The Land of the Rising Sun's Jazz Pioneer Strengths and Downfall in the eyes of Consumers

Introduction

The Honda Jazz, is a five-door B segment Subcompact Car that was manufactured by Honda back in the year 2001 and now is currently in its third generation.

The Honda Jazz is a stunning looking hatchback that was introduced by Honda as an competitive alternative to the Ford Fiesta, most potential customers might opt for the City instead of the Jazz as it is more value for money as the City cost only RM3500 more as compared to its Hatchback cousin Jazz.

The Pioneer Strengths of the Jazz

The third generation Jazz features an overall roomy Interior that features a 7 inch infotainment system as well as 7-9 cup holders, for the convenience of the consumers. Despite being a hatchback the Jazz is able to sit 4 adults comfortably with ease.

Where performance is concern, the Jazz doesn’t disappoint either. If you were to put your foot down the throttle and once the car reaches speeds of up to 60 km/h, the i-VTEC engine springs to life and with the help of the CVT Transmission it helps ensure better fuel economy and a smoother driving experience for the driver as well as the passengers on board.

For a hatchback that is price below RM100k, the Jazz has an Impressive safety equipment for the price. The safety features includes 6 SRS airbags which is featured in the V model, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) along with hazard lights and rear brake lights. The hatchback also gets 3-point ELR seatbelts that make your drive a lot safer.

The Major Downfalls of the Jazz

Upon driving the Jazz at speeds from 70km/h onwards, the wind noise is quite noticeable. To make matters worst, as the Jazz has a kerb weight of only 1052 kg, the car feels wobbly when driving up to highway speeds of around 110km/h the car would tend to sway a little to the left and right which is downright terrifying especially when driving on Malaysian roads.

It is a shame that Honda skimps on safety equipment for its base S and mid spec E variant Jazz.

Potential customers that are interested in the Jazz would have to pay additional RM 13,391 to get six SRS Airbags as opposed to 2 SRS Airbags that is featured in the base S Variant.

As the base S Variant of the Jazz retails for RM 69,902, whereas the premium V Variant retails for       RM 83,293.
 
Would the nippy engine of the Jazz be sufficient to handle the treacherous roads of Malaysia? 

As the Jazz is much lighter as compared to the City, the Jazz feels freer and more responsive, although the CVT means it still doesn't feel as fast as its output numbers indicate. But actual performance is brisk, and the transmission at least ensures excellent smoothness.
Would the Jazz be able to Maneuver through corners like a knife cutting through butter?

Where handling is concern the Jazz feels more enjoyable around the bends than the City, with direct, accurate steering and less roll, but it's still no match for the Ford Fiesta. However the Jazz tends to be slightly stiffer than the City's, over rougher roads which would quite an unpleasant drive especially for long distance driving.


How does the Jazz fares in terms of safety ?

Eventhough the Honda Jazz is classified as a budget car by many it doesn’t skimp on safety equipment. Whats more impressive is that the Jazz scores 5 stars of the Adult Occupant Section for a car of its stature. In terms of safety equipment that is offered by Honda,the premium V variant gets six airbags,while the E and S models gets 4 SRS Airbags and 2 SRS Airbags respectively. and all but the base S model receive stability control. This is opposed to the Fiesta, whose full complement of airbags are only available on the significantly more expensive EcoBoost variant. ISOFIX child seat anchors at the rear and three-point seat belts all around are standard across the range.


Is it worth upgrading from the Myvi to a richman’s kancil (Jazz) instead? 

Compared to the V-grade City, the equivalent Jazz loses out on cruise control and the fuel-saving ECON mode. Most of the remaining toys like the seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system and touch-sensitive climate controls are only available on the top-spec model. You do, however, get a five-year warranty with unlimited mileage, as well as six times free labor service up to 100,000 km.

I would say that it is definitely not worth it to upgrade from the Myvi to the Jazz as the Myvi is car that is more value for money.

For starters, the premium Advance variant comes equipped with safety features such as Advance Safety Assist (ASA) which adds negligence drivers on the road to ensure their safety. The Myvi is the only car in the market currently that is priced below RM100k that comes equipped with the Advance Safety Assist (ASA) feature for its premium model.

As the Jazz does not come with such a feature even for its premium variant, it would feel more like a car from the 90’s when compared to the Myvi.

However if your the type of consumer that is looking for reliable car that offers decent performance and the flexibility of maneuvering in tight parking spots as well as a pleasant driving experience that is derive from a CVT then the Jazz would be the car for you.

For potential customer that are interested in the Jazz, kindly refer to the pricelist below for the details pricing of the Honda Jazz.


Source from https://www.honda.com.my/model/pricing/jazz

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