2020 Honda Jazz
The Hatchback body type cars have been loved and admired by many as it solves the problem of having a 4 door and 5 seater car in a family that could not afford the bulky SUVs or sedans. But in recent years, this hatchback segment has seen a new trend of more premium cars which offer more features and luxury at a higher price. Honda was the first to introduce this segment in India with its Jazz in 2009, other companies followed this trend from the Polo and I20 to the Baleno and Altroz. The Honda Jazz has dominated the Indian market for 13 years, it is true that globally the 4th generation of the Honda Jazz is available but India only has the refreshed 3rd generation launched in 2020. Total of 6 variants available to choose from starting with V - ₹7.71 lakhs to ZX CVT - ₹9.95lakhs. How is the updated 3rd generation Jazz different from its predecessor and will Honda discontinue the Jazz in near future? Let us find out.
Engine and Engineering
The uplifted 3rd generation Jazz has some minor changes in the engine. For starters, the new engine is now BS6 compliant, Honda has also dropped the 1.5L Diesel engine from the line-up. The 1.2L that produces 88.5bhp and 110nm of torque comes with either a 5 speed manual or a 7-speed CVT gearbox transmission resulting in a mileage of 16.6km/l from the manual and 17.1km/l from the CVT. Honda claims that for the Jazz, 70% of the sales comes from the CVT automatic transmission. Even though the automatic variant is heavier as compared to the manual transmission, yet it is better in performance. Mcpherson Strut Coil Spring front suspension and Torsion Beam axle coil spring rear suspension along with front Disc and Drum rear brakes and a 5.1m turning radius for great ride quality and handling but more on that later.
Design
Major changes in the upgraded 3rd generation variant has been mainly focused towards the exterior of the car, which includes a new design LED DRL’s, LED Headlights, Taillights and fog lights. Both front and rear bumpers get black elements to make it sporty, the front grill gets a chrome strip making the car smile. With a length of 3.99m, 1.7m width and a height 1.54m height the Jazz has a wheelbase of 2.53m and a ground clearance of 165mm, 15-inch new design alloy wheels but the spare wheel is 14-inches. The chrome does not stop at the front, there is chrome strip at the rear as well and on door handles. 5 color choices are available – Lunar Silver Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Meteoroid Grey Metallic, Golden Brown Metallic and the most common Radiant Red.
Entering and exiting the Jazz’s cabin is very easy thanks to extended wheelbase and a good height. The new updates include a soft touch dashboard for a lavish interior. The spacious cabin boasts a dual tone black and beige interior with fabric arm rest and a leather wrapped steering wheel. There are no rear AC vents and as the cabin is spacious it takes time to Cool/Warm the car. The dashboard is enormous as well so visibility can be of an issue but thankfully the driver seat is height adjustable. The center console is same that was offered in the earlier 3rd generation but this time the console is angled a little towards the driver. The paddle shifters are carried from the City which makes the new 3rd generation Jazz the only premium hatchback with paddle shifters. As a good attention to detail, the cup holder for the driver is placed just below the air vent so as to keep the drink cold or hot. The grab handles with the coat hook have a smooth release function. The boot of the car has 354L of luggage storing capacity and a luggage lamp for convenience.
Features
Honda has always been generous when it comes to offering wide variety of features and specifications in its cars. The updated 3rd generation Jazz is not left behind in this matter and is loaded with modern day equipment. The common elements carried forward are the 7-inch infotainment system with wired Android Auto and Apple Carplay combined with 4 speakers, a rear defogger and an Automatic Air Conditioner. The new variant now includes a Sunroof taken from the WRV, LED lights, driver side window one touch up/down with Anti-Pinch function and a Smart Passive unlock feature which unlocks the car by just grabbing the door handle while the key is in the pocket. The push-button start/stop engine button was earlier offered only in the CVT variant but now comes in the manual as well.
Safety
The Honda Jazz recently scored a Global NCAP score of 4 star which explains that the Japanese brand is focusing on the safety parameters too which is great news as the other Japanese and Korean brands don’t think vehicle and passenger safety a priority. Contributing to this safety rating is presence of dual airbags and Honda’s new ACE body structure. Seat belt reminders are for both driver and front passenger and the reverse parking camera with guidelines has 3 view types – Normal, Wide Angle and Top-Down.
Driving and Performance
The best part about reviewing an automobile is to experience how the machine responds and performs, the true craftsmanship can be felt by pure refinement of what’s inside the hood. The new 3rd generation Honda Jazz offers a steady drive with almost no body roll, the acceleration response in the Drive mode is tad bit slow at first but the car picks up pace later on, although driving in the Sports mode eliminates all these acceleration issues. Visibility is a problem over here to some extent but the car has light steering, great suspension and a strong grip for great handling. Overall, the Honda Jazz proves to be a great city car.
Conclusion
The updated 3rd generation Honda Jazz is a fun to drive city automatic premium hatchback with its major benefits being a spacious and user friendly cabin, a better performing CVT automatic transmission, although the I20 and the Altroz does offer the DCT automatic but those are pricier than the Jazz. Honda has no plans in the near future to bring the 4th generation Jazz to India. Unfortunately, the company announced that they would be discontinuing the production of Jazz and the 4th Generation City to focus on the Compact SUV segment. Changes in the public demand and growth of a new chapter could lead to demise of a legend that created history.