Jazz 10mo. review-Inquirer's Andre Palma

**niky** · June 27th, 2005 07:52 PM

I don't know what the fuss is about... I'd rather have a stiff and noisy suspension than a floaty one on a car like that anyway... putting a soft suspension on the Jazz? Brings to mind images of the Mercedes A-Class "Elk Tests"...

**Mguy** · June 28th, 2005 04:03 PM

It's not that bad anyway. On a full load, the suspension stiffness is reduced and everybody rides comfortably. Ang nakaka-irita lang is the thud sound when you hit a pothole. To solve the problem is simple, stay away from potholes.

**wilcats** · June 28th, 2005 06:59 PM

yeah nga, sino bang gusto ng potholes? syempre iniiwasasn un diba. dka naman hahataw over potholes eh! masisira lng suspension mo agad if careless ka talaga magdrive. wala din tayo mgawa cuz ganun tlga road conditions dito sa pinas..

**mazdamazda** · June 29th, 2005 09:36 AM

the City's handling isn't that confidence inspiring...

**mikey177** · June 29th, 2005 02:38 PM

Here's part 2 of that Inquirer article for those who are interested...

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[SIZE=4]All that Jazz: a 10,000-km review[/SIZE]
(last of two parts)
by Andre Palma

[Appeared June 29, 2005, Philippine Daily Inquirer page B2-3]

Maybe I was just asking too much of the Jazz from the start? There is a definite upside in the car’s peso pinching fuel efficiency, but who can blame owners from wanting more, in the form of G force inducing acceleration? We can dream of the ideal, can we not? In these cash-strapped times, I am more than happy to forgo one for the other; as I confess that it does not matter that I drive a car that accelerates in a painfully patient manner as long as I don’t have to use more of my dwindling paycheck to pay for fuel.

The performance for fuel-efficiency tradeoff can be called a fair (and practical) deal but there are other areas of the Jazz’s performance that are more reasonably indicated as wanting.

Volume of freight

With the ability to fold the rear seating flush to the floor pan, this car scores heavyweight marks in the volume of freight it can swallow. Station wagons and small SUVs beware, this petite four-door hatch can compete toe to toe for your volume of passengers or cargo. Just be reasonable and choose either; as the Jazz can’t haul large volumes of both at the same time.

Objects as large as two full suspension downhill bicycles (with only the front wheels off) can fit in the back of the Jazz when the rear seats are folded. A six-foot Christmas tree, box included, has also been brought home by this car.

Imagine the number of cases of bottled beer this car can carry; I say eight is a conservative number with 12 probably pushing it a little bit. All I am trying to say is this: in meeting the cargo needs of the small forward thinking, urban Filipino family, this car has no rival.

By endowing the vehicle with such a capacity for cargo, I expected the manufacturer would have equipped the Jazz with a suspension system that was more than equal to the task. In fairness, I imagine the car’s suspension system would be perfect in the immaculate Metro Tokyo system. Metro Manila, on the other hand, produces driving conditions that can take a real toll on motor vehicles. The Jazz is definitely worse for wear in our city streets.

Eye openers

Handling and suspension were eye openers at the start. My initial evaluation of the car was that it had a substantially stiff chassis and decent suspension that allowed it to corner in a very stable manner. It handled beautifully, literally getting nods of approval from old, cynical but experienced drivers. The weak link was most definitely the stock rubber, as the small passenger-rated 14-inch tires were hard pressed to provide either comfort and traction.

In an effort to improve the ride quality and performance of the car, the factory-supplied 14-inch wheels were maintained and mated to the best performance rubber available: Advan Neova’s. Time has proven the chassis assessment wrong. The performance of the sticky and comfortable tires is still remarkable, wet and dry, and it is sad that the Jazz does not perform at par with the tires anymore.

The suspension of this car is undeniably noisy. Two weeks into ownership and I knew there was something wrong. Research showed that extra rubber insulation had to be added to the front shock absorber mounts to reduce road noise and the dreadful, loud, metal-on-metal “clank” that came with potholes.

