and we started our discussions. He specially brought the Jazz brochures( 3 brochures man ) from his offices at the 1st floor since they were not available immediately in the show room premises since the 2010 stocks were all disposed off. He explained all the features of the car from each page in the brochure by which we were all impressed and physically showed the same from the nearby parked Demo car.

He invited us for a TD and so I drived around the airport roads and we were amazed at the levels of quality (interior build, exterior), space, legroom for the 5 of us, the smoothness of the ride and the engine.

We didn't even say that we would book when he asked to TD the ANHC AT with paddle-shifters just for the sake of the thrilling experience, though we had enough on our plate already. ( We could never buy that at such a price and we told him of our intention of not buying the AT ANHC before itself ). We left very impressed.

Dec. 31, evening and Jan 1, 2011
I made a call to Mr. Rajkumar stating that we would book on the new years day. He gladly consented to come though it was a holiday for them and attend to our booking. And so we booked and paid the advance of 10,000 Rs. He explained in great detail on the forms, Road Tax, Insurance etc.

Jan 3, 2011
He called stating that the order had been placed and that the consignment would arrive within 2 weeks.

Jan 5, 2011
He again updated us that the consignment had been shipped from Noida.

2 excruciating weeks later

Jan 18, 2011
He again called stating that the Lorry carrying the car had arrived at the showroom. He arranged for the registration as speedily as possible so as to complete the process by that week itself as we had to complete the registration by that week due to a lot of reasons. He came that night at 9'o' clock after showing another car for a TD at Anna Nagar. We completed all the formalities.

Jan 21, 2011
Registration completed swiftly in the presence of Capital Honda staff (Chief Driver)

Jan 23, 2011
The Car was polished, and a ribbon was strapped. First the staff at Capital Honda explained the features and operation all again and the same Mr. Rajkumar explained all the workings of the car. The staff also performed a special pooja, took Arathi and asked my Grandfather, who was the eldest assembled there to take the car for the first spin. Later, over another cup of tea, The manual, 2 years warranty, 2 years extended warranty, Roadside assistance, and persons to contact were all explained. I was given a Honda Key-Chain, a box of sweets, and a Honda Pouch to keep all the Manuals, Separate service and maintenance booklet and contact card.
A separate, Official FE figure card as tested as per SIAM guidelines was also given. It stated more than 16kmpl and a product ID card showing the Engine and Chassis No was also given and the keys were handed over.
All very professional!

Now, the Driving Experience

Over 300kms, I found one fact striking, (i.e) over the poor and narrow roads of Mint Street, parts of Adyar, Vadapalani, Usman Road, Cenotaph road, L.B road the car aborbed all the bumps and potholes with great aplomb and ensured a smooth ride for all of us ( It glided over ). The suspension is correctly tuned so that not only does it ensure a soft ride but also as hard as necessary. I found no Ground clearance issues so far but it is bit worrying for me as it is low.

The second Gear is a little hard to put at some speeds where I am forced to put 3rd but the car accepts the 3rd gear even at low speeds. I am able to put 2nd only if I slow down sufficiently.

On the Old Mahabalipuram Road to Injambakkam, the instantaneous fuel consumption always exceeded 30kmpl on 3,4,5th gears. I got 16 as avg.
On city driving, I get 14.5-15kmpl which I feel is impressive considering the choked roads of Chennai. The 30litres of petrol which I put on Jan 23rd had only recently (Feb 3rd.) reached half a tank.
( All figures with the A.C on )
The NVH system is fabulous. I cannot hear the engine at idle and I don't know if I had started the engine or I have to crank and I was fooled once or twice. At speed, the engine is fabulously quiet and you can hear some semblance of the whine of the engine only at about 2500 rpm. I cannot feel any abnormal Vibration so far.

The Boot space is fabulous. Every one are impressed and remark that the boot itself is as large as a sedan and the Magic seats will not be required to do their magic. I once parked my car near a Verna and I was amazed to see that it is almost as large and long as the Hyundai Verna! The good news is that you don't feel any difficulty in negotiating the city traffic with all the bulk.

