Northern Exposure: Honda Jazz (2008)

“It better be worth it,” my fiancée told me. I was putting our wedding planning aside to attend Honda’s Fun Ride to the North Side, the first media drive of the all-new Honda Jazz. It was so last minute—there came a point when I almost didn’t go (having to re-schedule meetings with wedding suppliers isn’t that easy). But being a car enthusiast first and a husband-to-be second, having two days of seat time with this modern-day wonder car is something I can’t pass up on.

Choosing Ilocos Norte as the site for the first media drive didn’t just happen by mere coincidence or by lottery. More than anything, Ilocos Norte is very important in the Jazz lore—this is where the car proved its mettle as one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the market today. The area of Pagudpud served as the starting point for the Petron Xtra Mile Challenge—a fuel economy contest starring the first-gen Honda Jazz. The winner eventually travelled all the way south logging in more than 1,400 kilometers in a single 42 liter tank or about 33.33 km/L.

As spoiled media folk, our group of eight ended up taking a 45-minute plane ride as opposed to a 10-hour drive from Manila. Upon touchdown at the Laoag International Airport, it was apparent that the soggy weather found a shortcut to traverse the 500 or so kilometers (Laoag was already drenched for quite some time). After a lunch of heart-stopping Ilocano fare (fried pig skin, pig blood stew and deep fried pies stuffed with ground pig), it was drive time, but with a twist. Instead of the usual Point A to B ride and drive, Honda wanted us to pay attention, so they inserted a couple of challenges along the way to keep us entertained. I was partnered with Fung Yu; a media drive newbie from Inquirer.net whose main reason for attending the drive was to take a 360-degree “virtual reality” photo of the Jazz’s interior.

As we exited the conference room of the Honda Cars Ilocos Norte (the lunch venue), we were greeted by the all-new Honda Jazz and a couple of boxes. Not a good sign, I thought. Apparently, even before we could begin to de-clog our arteries, the first challenge was upon us. George Ramirez, the head honcho for the two-day event, wanted us to fit all the boxes into the tiny Jazz in less than two minutes in exchange for points (an overall winner will be crowned after the drive). At first, the challenge seemed impossible: there were two Balik-bayan boxes (those dreaded by American airport personnel), a long three-meter long box and not less than nine pieces of smaller, oddly shaped boxes. But underneath the Jazz’s cutesy shape lies its greatest strength: interior flexibility. The first-gen Jazz was already a master stroke with a cavernous trunk space as well as a 60/40 folding rear seat with configurations for long and tall objects. The seat back and cushion folds up and down (it’s U.L.T. in Honda speak).

For the all-new Jazz, Honda added improvements to the seat folding mechanism and thus, added the letters R and A to the acronym. Now called U.L.T.R.A. seats, the rear seats still do their 60/40 split-fold ballet but adds a recline function for added passenger comfort (hence the ‘R’). In addition, folding the rear seats is now a one-step affair as opposed to a three-step process before. The front seats also fold down (without removing the headrest), transforming it into a makeshift flat bed. The ‘A’? Maybe it’s to help market the system better—doesn’t ULTRA seem more complete than ULTR?

We managed to fit all the boxes, but because of fidgety hands, we lost the contest (a precursor of things to come, actually); but at least we were more than awake for the first 60-kilometer drive to the Cape Bojeador lighthouse. We were given the keys to an Alabaster Silver 1.3-liter unit, which Fung let me drive (lucky me). Settling into the driver’s seat, the improvements are immediately apparent. The interior is executed in a pseudo-futuristic manner. The gauges are sporty, divided into three distinctive clusters with the speedometer sandwiched between two silver-trimmed cylinders housing the tachometer (left) and fuel meter (right). The steering wheel is ripped straight off the Honda Civic, which is a very good thing. Though covered with urethane, it does a good job of mimicking cow hide. It’s soft, non-slip and nice to hold. The rest of the dash is done in a more futuristic mold with a play between curves and angles.

Anyone more accustomed to a more traditional dash layout (like Fung and his Toyota Corolla daily driver) will need some more time to get acclimatized to the funky dash. Still, I find that this type of layout does really make sense since all the controls are situated fairly close to the driver. More importantly though, this layout enables the driver to scan each of the control’s settings with minimal eye movement. The supportive seats of the first-gen Jazz have been given an even better makeover, but still feature the dimpled “bun scrape protector”—a technology which should make long periods of driving better for the behind. As Fung turned on the radio, I found a small gripe with the Jazz’s audio system. The volume and tune functions are assigned to a single rotary knob—a nuisance when all you want to do is tune-out iFM and end up increasing the volume even more. A bigger problem with the Jazz though is the interior’s fit and finish. The plastics, though surely made of the hard-wearing variety, lacks surface detailing, making it feel cheap in the process. In addition, there were some misaligned panels on the doors and the glove box—something I didn’t experience with the previous Jazz.

