It Has Returned: Honda Jazz (2004)

September 11,2005

GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR WAS PROBABLY THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SELF-STYLED American to land on Philippine shores. Of course with the American liberation came American sentimentality, swagger and taste. To this day, that American “big is beautiful” fills Manila’s congested roads with gargantuan SUVs, large sedans and not-so minivans.

What about the fate of the practical and sporty hatchback? Remember the Mazda Astina and Lantis, the Toyota Echo and the Chevrolet Aveo? Despite their cool names and funky designs, they were just as enticing as Ben and Jerry’s is in Alaska. Sure, they are individualistic, but beyond that, they’re nothing more than poser cars—whose market is the twenty-something, looking for a good tuner project. But if there’s a car that strives to erase this hatchback stigma, it’s the Honda Jazz.

On paper, it’s nothing more than a Honda City minus the odd-looking rear end plus a frond-end correction. That’s not a bad thing at all. In fact, because they share most of the bits inside and underneath, it has the same spacious interior, ergonomic cabin and preppy performance as Honda’s sub-compact sedan. But what makes the Jazz a whole lot better is that it offers superior attention to detail. The best example? The Jazz features Bum Protecting Seats or BPS. Just when you think the Japanese have invented every functional oddity imaginable, they come up with a cushioning material that’s supposed to make long-distance driving a pleasure. And it works. The Jazz is extremely comfortable even after spending three or four hours on the highway (no wonder it’s the choice for long distance fuel economy challenges). It also gets an additional storage space just below the dashboard for storing small accoutrements like a bag of chips, a few Coke Lights and classic rock compilation CDs.

The Jazz is also a great companion for driving south (or north) with a couple of friends, in the search for the perfect beach. Since it’s been designed as a five-door hatchback from scratch (there are no three-door models anywhere in the world), passengers don’t feel shortchanged whether seated in front or back. In fact, it offers interior space comparable to bigger sedans such as Honda’s own Civic. In addition, luggage space is not a problem since the Jazz has enough width and depth to accommodate three golf bags stacked on top of each other or a 32-inch television set. The loading bay is so vast that it managed to fit a typical balik-bayan’s worth of luggage—something usually accomplished only with a Sport Utility Vehicle. Likewise, the rear seats contort in various directions, allowing the Jazz to further increase cabin space to fit miscellaneous items such as house plants, small ladders, fishing rods—all at the same time! The loading area features a convenience light too, something not even found in more expensive hatchbacks. Honda has also added a means to adjust the front seat from the back, so moving back and forth between the five doors just to bring home a newly-bought fern is a thing of the past.

Despite the small 1.3-liter engine and meager 82 horsepower output, the Jazz performs impeccably well, exhibiting a spirited performance even better than that of the City sedan. This is because of the Jazz’s lighter curb weight, improved dynamics and European spec suspension. The manual gearbox gives short and precise shift actions uncanny for a car in this class (though the clutch is a bit jerky), but it’s the silky smooth 7-speed Continuously Variable Transmission or CVT that’s best paired with the frugal I-DSI engine. Without getting into the nitty-gritty of how CVT works, it simply translates to an ultra-smooth on-road performance. Though fuel economy figures north of 20 km/L would require a feathery touch on accelerator, lead foots will still manage to squeeze out 12-15 km/L easy (our driving netted us 13.87 km/L on the manual and surprising 17.21 km/L on the CVT). The CVT also allows the driver to concentrate on braking—which is a goof thing, because the pedal feels a bit spongy. Sadly though, the safety package inclusive of dual airbags and anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, won’t be available in the 2005 Jazz 1.3 S. It’s standard equipment though on the sportier 1.5 VTEC.

Thanks to the revised suspension settings and lower ride height, the handling package of the Jazz shows a hint of sporty performance, while remaining grown-up. The ride borders on firm, but remains comfortable (thanks again to the bum support). It’s good and well damped except when hitting road joints, where the Jazz’s short wheelbase becomes apparent. The Jazz tackles corners with just a hint of understeer, all the while feeling composed even in the worse of crosswinds. The Electric Power Steering or EPS improves high-speed stability too, much better than even the Mazda 3 2.0R, although the feel is a bit akin to an arcade machine. With its small body and short overhangs, the Jazz easily darts through city traffic. It’s helped by excellent visibility thanks to its large glass area and well-shaped side mirrors.

In the end though, with the various improvements on the Honda Jazz, it’s easy to forgive its shortcomings. It is, the sub-compact, fully realized. Think of it as the Honda City Version 2.0—a car that offers the same levels of refinement and convenience, but better packaged. So there’s no reason for tit not to rule the sales charts here. If Japan is any indication, it was crowned as the best-selling car—the first to beat the Toyota Corolla to the title in the last thirty years! Feeling the fuel pinch, the American market, which usually snubs the hatchback, is clamoring for Honda to bring in a fuel-sipping sub-compact stateside. And guess what, Honda is seriously thinking of bringing the Jazz there as well.

By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang

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