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Like stories about getting dumped by ex-girlfriends and humiliating anecdotes involving the loss of control over certain bodily functions, there are some things that we at Top Gear are quite loath to admit. And have we got a doozie this time. As you, dear readers, have probably ascertained by now, we love fast cars. We adore them. We are smitten by speed. So it is a great blow to both our egos and loins to admit that—with the never-ending rise of gas prices and road tax—small, fuel-efficient cars actually (gulp!) make sense now.
 But as we pull out the shards of glass from our broken hearts, we also have to admit that there have been some very fun small cars coming out of car companies’ skunkworks recently. There’s the bee-like Kia Picanto, the massively torqued Hyundai Getz, the cute-with-an-attitude Suzuki Swift, and the stylish Toyota Yaris, among others. And, of course, there’s the daddy of small cars on the Philippine market, the one that started the craze: the Honda Jazz.
Some of you may know that Honda had already used the Jazz moniker for a compact car way back in 1984. This car was available in markets that had a need for small vehicles, like the UK. Unfortunately, it was an ugly-looking, wide-eyed, cardboard-like box on wheels, used only as a stopgap vehicle between 1984 and 1985 until the next-gen Civic of the time arrived. In reality, this was the European name Honda used for the City Mk I, and Honda only called it the Jazz because Opel had already trademarked the City name.
 There is also a 50cc Honda scooter known as the Jazz, released in 1986 and still in production in far-flung Canada, but that’s a different can of worms altogether.
The current Jazz has been a hit since its Philippine introduction in 2004, although internationally it has been available since 2001 under both the Jazz and Fit badges. Its handsome looks, versatility and vaunted fuel efficiency in 1.3-liter i-DSI and 1.5-liter VTEC forms, captured the hearts of yuppies, style mavens and thrift hounds everywhere. Its exterior was also easily modified with available parts from Mugen, Modulo, Spoon and other tuning houses with funny names, which allowed it to hold its ground design-wise against a newer, younger crop from other manufacturers. But the boxy, minivan-like design has been getting long in the tooth for some time now, and Jazz (or Fit, if you’re in a JDM mood) fans have eagerly been waiting for a successor.
Which is why we find ourselves here, at the excellent Honda Safety Driving Center on the SLEX East Service Road, to meet the new daddy: Honda Jazz redux.
Well, it’s not exactly a remake. It’s a remake in the sense that the new Incredible Hulk is a remake of Ang Lee’s hyper-moody, introspective version. About the only things similar here are the five-door hatchback form, the versatile interior seating, and the name on the badge. Otherwise, it’s wider and longer, has a longer wheelbase, and is loads cooler. In other words, it’s a brand-new bag.
 Let’s start under the hood. If you loved the 1.3-liter i-DSI engine, get in line to give it a proper farewell. The new Jazz carries 1.3L and 1.5L i-VTEC engines now, with power outputs of approximately 99hp and 118hp, respectively. The belt-driven CVT auto tranny is also gone, replaced with a more conventional five-speed auto. This, according to Honda Cars Philippines product planning team member and Jazz project head Allen Cortez, is to satisfy Honda owners who prioritize power over fuel efficiency for their Jazzes. Hmmm, so the buzz about CVT systems and their belts not being as durable as regular gearboxes has nothing to do with it? Well, we’ll take Honda’s word on this one. And while power figures may seem a bit on the conservative side, remember that the engine is pulling an itty-bitty Jazz body.
Oh, and what a Jazz body it is! I got to the shoot late, so I had to walk up the slight incline leading to the Honda school building by myself. And the moment I crested that incline—BANG! There were three Jazzes parked up front, and I swear I stopped in my tracks (not an easy thing to do in the post-summer sun).
Gone is the single crease in the middle of the hood, replaced by a bump akin to a power bulge. The grille is a bit squarer and, matched with the larger vent (plus foglamps for the 1.5) in the front bumper, works with the more angular, swept-back headlamp assemblies to make the Jazz look less cutesy and more purposeful. The beltline is raised, the sweep upwards to the back is more pronounced due to its side creases, and the large tail-lamp assemblies have what looks like booster rockets jutting out at the sides.
Turn signal light-equipped mirrors on the 1.5 provide an aesthetically pleasing contrast to the bi-chromatic sides of the Jazz, and are of course functional as well. The rear is also a pleasant sight, framed by the new taillights and sporting a redesigned bumper and rear venturi. The 1.5 gets twin tailpipes, while the 1.3 makes do with one. TG art lord and certified JDM whore Jaykee describes it as “malapit na sa Civic Type R,” and I have to agree with him. It looks almost as sleek and, with the 16-inch alloys on the 1.5, almost as sexy, too. (The 1.3 gets 15-inch wheels that are none too shabby as well.)
 For functionality and number geeks, the new Jazz’s chassis has been completely reengineered. Honda’s R&D boffins ostensibly used their pocket calculators and knowledge of all things Honda to state that, thanks to their efforts, the Jazz’s structural rigidity has been improved by a whopping 164 percent.
