Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/)

-   -   Playing Smooth Jazz…Radio Team BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/109063-playing-smooth-jazz-radio-team-bhp.html)

I will divide this post into 3 parts:

1. Decision process
2. Buying experience
3. Initial ownership experience

Prelude: After I returned to India in 2002, I bought Santro LP and it served my purpose well. Being what the DMV office in US would call me as a ‘Defensive Driver’, I maintained the vehicle very well and she returned the favor by giving me in a city like Indore an average of 16 kmpl (with about 70% use of AC) and on a fairly consistent basis. The service from Hyundai folks was good except in the last leg of the ownership when they did a pathetic job on AC area.

While I moved to Hyderabad following a transfer in early 2009, my family continued to be at Indore and hence the vehicle was sold in the latter half of 2009. In between I was looking at various vehicles that included a wide range – Tata Manza, Xylo, Punto, Jazz, i20, Etios and Polo (with the New Fiesta and Fluidic Verna being outside contenders) but could not decide. There was an element of uncertainty as I was travelling abroad and I was likely to be stationed on a fairly long-term basis due to which I had to postpone the decision. However, eventually, in mid 2010, I moved to Mumbai following a job change and I was back in the car hunting circuit.

Over to the decision process:

My requirements were: (a) car with space in the rear seat – to accommodate the occasional 5th passenger in reasonable comfort; (b) good fit and finish; (c) that will be reliable and won’t give up on me; (d) that I can use it in the occasional highway rides (about once or twice in a quarter). I was not particular about diesel vehicle.

Jazz_Decision_tree.pdf

Having decided to pitch in my lot with Jazz (by and large it was always the 1st choice in our minds), moved into the next area – that is the price, the goodies and the works.

Jazz, at various points in time, moved in with various discounts from Rs. 55k to Rs. 1.50 k. When the unofficial discounts made it to Rs. 1.50 k, I decided to buy. However, I was in Mumbai but wanted the vehicle at Indore. My selection at that point in time was the ‘Select’ variant. Fortunately or unfortunately, the time span that was available to buy was a short window and I did not want to hurry in buying a car that is going to be with us for a long time.

Then came the uplifted version of Jazz and the nail chewing days when there were lots of news, information, breaking news and god knows what not on the Team BHP forum with a wide spectrum on pricing, features and the launch dates, that fluctuated wildly like the stock markets of today. It was fun mixed with lots of anticipation!!

Finally, came the D-Day when the new Jazz was released and along with the prices and definitely it was sweet news especially on the pricing front. Then there was the question of the date by which the delivery was expected.

Buying Experience:
After checking the various features that came with the new Jazz, we decided that ‘X’ variant it will be. We also took a look at the display car that was Rallye Red and my wife was bowled out with that color, which I felt, looked great on this car. Too bad, Honda stopped the blue variants altogether as otherwise the Sherbet Blue or sky blue color would have been my choice. But , why 'X'?

1. Foldable Outer Rearview mirror - a big plus.
2. Driver Height seat adjustment. Would be useful is my wife decides to drive. As can be seen from one of the photographs, the height of the driver seat is by about 1.5" to 2.0" (approx.)
3. The upholstery color was a factor
4. In the select model the over dose of chrome was definitely a no-no.

Financial Closure: The OTR at Indore came to Rs. 684,185. The insurance component was coming to Rs.17,750/-. When I arranged the insurance by myself (thanks to my co-workers), the premium dropped to Rs. 15600/-. In addition, got a corporate discount of Rs. 5,000/-. Eventually the net price on road came to Rs. 677,039/-.

More than the buying experience, arranging for a partial loan was bigger headache than expected. Especially because of the uncertainly in delivery, I ended up giving updated documents repeatedly. I don’t want to elaborate too much on this aspect except stating that the deal was finalized with State Bank of India @ 11.25% (am part of State Bank Group – and hence got some discounts). However, the loan process, with whatever be the Institution, is a pain because of the sheer volume of documentation and requirements. Part of this arose from the fact that I stay at Mumbai and my family at Indore and some of the banks, I must say, just do not know what is lending business all about.

However, I wanted the delivery on Oct 6th, on the day of Dussehra but that was not to be due to delay in completion of formalities. I was upset about it but there was little I could do it. Finally we decided to take delivery on Oct. 7th.