For such a large bulk of a car, the A.C system is fantastic, Even the rear seat passengers requested me to reduce the blower speed after just a few minutes. I believe there are separate A.C. vents for rear seat passengers under the front seats which is what I saw from the Manual though it was not mentioned whether it is for Indian or International versions.

Reverse Negotiation is superb, I have good visibility at the rear and so are the ORVM's large and covers a wide field of view.

I got special Honda alloys of a Greyish-Brown not the usual alloys on the city, the dealer told me that these were special for the Jazz X! The Michelins which I got also has a story to tell. The Car came with Bridgestone tyres, due to the request made by me earlier (after reading team-bhp ), the dealer changed the tyres to Michelins that come with Jazz. ( It seems that Honda Jazz comes with 3 brands of tyres: Michelins, Goodyears and Bridgestones )

Some more Photos

Quote:

Originally Posted by selfdrive (Post 2234186)

Great pics Jazzman, and good to know about the comfortable drive. The sales experience also sounds fabulously smooth and hassle free
I forgot to ask you about the music system. Does it play DVD/ MP3 and is it Bluetooth compatible? How is the speaker quality?

I am looking for one too; the current debate regarding the Jazz is about the interior & exterior colors (Red/ Blue)! My concerns are the GC and the rumours of a Jazz hybrid launch. Were you able to negotiate for the X, and what was the OTR?
I note it is very kind of the dealer to change the tyres later

Thanks selfdrive,
First the knick-knacks about the music system,

1. Excellent sound quality IMHO from the little that I have heard, I don't know much about the finer aspects of these things and I only listen to Carnatic Music, however it seemed excellent to me and it also compared very favorably with the players that I listen at home. It has a huge bang though, the dealer showed its capacity by increasing its volume full blast and it was deafening.
2. I am just now going through the manual and I see that I need quite some time to learn about this. The display is excellent and you know what, it automatically dims when I switch on the headlights. There is also a feature by which the volume increases automatically at speed called as Speed Sensitive Volume Compensation (SVC) and you can adjust its sensitivity also.
3. It can play MP3, WMA but not DVD.
4.It can read the files on your ipod and USB drive.
5. It is not bluetooth compatible, for that there is the GPS which I showed in the photos.

GC is not an issue so far, It drives on tall bumps as without scraping the underbody. Near my house, they put a Cement road on top of a tar road and negotiating to my house will require any one to climb a mountain, the Jazz climbed that with sufficient clearance to spare. On another occasion there was a tall Manhole cover on a battered road. The car absorbed the bumps with ease and gave us impressive comfort and went over the cover without scraping.

The dealer didnot mention anything about the Hybrid though he gave me 2 calendars with Honda Car photos! on delivery, I forgot to mention the same earlier (one for a Honda Crazy relative of mine ) The last photo deals with the Honda CRZ which is of course one of Honda's best hybrids?

The seat covers were from a separate accessory dealer. The Company provides only Grey, and Beige seat covers. ( More on this later )

You just cannot haggle with a Honda, the discounts were only for the month of december on the mode and select versions when I enquired and by the time I enquired, it was almost over anyway. I am not sure if any discounts are available now (they might be for the new year ). They have an horrible habit of Not providing discounts on the Top end version in any case. To his credit, he reduced the dealer's margin on the insurance, did the suncontrol (3M Medium ) work, Exterior polish Free Of Cost.

For Jazz XMT
Chennai OTR Rs. 879,038
Standard Kit Rs. 8,335

Total 887,373
Dealer's margin - 5270
882, 103stupid:

You must think that I am like that right?

But I assure you that initial purchase price is only a small part in the overall cost equation (a lesson I learnt from Team-BHP), you must consider satisfaction, comfort, hassle free driving and service experience, years the car will serve you enjoyment as on the day 1, Fuel Efficiency, Resale Value, the Jazz scores highly on all fronts except maybe perhaps resale value which I believe, though not as high as the ANHC, will definitely command respect because it is such an excellent and practical car and it being a Honda.

