The 'X' Factor

If one gets to penning down what exactly the Jazz is all about per say, it could very well be be summarised as the car with loads of space, expensive (but worth every penny) and just plain gorgeous and did we mention versatile and hugely practical? The Jazz X of course, is Honda Siel India’s upgrade to the earlier version of the hatchback. The Jazz failed to cast its charm on the Indian customers as; compared to its competitors it did not provide any distinctive features for the premium price it was offered at. Honda Siel has certainly made amends with its customers with Jazz X thus justifying why it is India’s most expensive hatchback.

The Jazz X has no differences on the powertrain and has the same 1.2 L i-VTEC engine. The engine packs in 90 bhp which isn’t much of a firehouse but provides enough punch and plenty of refinement. The Jazz X drives and handles just like the regular Jazz – which is comfortable and a sure-footed handler. We thus, move on directly to point out why the Jazz X turns on that extra bit of charm to lure those who expected more from the car.

The new Honda Jazz X features refreshing blue-black interiors. The interiors compliment the orange backlighting on the centre console and all this just adds up to the overall sporty appeal of the car. The steel wheels of the Jazz have been now replaced with some great looking five-spoke alloys. Whoever said that the alloys on a car do not change its looks! If you compare the two, you discover how alloys make a difference to the overall look of any car and the Jazz X looks so much better now.

The Jazz already had a lot of storage space. Within the realms of the ten cup holders, the mobile holders and even more storage space than, say a 10 litre refrigerator (hypothetically speaking of course) dwells some more space to store all the things you always wanted and it’s at the rear.

The car has a rear parcel shelf for added customer convenience and safety of the luggage and privacy, so you can stow your valuables out of the way. With the rear seats down you can fit a bicycle in that space. The Jazz X, like the Jazz thus becomes a functional and the most spacious car over most of the hatches. The car also gets a set of front and rear mudflaps as standard.

Beside the alloys on the wheels the Jazz X, there is also the driver seat height adjuster for the shorter drivers. The in dash music system of the earlier Jazz has been retained with the addition of a USB port and the AUX-In which helps you to hook those mp3 players you always wanted.

There is no change in the instrument cluster which makes you conscious of how much petrol you are guzzling as you drive the car with its real time consummation monitor. So, pedal to the metal in this car as in most Hondas is fun but sends you on a guilt trip when you watch the Economy Meter drop! This encourages you to drive more consciously and save fuel.

Everything said, the Jazz X justifies the Rs. 7.53 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) price tag. However we miss the scuffplates on the door-sill which read ‘Jazz. The Jazz X could also have had Bluetooth connectivity for the music system (but well, it hasn’t got one). All in all, the car is as smooth as it could get and with all the space, you surely need to find better ways to utilize them (its not hard to use your imagination right?) Drive the car into the porch of a five-star hotel, take it to the movies, office or even an outing with the family, the car is stylish and Honda’s quality fit and finish gives the Jazz X that edge as pitted against the other hatches in the market. The ‘X’ Factor sure comes in handy for the Jazz.