Discussions with dealers: There were long discussions with the dealers about the accessories. The list that I had mind were:

1. Reverse parking sensors
2. GPS

   • In respect of above two aspects, while am very keen, but not in a hurry to get this. A Senior person of the Honda dealership informed that Honda is in talks with Caska and if that works out then the above two items can be combined together into one unit. I also made it clear that I do not want to do anything to the car that would void its warranty.

3. Additional reading lamp: The current reading lamp position is in an awkward spot. Discussions are on as to how it can be handled.
4. Leather Seat covers: No proper leather seats available at Indore. Need to look for Stanley Leather at Mumbai or some other place.
5. Good quality floor mats in addition to the factory provided stuff. Some mention was made about Kagu mats but am not sure whether it would be available at Indore.
6. Automatic door lock. By default Jazz does not the automatic door locking mechanism. Nothing can be done about it at least as of now.

Much to my disappointment, the car came with MRF tyres but for the moment I have decided to go with it at least for sometime. This is based on some of the observations within Team BHP. More about it below.

Preliminary Impressions and PDI
Armed with the PDI checklist from Team BHP, did a PDI a day before delivery where I did the following in the open and during daytime.
Exterior:

• Doors, hood, boot - Are all opening and closing properly: Check.
• Fluid Levels and Engine Compartment cleanliness: Check
• Battery: Check
• The car having been cleaned, Rallye Red looks absolutely smashing.
• The rear spoiler and the front grille specific to 'X' variant will be coming in about a week's time. Till then it has the base variant's grille and that also looks good.
• The panel gaps are consistent across the board and the door closes with a nice sounding 'thud' like when the ball hits the sweet spot of a cricket bat !!
• Tires look good. All are of MRF ZTVT.

Interior:

• Radio working properly: Check
• CD Player: Check
• USB Player: Check
• The sound quality in my opinion is really good and I do not intend to tinker with it for sometime. As a test, played some some music by Yanni and the sound came out crisp and clear and with reasonable bass. However, when I listened to the music the doors were open and some effect would have been lost. (Was listening to music while doing the other checks)
• Interior Cleanliness: Preliminary check revealed that the interiors are by and large clean but there are spots that would need to be cleaned. Informed the dealer.
• ORVM are working properly and so does the foldable part.
• The interiors fit and finish are top notch and does not too different from the now stopped Honda Jazz.
• The height adjustment works fine.
• Odometer: Shows 4 kms and the dealer will provide a complementary 10 litres of gas.

Engine Bay: Looked very neat and clean and was spotless.

Initial Observations about the vehicle

Interiors:

• Road View: As written by many members, the vehicle allows the driver to have a superb all round view and one does not feel claustrophobic at all. One needs to get adjusted slightly to the quarter glasses on both the sides in the front and especially to the one on the right side. The dashboard feels good and when you see the various earlier versions of Jazz, you can see how lots of thoughts, inputs, research and homework have gone into maturing this product.
• The various buttons and console panel: They are laid out well and after a drive or two one can get used to it without much of difficulty.
• Being the 'X' variant, there is the additional provision for Fog lamps in the front. This works in conjunction with the parking lights. There is a stalk for taking care of the rear windshield cleaning.
• The reading lamp while it is located at an awkward point is bright and has theatre like dimming feature.
• All the buttons feels good to hold and are screwed up very well - something that you can expect from the Japs to do a dash good job.
• However, Honda should have provided one more remote key rather than the ordinary key. It also does not have auto lock feature, which I believe should have been provided. However, as a consolation prize, the doors can be locked manually by the driver.
• The upholstery, while of very good quality, I believe, the earlier version of Jazz was slightly one notch above. But this is not a make or a break issue and purely my impression.
• The driver seat height adjustment works well and so does the USB Port. You can move from folder to folder. However, I need to do some more work in this area. Sound quality from the system is crisp and clear.
• The retractable ORVM works nicely and is a good feature to have.
• Seat belts are height adjustable.
• The driving position from the time I sat on the car has been spot on and I felt that I have been driving the car for quite some time. The view is absolutely great and so did the passengers in the first drive feel. Passengers were my family members.
• Air-conditioning: My impression has been a very positive one in terms of cooling effectiveness and the blower noise. However, it might not be the best of times to measure AC effectiveness as the weather has started slowly mellowing down. Next summer should really see the AC effectiveness. There are vents under the front seats for the benefit of rear passengers.
• However, I did take sometime, in intuitively measuring the distance between this car and other objects especially in tight corners. And, this is where the retractable feature of ORVMs were of help.
• Overall, ergonomically everything falls in its place except probably the horn. The volume control on the steering is positioned properly and is a easy to operate.