The above is for the XMT, the other versions dont have the std. kit and one difference with Honda compared to other marques is that all versions come almost fully loaded as the Top end variant. You have all the features as the XMT except USB, Alloys, Foglights and spoiler. Alloys are present in the mid variant which gets the same alloys as you can see in the ANHC. You may install the fog lights, spoiler as an option. If you are willing to forego the USB, you will get the same Jazz with almost all the features for not more than Rs. 851,813 (OTR )

I agree that any way, pricing differnce is not all that of a huge margin but you get a perfect (well, almost perfect) machine which is a spectacular piece of engineering, ingenuity and practicality.

If you are able and willing, please go for the Jazz.:thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo (Post 2234184)

Amit, I believe they are std. in the Jazz X.

@Jazzman: Congrats. I'm damn envious of you, as this is my favourite iteration of the Jazz. I wish you 1000s of happy miles. I want one too, so mind telling me what were the discounts you could reap?

Thanks Arkin evoisrevo,

I'm afraid those fellows at Honda though excellent in the customer service front are a stubborn bunch. You don't get any discounts for the Jazz XMT though discounts were available in december on the Select and base versions. I think they might be available on the same now. Don't worry, at Honda you get all the features in all versions barring USB (only in XMT ), Alloys (on Select same as ANHC's Alloys, XMT the grey one), Foglights and spoilers (which you may put as an optional extra on other versions ) Rest stay (safety, Interior comfort and convenience etc.)

I forgot to mention, they also have a car exchange program called Honda's auto terrace by which YOU CAN HAGGLE for a good price if you want to exhange your old car, as well as Loan schemes under Honda's banner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klub Class (Post 2234160)

Congratulations on your Honda Jazz, Jazzman :D

Since I closely watch the test drives and initial ownerships section, I'm pretty sure that this is the first Rallye Red Honda Jazz on the forum! After having a look at the pics that you've shared with us, I can safely assume that this shade would look more awesome in real! You've made a right decision on the color as well as the car.

I've few queries. Please answer them, if time permits.

1) Are the illuminated scuff plates a part of standard equipment? or did you buy them later?

2) How much did you pay for the seat covers? Yes, they look seriously awesome!

3) What's that screen mounted on your front windshield? GPS?

Drive safe. Many many happy miles with your new car! :)

Thanks Klub Class
I am extremely happy that the Jazz which always puts a smile on anyone who owns or drives it makes the people of this forum happy.

1. The illuminated scuffplates called illuminated side step garnish in Honda Jargon is unfortunately not a part of standard equipment, it is a Genuine Honda Accessory available in Kit form along with sports pedals and fog lamps for a reasonable sum or as a separate accessory and so can be installed on all versions. Only the Front sides are illuminated, the rear passengers get to do with unilluminated Jazz lettering side step garnish. It is installed by the dealer.

2. The seat-covers are from KL accessories who stock seat covers for all cars. It comes with Jazz lettering as well. It was done by Mr. Satish of the same company. They are extremely professional as well with fitters who are trained to handle the intricacies of all cars. They do the same at the premises chosen by you, in your house, garage, office etc. As usual the price is on the higher side. It costs Rs. 9,000 after a discount of Rs. 300.

3. You are right, it is a GPS receiver from MapmyIndia installed by Honda Dealers with Reverse Camera facility. Yes, it displays whenever the car shifts into Reverse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mail4ajo (Post 2233407)

Congrats. Capital Honda is extremely good at the Sales process. Did you work with Jagan? What was the final offer?

Love to see more pics of those seats .

Thanks mail4ajo,

Capital Honda is extremely good. I worked with Mr. Rajkumar. The final offer was Rs. 882,103 OTR. Yes it is high but we feel that every penny spent is totally justified. We saved as a joint effort for about 3 years to purchase a new car and so it did not prick our pockets.

I will certainly upload more pictures of the seats as and when I get the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by callvvijay (Post 2233433)

Congrats buddy!!! Jazz in red is awesome. What was the OTR? Upload more pics dude.

By the way, I saw a red Jazz today afternoon by around 4pm in Dr.R.K.Salai opposite to Woodlands hotel and was drooling at it. By any chance was that you??

Thanks callvvijay,

I did drive quite a few times in and around Dr. R.K Salai. But I think it was on 3rd and not 4th. Did you see the car going by the side of the bridge and turn left? If so, it was probably my car.

Note from Support: Please use the edit / multiquote option instead of posting back to back posts within 20 mins. Thanks.