The roads of Ilocos Norte were all paved and concreted (one of the better legacies of the Ilocos-based Marcos family), enabling our convoy to reach good speeds on route to our first stop. As our speeds kept on climbing and bus passing more regular, the Jazz’s lack of punch became much more than apparent. And that cames as a shock really, as the new 1.3-liter i-VTEC engine has 18 more horsepower and 11 Nm more torque more than the i-DSI engine that it replaces. At first, maybe it was limited to those driving the 1.3-liter Jazz, but those piloting the new 1.5 (11 more horsepower, 5 Nm more torque compared to the first-gen 1.5) found the same problem. In both displacements, I reckon it’s down to the new transmission that brought about the problem. For the new Jazz, Honda ditched the belt-driven CVT transmission in favor of a conventional five-speed automatic. Though the new transmission feels much more ‘normal’, it requires the engine to churn up the revs before real power was felt. It must be remembered too that the 1.3-liter i-DSI had its peak torque available from as low as 2,800 rpm, whereas the new i-VTEC unit has to climb up to 4,800 rpm.

In the handling department, the new Jazz now felt more grown-up and mature than ever before. With excellent tuning of the suspension and steering, the new Jazz rectifies the common problem that plagues small cars: high-speed stability. Whatever the speed, this car feels planted and secure. Despite the two-box profile, it wasn’t as susceptible to crosswinds and passing trailer trucks. Even more amazing is the noise and vibration insulation. The Jazz was eerily smooth and quiet at idle, feeling like an Accord at times. It’s equally quiet at speed, though a bit of wind noise does make its way past the large side mirrors. The new, mature nature of the Jazz does have its trade offs: the car feels less tossable through corners and the electric power steering system, tuned for better high-speed driving, needs more effort during lower speed maneuvers such as parking. It’s a fair trade since owners can now bring the Jazz out-of-town without fear of not being able to cope with high-speed driving as much as bigger cars can.

After passing by a roadside market to get the prices of bottled vinegar, sea salt and garlic (another challenge), we ended up at the majestic Cape Bojeador lighthouse. Since the Jazz is the first locally available Honda with a trip computer as well as an instantaneous fuel mileage gauge (ala CR-V), it curbed our lead right foot resulting in a very commendable 15.9 km/L in the process. The Spanish era lighthouse provided an excellent rest bit and back drop before we headed down to the equally historic Paoay Church.

A prior agreement meant Fung took over the driving duties as I rode shotgun for the ride back. As a passenger, the Jazz generally felt much more comfortable than the car it replaces. The cabin feels bigger thanks to an extended A-pillar and deep dash design. There are numerous cubby holes and utility trays, but I felt the cup holders (especially the ones near the aircon vents) and front map pockets were afterthoughts. The ride is still on the firm side, but the new Jazz quells road imperfections and vibrations like a bigger car can. Fung also noted that the Jazz’s brakes bit well and had good pedal feel—a testament to the standard four-wheel disc brakes fitted standard on all Jazz models. With pace notes in hand, there was only one challenge left to do: count the number of lamp posts on the Laoag Bridge. And we failed that too. It seemed our brains weren’t wired for arithmetic that time, missing the total count by a single lamppost!

After an overnight stay at the newly opened Playa Tropical Resort, the group traveled to the famed Bangui Windmills, after all, no visit to Ilocos Norte was complete without it. Fung drove the 84 kilometers up, which meant I’ll have to do the journey back; 65 kilometers of which was part of the last challenge: a fuel economy run! Since I had no prior experience or training in any fuel economy contest, I had little in way of knowledge on the proper way of driving. Before the start of the fuel economy run, I managed to drive the 1.5-liter under normal driving conditions. I managed 15.3 km/L, again, a very commendable figure. As the eco run challenge started (with the same rules given to the Xtra Mile Challenge), a feathery treatment to the throttle pushed the fuel meter gauge up and resulted in 22.3 km/L on the trip computer. We thought we did pretty well until another group squeezed out an amazing 30.13 km/L! And just to rub salt into our wounds, that other group drove the other 1.5-liter!

During the past two days, Fung and I managed to bungle just about every challenge thrown our way. And yet, we loved every single minute of it. As we waited to depart for our 45 minute flight back to Manila, we made new friends and solidified existing ones. And despite being one of the biggest losers during this ride and drive event, everyone who participated here ended up as a winner. We were the first group to drive the all-new Honda Jazz, a car that in its very short history reached cult status thanks to its excellent packaging and almost unbelievable fuel economy. Though there are some kinks here and there, the new Jazz still manages to build upon the success of the first-gen model while making itself much more appealing as an all-around car.

By Ulysses Ang | Photos by Ulysses Ang