I admit that we do not have the best driving surfaces in the world, but some time and effort should have been done to adapt the car to our Third World streets. The accompanying rear suspension noise, sadly, has no easy solution. It is a good thing the car usually only has one or two people in it, as every time I have a single passenger in the right rear seat, a less loud but equally worrying clicking noise is present.

The chassis has gone from confidence inspiring to a little worrying these last 10 months. It has come to the point that I am looking for aftermarket ways to shore up the body of the car. A bolted H-frame (similar to that of the current Civic’s design) under the body should negate the flex that causes creaking in the cabin, even when just going over a sharp village hump. Complete bushing and suspension arm kits can also be had along with the standard fare chassis braces, sway bars and strut bars.

The Fit, as our Jazz is called in Japan, has been used in domestic Japanese motor sport since 2001; hence the plethora of available “better than stock” parts. Even though I am thankful that Japanese aftermarket companies have already addressed the car’s problems, any sort of solution will definitely be pricey, and therefore prohibitive.

Honest answer

So do I regret purchasing the Honda Jazz? An honest answer is: not really. I am a firm believer in the saying: “You get what you pay for,” and the premium that I paid for the Jazz (as it is the most expensive Japanese 1.3-liter econobox in the Philippine market) has had one big upside.

Fuel is expensive and the efficiency of the engine alone is enough to make you accept the other shortcomings of the car. As standard unleaded fuel is set to clear the P30 per liter barrier soon, fueling a frugal car may be the only way left, for many, to feasibly continue driving in the Philippines.

In the end, even if I did wake up tomorrow and the Jazz came with a larger, more assertive engine, I’m sure that the smile from the more aggressive acceleration would only last until I had to fill the car up. No thank you, I’ll take the 1.3-liter CVT with all its other faults.

With the gas money I am saving, I’m planning to buy a 400 bhp hydrogen-powered roadster with magnetic suspension and voice-operated “drive by wire” navigation. These will just be hot off the assembly lines in 30 years—just about the time I’ll be done saving up for one.

**niky** · June 29th, 2005 08:12 PM

Nice article. But chassis loosening in only a year? Hmmm... with Manila roads, that's well and truly possible.

One important point, though... the 1.5 VTEC is nearly as frugal as the 1.3 i-DSi (except, I guess, in really horrid traffic), and independent testing has yielded acceleration times UNDER 9 seconds for the 1.5 CVT Jazz... so the best of both worlds the writer is looking for would probably be the 1.5 City. And it's definitely cheaper than a 1.5 Jazz would be.

**zechs** · June 29th, 2005 11:49 PM

nagpalit ba siya ng gulong accdg to the article? to advan neova's? or is it aftermarket already? i know their mated with michelins di ba? or di kaya bridgestones?

**mbt** · June 29th, 2005 11:55 PM

i didnt like the steering of the jazz... too light, too vague on-center, and feels too much like a video game wheel hehe

**Auto_Xer** · July 4th, 2005 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by niky

Nice article. But chassis loosening in only a year? Hmmm... with Manila roads, that's well and truly possible.

One important point, though... the 1.5 VTEC is nearly as frugal as the 1.3 i-DSi (except, I guess, in really horrid traffic), and independent testing has yielded acceleration times UNDER 9 seconds for the 1.5 CVT Jazz... so the best of both worlds the writer is looking for would probably be the 1.5 City. And it's definitely cheaper than a 1.5 Jazz would be.

This was only after he changed to the Neova's which have more more lateral grip than the stock tires.

**Auto_Xer** · July 4th, 2005 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by mbt

i didnt like the steering of the jazz... too light, too vague on-center, and feels too much like a video game wheel hehe

The feel, imo, is programmed in. Drove the 1200cc Jazz from Brazil of HCPI, the steering was much better weighted & felt more natural.
They should reprogram the local/Thai versions to have the same feel.