Exteriors: Am adding just my thought on few points since lot of observations have been made on this aspect.

• The Rallye Red looks very good on this car. The slightly redesigned front, looks more aggressive than the outgoing Jazz design.
• The sporty alloy wheels look very good so much so that my younger son commented that the wheels look very good !!
• The loading of luggage into the boot should not be an issue. The luggage area comes with a lamp - at least in 'X' variant.

The initial Driving Impressions and Experience:

Other than having to slightly push the driver's seat to the front, as am on the shorter side, I was able to figure out correct point for the driving position . But besides that adjustment, nothing else had to be done.

The vehicle handles itself in a very sure footed manner, rock steady - that was my first impression. The outside noise is cut off to a very large extent. Some of my initial apprehensions were surrounding two points: (a) Low end torque; (ii) MRF Tires. But happily, I must say, both the "fears" were unfounded.

The steering feels chunky and good to hold. Is easy to maneuver and is quite precise. Am quite happy with the way the am able to drive in the city conditions.

On a plain surface, the car starts moving in the 2nd gear. One does not need to start from 1st gear (similar to my earlier vehicle Santro) and once you release the clutch it ambles along at a steady speed. This is very useful when one take out the car and is within a township. From my apartment to the township gate, it is about 250 metres, and one can very easily move in the 2nd gear. And no "knocking" around. It is a no nonsense quiet and smooth ride. At this speed and in 2nd gear, I have been able to clear the speed breakers within the township without any issue.

The 1st real drive: As we could not do the Pooja in the famous "Khajrana" Ganesh temple, (it was afternoon then), we decided to go to a nearby place called Prashanti Dham near Ujjain later in the day and the best way to travel is through MR 10 which to a major part is a 4 lane highway with two Toll gates. In addition to Pooja, the car will also get a good drive and hence we travelled in the evening.

Once you settle inside the car and roll the windows up, all you are left with is the sound of your breath, the chattering of inmates in the car and the sound that wafts in from the music system. You are all but shut off from the external world of noise around you.

We go towards the 1st of the toll booths and then after around 5 kms to the next one and after that we open up the car to the beautiful highway. The car hugs the highway, like the way she hugs the driver and the front passenger in the front seats. So comfortable they are. And, after driving a distance, I realize that my apprehensions about MRF was misplaced. I can say that this quiet and smooth ride is what personifies the Honda Jazz.

Then after a while my eyes drift towards the console and am surprised to find the speedometer hovering around 80 kmph and the Engine rpm is around 2100. The wife says that at a speed of 2 she is feeling the A/C and wants the speed reduced and she is obliged with. Of course, it is around 6:00 p.m. and the sun is retiring for the day in what could be called as a glorious sunset.



The car absorbs by and large the bumps and the humps on the road. I did not have problems in respect of the bad patches or the speed breakers (official and otherwise). The family mentioned that the ride was absolutely comfortable.

In terms of Gear shifting, I would rate it 7 on a scale of 10. While the gear shifting is good, moving from 4th to 5th took some doing. This was there for the first couple of attempts after which did not face any issues. I guess it is a matter of getting used to it. Reverse is not an issue. But, as I remember from my TD of Polo, that was in a league of its own.

Braking is good to the extent that I used it.

We reach Prashanti Dham, do the Pooja and then return back to Indore. The total distance travelled is around 110 kms and the mid when we started the journey shows an average of 10 km/litre and by the time journey ends shows an average of slightly less than 15 km/litre. Judging by others' experiences on this forum the answer to the perennial "kitna deti hai" question should be around 13.5 km/litre. On a long term basis, a definitive answer will emerge after few more long drives.

As the evening sets in, I switch on the headlights, and alternate between high beam and low with the latter being used majority of times. Fog lamps were used for testing purposes. The various indicators in the consoles are informative, useful and are kept at the right point - the driver does not have to drag his / her attention away from the road. The amber illumination, to me, looks good and the nice thing about the USB Port is that it also illuminates the area around it. Overall, during night time travel, the occupants will have something close to an ethereal experience, if you ask me. The brightness of the consoles when the light is on can be controlled.

