Blogs out of Boredom #3: Honda Jazz

Introduction

Well, its that time of the month again, when I’m bored out of my wits. Got two Editor Picks this month, so why not end it with a Blog out of Boredom? End of all my examinations, and currently, I’m looking forward to a holiday till the beginning week of the year.

The Honda Jazz. A small, little and practical hatchback that a retired mother would buy. With not so standing out looks just like new Honda vehicles, powered by a puny 1.5 liter engine making 108 horsepower, and a compact but spacious interior with Honda’s multi-configurable or “Magic” seats where the rear seats can fold or raise for luggage. But this car isn’t entirely boring. It is a JDM tuner’s hatchback of choice besides the Honda Civic, as the car was easily configurable and modifiable, and cheap to run. It also looks pretty decent when stanced, especially its second generation.

1st Generation GD3

The Honda Fit or Jazz nameplate first debuted in 2001 at the Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. It was an instant success. It turned into one of the most anticipated cars of that year. The car featured a pretty modern design at that time, a cute compact size (The Japanese were prodigies at compact cars at that time, and still are today), an interior that was ahead of its time, and was powered by a 1.5 liter VTEC engine making 108 horsepower. The Honda Jazz’s smart fuel tank position along with its compact rear suspension allowed the rear seats to be placed at a lower position, allowing a bigger overall boot space.

The Honda Jazz became an instant hit. After its release, it won Car of The Year in its home in Japan, and had outsold the Toyota Corolla. It was later introduced in several other markets such as in Europe, Australia, other parts of Asia, and the Americas. The Honda Jazz was so well built, that it was the safest car in the compact hatchback class.

The Honda Jazz also had a sedan counterpart called the Honda City. The Honda City was actually introduced before the Honda Fit, but when the model went into its fourth generation, it was based on the first generation Jazz. Many things between the Jazz and the City were similar, except its body style along with the number of trims you could buy.

Second Generation GE8

In 2009, Honda decided that the original first generation Honda Jazz was getting old, so they decided to give it an update. They did not really stray from the original design, giving it a rather evolutionary than revolutionary refresh. The car was unveiled at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show, and just like the first one, it won car of the year. The new car offered a larger wheelbase for the passengers. Height was unchanged, but its interior was higher by 0.3 inches. The cabin had greater volume, but at the cost of boot space.

One year later in 2010, Honda released the Fit Hybrid. The Fit Hybrid featured a 1.3 liter VTEC engine paired with an electric motor making approximately 86 mpg. It started at 1.59 million Yen, or about 20,000 US$, the lowest price for a hybrid car at that time. Other markets the Honda Fit/Jazz hybrid were sold in were in Europe and some in South East Asia. Honda also made an electric Honda Fit for the US market instead of selling the hybrid, but that didn’t really sell well as electric cars were boring at that time, because it was sold before Tesla reached its golden era with the Model S.

3rd Generation GK5

The 3rd generation Honda Jazz was completely redesigned from the ground up with a more updated and rounder design, which looks great in my opinion. Most of the car’s quirks from the last generation were retained, such as the compact rear axle and configurable rear seating for practicality, marketed as Honda Magic Seats. It was based on Honda’s new Global Small Car Platform, which is shared with the Honda City, HR-V, Freed, Shuttle and the Acura CDX compact crossover.

The new Honda Jazz is still powered by the same 1.8 liter VTEC engine, only this time it makes 120 horsepower. There is still a hybrid option, but this time it is only limited to Asian markets, and soon to be released in Europe. Just like its last two generations, it scored outstanding crash test scores, besides its small overlap front offset which scored acceptable.

There is, technically, a Honda Jazz Type R, only more subtly named just like the BMW M760Li V12 dubbed as the M7. It isnt focused on speed and agility, but more on fun driving. In the European market, there is a trim on the Jazz called the Jazz Dynamic, which makes an additional 8 horsepower over the usual 120 horsepower the Jazz makes. It even comes with a manual! But seriously, I really wish for an actual Jazz Type R, to make it the first hot compact hatch.

If only Honda makes one…