Honda Jazz SE 1.5
Maxabout Review
Hot Hatch!!
Wednesday, June 03, 2009Overview
The journey of the first generation Jazz started in 2001 with its debut launch in Japan. The car is now being sold in more than 115 countries across the Globe. The first generation Jazz set a benchmark by achieving cumulative sales of more than 2 million units. The truly acclaimed and the stunning performer Honda Jazz , in its Second generation avatar, is all set to hit the Indian Roads in early June 2009.
Honda India is planning to launch Jazz in India in a price range starting from Rs. 4.5 Lakhs to Rs. 6 Lakhs for the top model. They may also introduce a automatic variant of Jazz with the launch of Jazz 1.5. In this segment Hyundai & Skoda are already selling their big hatchbacks - i20 & Fabia respectively.
Design
Honda's Jazz is one of the cleverest superminis around. It's a thoroughly modern design that's innovative in its use of space, with remarkably good head and rear legroom, well specced, and fitted with frugal and characterful engines.
It's at its best in town where it's both friendly and fun to drive. From the outside the brilliance of the Jazz is not immediately obvious. It has more than a hint of the MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle) about it. Though the Honda Jazz is small, Honda's enviable reputation for refinement and reliability shine through clearly.
Take a little look at the exterior of the Honda Jazz and you will see just some of the great styling and body features that saw the Honda Jazz win the Japan Car of the Year in 2001 and 2002 - with a few updated twists here and there.
The Exterior Design of Honda Jazz is stylish and embellish typical Honda design - sharp lines and central bonnet ridge. Sharp headlamps supplements the steeply raked windscreen but the front grille resembles the CR-V. Alloy wheels and ellipsoidal glass area decorates the Jazz side. Taillamp is the pure attraction as it blends with the rear.
Interiors
Get inside and the Jazz will easily accommodate five adults and their luggage. The interior Design of Honda Jazz is most likely to don a dashboard as impressive as that of the Civic. Honda Jazz is truly jazzy in terms of style and the appearance of the car will surely attract a lot of buyers towards it after its formal launch in India.
You sit quite high up in the Jazz, although a good range of seat and wheel adjustment makes it easy for most drivers to get comfortable and find good vision. The cabin is well planned and attractive, with big, easy-to-use buttons.
The view forwards is similar to that found in a baby MPV. Steering wheel is fully adjustable and there's an excellent driving position, although the seats are a little firm. Good all-round visibility from the tall design and large glass areas. Attractive cabin with chunky switches and buttons in all the places you'd expect them. They're user-friendly, and intuitive to use.
Interior build quality is spot-on with quality materials used throughout. Panel fit is perfect and there are no suspicious rattles or squeaks. Jazz is one of the most desirable small cars on sale, thanks to its clever, spacious interior, frugal petrol engine, and Honda's reputation for reliability.
Engine
The Jazz will be launched in India with a 1.2 L i-VTEC engine which has been specially developed for the Indian Market. It reflects the company's commitment towards India and its continued focus on bringing in the latest global technology into the country.
The engine has been exclusively researched and developed at the Honda R&D centre in Tochigi, Japan to suit Indian road & safety conditions. The revolutionary “Made for India” discovery offers a dual advantage of superior power and low fuel consumption. The future ready E10 compatible engine even ensures environment responsibility by matching Euro IV emission levels.
The new powertrain is a 4 cylinder 1198 cc engine featuring Programmed Fuel Injection delivering class-leading Power of 89 Bhp at 6200 rpm and Torque of 110 Nm at 4800 rpm while giving an impressive fuel economy of 16.1 km per litre as per ARAI test data. It is expected that Jazz will give mileage of around 13-14 kms per litre in city driving.
Honda India is initially going to launch Jazz with 1.2 litre engine. But they are also planning to launch another variant of Jazz with much more powerful 118 Bhp engine which is currntly available in Honda City.
The advantage of the i-VTEC engine is that, it regulates the opening of air-fuel intake valves and exhaust valves in accordance with engine speeds. By regulating valve opening to match engine speed, the engine adjusts its characteristics to deliver both superior power and low fuel consumption.