Things that Honda could have provided:

a. Automatic Climate Control
b. Both the keys should have remotes.
c. Honda should given an option of reverse parking sensors.
d. Armrest as an option

This in some ways concludes my preliminary ownership experience. More will be provided after some more drive(s) when will be back in Indore in about 10 days' time.

I would like to acknowledge with thanks the inputs and the posts of GTO, .anshuman, Coolmel, Adimicra, AKP, RavenAvi, Suhaas and countless others who belong to this forum.

Today morning my son and I went out and clicked some more photographs that are given below:

Exteriors:













Interiors





Attachment 823226

Congrats Aaren! Awesome car, awesome colour, awesome choice! Wish you many miles of happy motoring with your jazzy Honda.

Great car and pure unadulterated fun on roads.
Have thousands of happy miles with your car.

Oh did I mention, I am jealous of you. ;)

Great pictures of a great car!

The red color just looks stunning on the Jazz.

Congratulations on selecting the best hatch in the country today, happy & safe driving :)

(Jazz will most probably be my next car)

Many many congratulations ! thanks for the informative review , for someone who might just switch to a Jazz - if the waiting times come down , was good to read your write up.

The car does look stunning in red and it would be one of my preferred color options as well.

Congratulations on the Jazz! The red takes the appeal of the car to a new level altogether!

I am drooling about the Jazz since long now.

Btw, do you really need reverse sensors on the Jazz? I don't think it will make much difference.

And where is the cabin lamp in the Jazz - above the mirror or in the centre of the roof? Where do you plan to fit the extra reading lamp? How?

Have a great ownership period! :)

Thanks, Pryotek, acrobak, SunilM, Puchoo,libranof1987 and Vyenky for the compliments on the car, for your wishes and for the photos. Am glad you guys liked it and that some of you found the note informative. Yes, the Rallye Red looks stunning on this car. Actually I was motivated by .anshuman's photos of his Skoda that made me plan the photo shoot of this car !!

@Libranof1987: The cabin lamp is located off center and is behind the front seats. Passengers in the rear seat will be the beneficiaries of this light rather than the front seats. If I put it, it will be in the front as there appears to be a point where this work can be done.

Regarding Reverse parking sensors: Two reasons why am looking at it - one is that am recovering out of left a frozen shoulder and two am having a minor sprain on the right side of the neck. With these kind of issues, it helps if you have reverse sensors. But, it is not of immediate urgency. Will take a call will required.

Ah, same as the City. I agree, I don't fancy the cabin lamp position in my ANHC. My Corsa's cabin lamp is much better. But then, the rear passengers don't get much light. Honda should have introduced 2 - one above the mirror and other in the centre of the roof.

Hi Aaren,
Well written report. Rather logical decision making process.
Faced with the yummylicious photographs - wasn't sure whether I wanted to eat it, drive it or...errr...just play Jazz !
Real eye catching piece of engineering.
Wishing you many, many years and happy miles it.
Congratulations !

Congrats Aaren on the lovely buy.. I must say it looks absolutely hot in red. Makes me wish "cost of petrol" was not a consideration in my buying decision.

Just wanted to know if you feel the bulk of the vehicle when you have taken turns or curves at decent speeds, cause visually at least I have always felt the Jazz to be much bigger than cars of the segment & have always wondered how it would compare with an i20 or Swift.

Thanks for the excellent ownership report Aaren. The car looks great in red, and the alloys are really hot. Do keep updating the thread regularly. Drive safe! :)

And finally the Jazz has arrived. Great choice of colour. The red really does make it stand out. And the Jazz stands out anyway that's to its futuristic design philosophy. So are there any after-market accessories planned for her? Upgrading to better and wider tyres soon? How much does that parcel-tray cost?

Congratulations Aaren, and all the best! :thumbs up

Drive safe man, and keep them revs high! :)

EDIT: I'm glad you've opted to go in for the clean honey-comb grille, instead of that gaudy chrome thing in the front. Honestly, it looks stupid! You're a smart man, with good taste!

Congratulations, aaren, for your gorgeous new acquisition and for the first new Jazz thread on the forum.

Nice detailed report - thanks for sharing. Wish you many many happy miles in your Jazz.