8 February 2011
New Car Report: Honda Jazz all grown up
Apart from undergoing a major growth spurt the second generation Honda Jazz has retained and enhanced the features which have made it so popular and successful since its inception in 2001. The new grown-up Jazz is a much more masculine looking vehicle and it's not until you compare it against the original model that you realise how improved and superior the new model really is.
The new Jazz has been pushed and pulled in almost every direction with the wheel base (+50mm), length (+55mm), width (+20mm), interior height (+10mm) all pluses while the wheel track front and rear has increased by 35mm and 30mm respectively. The only minus is in interior length (-10mm). Driver and passenger comfort is not compromised with another increase of 44mm in front and 43mm rear shoulder room
It's all part of Honda's 'man maximum, machine minimum' design brief for the car which in layman's terms simply means less unnecessary metal but more usable interior space
An obvious change on a first glance are the size of the front quarter windows which are three times larger than the previous Jazz.
When it comes to interior space and practicality no other manufacturer comes close to matching the Jazz (with the possible exception of the Skoda Roomster) with bikes, surfboards, large boxes, tall pot plants, pets and various pieces of furniture all easily absorbed into the small cars interior, a feat which many of its competitors including some small SUV's cannot come close to matching.
The secret of the Jazz's interior space advantage has always been centred on the platform the car is built around. The fuel tank is designed and positioned into the centre of the vehicle sitting under the driver and passenger seats which opens up a huge range of space options with a low and flat floor area. Add Honda's unique magic rear seat which can now be operated directly from the luggage space and a huge amount of space can be made available in seconds. The front passenger seat will also fold flat allowing objects up to 2.4 metres in length (like the surfboard) to be accommodated.
Helping gain access to the interior are wide opening rear doors which open to a maximum 80 degree angle. The doors are designed to open in three stages allowing easy access in tight parking spaces.
Like the previous model the new Jazz is available with two engine options, 1.3litre and 1.5litre with both now running variable valve engines. Gone is the entry level twin spark, dual spark plug, 1.3 litre power unit used in the previous model. With the change to the iVTEC (Honda's wording for variable valves) technology, the 1.3 litre Jazz now achieves 73kW @ 6,000rpm an impressive increase of 13kW. The 1.5 litre has undergone improvements in cylinder head design resulting in a 7Kw increase in power.
An interesting change is the dropping of the Constant Variable Transmission (CVT) completely from the Jazz range replaced with the electronic 5-speed conventional transmission as fitted to the Honda Civic. The CVT has had its issues for Honda for some time now and while fuel consumption suffers a little in comparison to the previous model, overall customer satisfaction levels may rise as a result of the change. A 5-speed manual transmission is only available with the 1.3l model.
Claimed fuel consumption figures are 5.8l/100km (manual) & 6.6l/100km (auto) for the 1.3l while the 1.5l is rated at 6.7l/100km's.
Like all new Hondas the Jazz can run on a 10% ethanol blended fuel
The driving experience, especially on the open road, is hugely improved from the previous model largely due to the bigger all-round dimensions and the wider stance the car now enjoys. And one of the Jazz's driving highlights is the excellent shape, functionality and feel of the leather bound steering wheel which is also taken from the Civic. Integrated cruise control buttons (1.5l only) and audio controls on all variants, along with paddle shifters for the auto give the car a high class feel. A well positioned information display panel including 'current' fuel economy is another nice touch for a car in this class
Safety is a mixed bag with all Jazz variants. All models come loaded with airbags, six in total, including side and curtain with the curtain airbags designed to deploy in a frontal offset collision to prevent head injuries. The body design structure also provides better restraint of intrusion from invading vehicles.
The glaring omission however is the lack of Electronic Stability Control (ESP) in any model of the new Jazz
The reason for this omission seems to centre on the compatibility of the ESP programme in relation to the transmission used. For example, the Jazz is available in Japan with ESP but the transmission fitted is the CVT unit. An ESP programme has yet to be calibrated for the Jazz fitted with the 5-speed electronic automatic transmission. Honda have long been the leaders and innovators of such technology at this level of the market and it must be hard for them to accept other manufacturers can introduce this feature across their entire range ahead of them.
Stability Control or Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) in Honda terms is a pro-active safety programme designed to avoid an accident when a vehicle develops an uncontrollable oversteer or understeer situation. It is considered one of the best active safety innovations since the introduction of the seat belt.
Sports design options are available for both models. The 1.3 Sport offers full skirts, sports grill, fog lights, rear spoiler and 15-inch alloy wheels while the Jazz Tempo is a further up-grade from the standard 1.5 litre Sport model. The Tempo offers front and rear sports bumpers and side skirts, sports grill, fog lights, aluminium sports pedals, red gear selector and alternative alloy wheels.
Prices which are subject to change as stock is replaced are:
- 1.3 litre Manual $22,000 / Automatic $23,900
- 1.5 litre Automatic Sport $26,100
- 1.5 litre Automatic Tempo $29,800
- All models are available with a leather package which adds $2,800
Overall Honda has played safe and has vastly improved on what has been a winning global formula. The first generation Jazz (called a Fit in Japan) was sold in some 115 countries with sales exceeding the 2.5 million mark. No doubt that trend will continue with the new model.
If it were a straight out race for interior space then the Jazz has very few competitors but even in the small car class segment of the market, practicality is often overlooked in preference for vehicles built more for street appeal and sporty looks
Watching the sales charts in this market segment will be very interesting in the months ahead.