Now we know it looks the business. But how does it drive? That’s why we’re here. The Honda Safety Driving Center has roads that simulate the streets of Manila—without the traffic, the suicidal pedestrians, and the largely unschooled population of motorcyclists who weave recklessly in and around traffic. This course gives us the chance to test the Jazz in an urban situation while letting it stretch its legs a bit.
We hop into the cockpit and take a few minutes to marvel at its appointments. The steering wheel is lifted from the Civic (minus audio controls on the test Jazz unit), and feels thick, solid and reassuring in our hands. It’s also rake- and reach-adjustable, another huge plus in our books. The radio is a huge oval affair, and is probably integrated with the other electronic controls—that’s a minus. Fortunately, it sounds pretty decent to our plebian ears.
The seat itself is comfortable, and is bolstered well without being too grabby. The controls are very ergonomically laid out, and cubbyholes abound once again. We particularly love the way the A/C knobs form a swept vertical line down the side of the dash center, as if framing the radio console. We would’ve appreciated a center console that doubles as an armrest though.
We start the engine and roll out onto the course. The steering wheel is weighted incredibly lightly, almost flimsily, at parking-lot speeds. This disconcerts me, since I drive an old car with heavily weighted power steering. I guess that’s how the new drivers roll. Steering feel weights up beautifully as speed increases, and soon we’re taking corners with more confidence than we’re used to in our personal beaters. I would ask for more weight in the Jazz’s steering, but that could just be me and my caveman arms, so I can’t hold that against Honda.
The suspension used to be a bit minivan-stiff, albeit pretty much commuter-friendly. Honda Japan acknowledges this, and claims that the feel has been fixed in the new Jazz. “We are very aware that the predecessor was a little firm,” admitted a senior Honda Japan officer, “so we spent a lot of time fixing that. We believe we’ve got it just right now.”
Indeed, Honda folks claim that it’s been stiffened up a bit to accommodate the extra weight from the new doodads, and it does seem a bit more stable in fast, sharp turns than the old Jazz. It feels more composed, more sedan-like now. We even take a few high-speed go-arounds on the driving school’s tight roundabout, which leaves me and intrepid photographer Alfred nauseous enough to need a few minutes’ break.
Owing to its short wheelbase, the new Jazz is fantastically fun on small, tight roads. The Honda school course has a pair of ‘alleys’ set up as chicanes, and the Jazz fits in these narrow roads with only a few inches to spare on either side. Do we get nervous? Okay, maybe a bit, but the sharp handling and smooth power delivery (no jerks, no sudden bogdowns) of the Jazz give us enough confidence to increase our speed little by little through these sections, until the nervous looks of the Honda staff make us throttle down.
One thing to think about with the Jazz’s driving experience is the relative difficulty one can have when trying to sight down the car’s hood, which is usually done when you’re parking or you’re stuck in traffic. Since the Jazz’s front slopes quite sharply, some people (particularly those vertically challenged) may have trouble seeing the front end of the car, and thus have a hard time making distance judgments. Although we don’t have any trouble parking, this small issue is made evident on a sharp tabletop on the Honda track. Climbing is fine, since distance judgments aren’t usually needed when climbing up to a flat surface. But when it’s time to descend, the sharp angle of the descent gets us a bit nervous. We simply cannot see the front end of the car well enough to know when the drop will start.
Fortunately, the car’s creature comforts help to keep us cool. And we mean this literally—the air-conditioner is more than adequate for our hot, sun-drenched days, and the sound system is okay for a completely stock integrated system. The fact that the radio has an auxiliary jack but not a USB port or an iPod interface—and looks irreplaceable to boot—also gets us down a bit.
The seats are truly well-made, and comfortable enough for our photographer to pass out literally two seconds after getting out of the test car and into another new Jazz’s back seat. And the fold-flat rear seat system (referred to by Honda as ULT, for “utility, long and tall”) has been retained, thanks to the bulk of the car’s gas tank being situated at the front of the car.
At the end of the day, and as much as it pains us to say it, it still holds that we need small cars. Gas prices have hit P60 a liter as of press time, and we can expect all related costs and commodities to rise as well. So while we would all thoroughly enjoy a highway or cross-country blast in the latest supercar or power sedan, it’s just not possible for the majority of us wage slaves. The small car is the best option for those who can’t take our soaring gas prices, but for whom it’s just not practical or feasible to use public transport.
Still, the small car need not be small on features, fashion or fun. Honda has addressed this need with the Jazz, the original local-market model having served its time admirably. Now, with the new Jazz, Honda has definitely upped the fun factor, and we all look forward to seeing it on our roads.
As for the price and how well the new Jazz stacks up against the old one’s legendary fuel efficiency, well, Honda Cars Philippines remains tight-lipped. But if the price is in the vicinity of the old Jazz’s, then we’ll be content. Right now, without that info and with only a one-day pre-launch driving experience under our belts, we’re smiling like Cheshire cats. This is one small car that’s big on cool.
Special Thanks to Mr. Vermon B. Same, editor-in-chief of Top Gear Philippines, for letting us use this article on our website
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