I brought my Honda Jazz around 5 weeks back and have been in love with the car ever since. Since there has been a lot of blood letting on this forum in regards to this price of the car, let me first of all assure everyone that I am not blessed with loads of moolah. I have worked very hard to earn every dime of the 8 lakhs that I paid for my Jazz and I was moving from a 7 year old WagonR!!!
I have been always been a believer in the dictum that the price of any product is eventually dictated by the demand for it and that the manufacturer have the right to make profits (& loads of it) for innovations that the market will pay for. Government or crowd regulated prices can only result in Ambassadors or at best a Nano.
Hence, my initial look at Honda Jazz was un-biased by the obvious steep pricing. Two rounds of road tests followed by intense research on the Internet finally convinced me of it being the prefect one. I was always looking for world car that is sold in the mature markets of Europe, Far-east and Americas. Honda Jazz (along with I20 and Punto to an extent) stand out from the rest of the crowd in this regards. However appealing, Linea and SX4 loose out big in this regards. Being an old adherent of the BBC Car show 'Top Gear' meant that their assessment valued a lot as well (http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-reviews)
Enough has already been written on the technical and functional aspects of this car and I would not go there. The things that finally made the case for me were the convincing build and finish quality (tap on Punto's plastics or look at the edges and you would understand what I am talking about), solid feel of the exterior (esp. bottom), safety features & track record, general airiness & natural light in the interiors, compact size of the car against a wheelbase that is same as Honda City (or any other sedan), fuel efficiency & finally the refinement of the engine and transmission.
I was initially not so brought it in on the 'Magic Seats' but just yesterday I was forced to tag a Gas Cylinder along and you know what, I was able to place it in standing position with the rear passenger seat in lifted position. I would have to otherwise place it in boot in a horizontal roll position and the possible risk spoiling the upholstery.
5 weeks down, I am still as convinced on this being the car for me. While the alloy wheels, seat height adjustment, reach on steering and direct iPoD connectivity would have really helped, I remain quite content with the value that I have got for the price and hope to enjoy it for many years to come.Refined Engine, Impeccable Build Quality, Abundant Space, Safety FeaturesMissing Torque at Low Speeds, Lacks Seat Height Adjustment