If 20-20 is the most lovable game for modern cricket lovers, how could even a player like Sachin can give a miss. Honda may not be the master blaster of Indian auto industry but the absence of any small car in its portfolio makes it a relatively small player in the market. Yes, India is country of hatchbacks. Every now and then a manufacturer is coming up with a hatchback to capture one of largest small car market in the world. Maruti Suzuki which has more than 50% market share virtually rules the small car market. It sells almost seven hathcbacks including the recently launched Ritz. Honda which has been successfully in every segment it presents wants tor try its hand in the most competitive small car market. Can it replicate the same and wean away customers of Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors. We test drove the Honda jazz in India’s fun capital – Goa and tell you all you want to know about the jazz
1) Honda Jazz: Like any other Honda, jazz is modern but pleasing. The styling is not revolutionary but razor sharp edges gives a modern look to the jazz. Jazz sports a unique forward-leaning cabin form styling that highlights sharper lines, wider stance and aerodynamic styling. . A distinctive honeycomb grille is matched with larger, more sharply styled headlights to create an assertive look. However. the tall boy design necessities raked up windscreen and high roof line. The front windshield too big. Down the line in 10 years, i believe the bonnet will be a thing of the past.
Pictures of Honda jazz
2) Honda Jazz: From the sides. jazz is not attractive as from the front. Broad shoulders and larger glass house highlights the spaciousness of the cabin but it does not gel with the styling of the front or the rear. Also jazz lacks the alloy wheels like the city. The rear is dominated by large windscreen flanked by knife sharp tail lamp cluster. Overall the Jazz is sporty and dynamic but it lacks the compactness of its peers and its not cute. Jazz is meant for more mature customers and it does the purpose.
3) Honda Jazz: Under the hood is the 1198cc i-VTEC specifically made for India (stroked down) to suit the small car excise norms. The 4-cylinder, 1198 cc engine featuring Programmed Fuel Injection pumps out a peak power of 90 PS at 6,200 rpm and a peak torque of 110Nm at 4800 rpm. According to Honda, the i-VTEC 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 agile i-VTEC engine adjusts its characteristics to realize both superior power and low fuel consumption.
4) Honda Jazz: The i-VTEC is refined and the five speed manual transmission is slick. But the engine doesn’t have the enough low end grunt and it would require frequent gear changes to move in the city. The engine is sluggish below 2000rpm and taller fourth gear demands you keep revving the engine. However the i-VTEC offers good mid-range punch and high end performance. We managed to hit only 125kmph due to heavy rain. However it has more to offer. According to ARAI – country’s premier automotive research agency which tests all vehicles sold in India, the jazz returned 16.1km/l under standard conditions. Our 100km test drive is inadequate to determine the mileage but we expect a decent number. Sadly there is no diesel, Skoda Fabia, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Maruti Suzuki Ritz and Tata Indica Vista has an edge over the Jazz.
5) Honda Jazz: While the heavy shower hampered our test drive, it gave an incredible play-field to test the handling characteristics of the Jazz. The windy and wet roads of Goa with heavy showers thrown a big challenge to Jazz. However the jazz overcame the hurdle with ease. The steering is light and would be perfect to zig-zag in the city. But it failed to gain weight in proportion to the speed. Hit the corner at high speed, turn her she moves with ease. The michelin175/65 R15 tyres offers excellent grip even on wet roads. Though there is discernible body roll which is inevitable with the tall boys. The 2.5m wheel-based Jazz is stable around corners and straight-line stability is very impressive. However the ground clearance is just about adequate and the drivers have an arduous task of gliding the jazz over bad roads. Honda for its part has given a rubber moulding under the front bumper to protect it.
6) Honda Jazz: is available in six colours – Deep Sapphire blue, Habanero red, Crystal Black pearl, Tafeta white and sherbet blue and alabaster silver. Sadly there are no interior colour options to suit the exteriors.
