Honda Malaysia just launched a new variant of the Honda Jazz for Malaysia, the 'Jazz S' with a selling price of just below RM100k. This is a move much needed to restore the competitiveness and popularity of the Jazz here in Malaysia. The previous 1G Jazz was a huge seller here. It was a superb overall package with a good engine, incredible utility and huge interior space. Recently when I had the new 9G Civic Hybrid for review, passengers who was in the rear actually commented that they thought the rear interior of the 1G Jazz was slightly more spacious than even the 9G Civic, a thought probably heavily influenced by the generous headroom in the Jazz.
The 2G Jazz sought to continue on the strengths of the 1G Jazz. But it was hampered by a critical disadvantage - price. The cost of import from the Thailand factory forced Honda to price the 2G Jazz at a level that was significantly higher than when the 1G Jazz was introduced, in fact quite close to that of the 8G Civic 1.8 i-VTEC. In addition, those (1G Jazz'es) were actually from Japan which made the price differential even more glaring. Consequently, for much of its lifespan, sales of the 2G Jazz, in the words of a Honda Malaysia marketing person was 'hardly moving'. The deletion of the CVT gearbox also had a minor impact as the CVT is considered by the more knowledgeable auto fan to be a more advanced technology. Unfortunately the bout with the 'start clutch' fiasco and the lack of appreciation/technical knowledge of the general auto buyer prevailed. Honda Malaysia had continuously sought to push the price of the 2G Jazz down to make it more appealing. Finally, with this new variant and a price tag below the crucial 100k level, the 2G Honda Jazz finally looks set to regain back some of its success.
The basic mechanical specifications of the Jazz remains for the Jazz S, with the same 120ps 1.5l i-VTEC engine and the 5AT gearbox. Still no return of the CVT for the Jazz. Features and furnishings will be the main areas that are changed in order to drop the price by such a large margin. With this new pricing, it is hoped that the 2G Jazz will start to regain back some of its past success. Not a moment too soon as the new 3G Fit/Jazz is expected to hit the JDM next year.
The full Honda Malaysia press release for the Jazz S is below.
HONDA MALAYSIA INTRODUCES THE JAZZ S
Petaling Jaya, 8 August 2012 – Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd today introduced the Honda Jazz S variant. The practical and stylish Jazz S maintains the essential features of the popular 5-door compact hatchback.
The Jazz S is a Completely Build-Up (CBU) unit from Thailand. With the original concept of “Man Maximum, Machine Minimum”, the Jazz S continues the legacy of maximizing the space available for humans and minimizing the space occupied by mechanical components. This is aimed at creating an ideal compact car that combines spaciousness, utility, fuel efficiency, refinement, comfort and safety all into one attractive package.
Honda Malaysia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yoichiro Ueno said, “We are pleased to offer the S variant of the Honda Jazz to Malaysians. The Jazz has always been well received in Malaysia and we are delighted to introduce another version of the stylish compact car to Malaysians. We believe the Jazz S will appeal to young professionals who are interested in a compact yet practical vehicle that caters to their fun driving and active lifestyle. It is also targeted at young urban families who demand a
spacious interior for their daily lifestyle needs.”
Exterior wise, the Jazz S comes with a 15” alloy wheel and a new dynamic front and rear bumper with 3-tier tail lights. The black mesh grille maintains the stylishness while the fog lights ensure better visibility during misty conditions. The Jazz S is also equipped with front and rear mudguards for additional protection. The Jazz S is powered by the 1.5L i-VTEC engine, Honda’s signature technology. The 5-speed Auto Transmission combines with the signature i-VTEC engine to offer excellent drivability, performance and fuel efficiency. The Drive-By-Wire (DBW) technology controls the engine with the 5-speed automatic transmission to give smoother shifting and reliable acceleration and linear driving performance at regular speed range.
The Jazz S retains the key features of the Jazz such as the Ultra Seat and a large boot space that emphasizes great practicality and space. The ever-dynamic Ultra Seats, which is now in blue-black, can be folded in one swift action. It can be transformed, flipped and adjusted easily to different modes for different purposes. Additionally, the unique central fuel tank layout, which is located underneath the rear seats, creates a larger legroom for both
front and rear seat passengers.
The Jazz S is not only geared to deliver exciting performance, but also capable of keeping its driver and passengers safe while minimising harm to pedestrians outside. The G-force Control Technology (G-CON) helps to disperse crash impact. Its Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) controls unexpected situation and stabilises the vehicle. Additionally, the Dual SRS Airbags, 3-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) safety belts, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electrical Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA) are featured in the Jazz S.
The Jazz S is available in Brilliant White Pearl, Polished Metal Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl. It is now available in all Honda Malaysia showrooms. Honda Malaysia targets to sell 210 units by the end of this year.
The practical, stylish and compact Jazz S comes with an affordable on-the-road price tag of RM 99,800.00. Customers can test drive and place their booking for the Jazz S at any authorised Honda dealers nationwide. For more information, please call Honda Toll Free number at 1-800-88-2020, or log on to www.honda.com.my.
