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Originally Posted by vprabu The baby is finally home. |
Congratulations! Wish you plenty of happy and peaceful miles ahead, my friend. Drive safe!
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Originally Posted by adimicra My point was not about criticism. The point was about members not talking about the pros of the car but making mountain out of a mole hill for every small shortcoming of the Jazz. |
No doubt, the Jazz is a fantastic car for all the stuff it brings to the table. If I had to choose one between the Jazz and the Elite i20, I would probably go for the Jazz too, specially in it's petrol avatar. The ability to carry 5 persons with utmost ease, the well-sorted driving dynamics, the legendary Honda reliability (niggles in modern-day Hondas aside), and the ability to be a jack-of-all-trades, puts the Jazz right up there with the best.
If you remember, Adi, back in late 2011 when I was going through my car options, my final choice was the
Honda Jazz. It's another story altogether that I eventually went for the City (re-sale and continuation in market being primary reasons), but out of all the options back then the Jazz was simply the most compelling.
Fast forward 4 years later, and the all-new Jazz is here. Now, as damager 21 so rightly put it, the in-cabin space USP of the Jazz exists right from the E to the VX. What else makes the Jazz E (or S, for that matter) any more special than the other similarly-priced offerings in the segment? For that little bit of special exclusivity, you have to go right to the Jazz VX!
What made the 2011 Jazz so compelling was a host of features which added to the
"feel-good" factor - Magic Seats, dual airbags, integrated Audio, steering-mounted controls, 60:40 rear seat split, ABS+EBD, rear wiper+defogger, keyless entry, dual glovebox and a FULL-SIZE spare wheel - all these right from the Base variant itself! The buyer of the Jazz Base (at 5.5 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi) didn't feel shortchanged, and Honda made him feel
special!
Add to all that - 2 different and distinct type of alloys (I remember the 5-spoke gunmetal ones were an absolute hoot to behold), and a host of other features on the middle (Select) and top (X) variants, which made the Jazz unique, and a special option in the market.
The biggest problem back then was the Indian market itself. It was simply not mature enough to understand what a wonderful car the Jazz was, and like others before it (such as the Ford Fusion and the Hyundai Getz), it didn't find many takers, despite a drastic slashing of prices and introducing a facelift at an unbeatable dynamic price.
In face, I envy all those who bought the facelifted Jazz in 2011-12 at that steal of a price, before it was discontinued altogether. Honda India was actually making a loss on every Jazz sold back then.
Today, the market has moved on. The paying customer knows exactly what his requirements are, and he looks for the best option for his hard-earned rupees. Naturally, he will choose the option which gives him the best bang for his buck. We have the Jazz E & S variants which don't make too much of a sense to go for. The SV is the sole VFM option in the lineup and gets my vote for the same, while I won't suggest anyone to go for the V or the VX, even in it's petrol avatar. The wires in the boot (VX), the round plastic button, the 14-inch steel spare wheel -
such things will always exist and will always pinch the paying customer,
reminding him of all that he DIDN'T get. Even if he decides to overlook these things, others in his circle (friends, family, contacts, acquaintances)
will not stop from pointing these out, adding further to his annoyance. This, despite investing a chunk of his savings in his Jazz (V or VX).
It's a cult classic car with it's own fan following, and since it had bombed in it's earlier avatar, Honda needed to be much more delicate in handling the badge in it's re-introduction. Instead, they bungled up the variants big-time and to add to that insult, injured the Jazz more by pricing it atrociously yet again.
(Touching 10.5-11 lakhs in some cities?! Come on!)
The Honda Jazz, for all my money, has lost on it's one big novelty - the
feel-good factor. Sure, it's a compelling option in the B2-segment, but given a choice for someone to buy one with his hard-earned money, he will opt for the Elite i20 because, among all other things, he will feel good for whichever option he opts for - because now even the Elite i20 Asta diesel has suddenly climbed the VFM charts, given the atrocious pricing of the Jazz V & VX diesels. Even the Volkswagen Polo now makes a strong case for itself, since it's a purely driver-oriented car. (The City diesels are no longer VFM deals after the Jazz's launch, but that's an altogether different story)
Go for the Jazz, guys. Make sure it's the SV you opt for. No other variant makes much sense. For all other price points other than the Jazz SV, there are better options in the segment.