Honda Jazz VX Diesel Long Term Review: Introduction

Carmakers sometimes go to great lengths with facelifts; other times the changes are far more restrained. Honda India has gone for the latter method with the updated Jazz. That said, I was more than happy when I was given the keys to the diesel version of the Jazz. It’s one of CarWale’s favourite premium hatchbacks, one that promises to be all the car a small family could ever need. Our example is the top-of-the-line VX diesel which has had a super busy run – besides being my daily driver, the Jazz is also our go-to camera car for all the outstation editorial shoots. 

Here’s what living with the Jazz has been like so far.

Let’s establish right away that even within the modest confines of the premium hatchback space, the Jazz is not a particularly exciting car. What it does really well though is deliver high degrees of practicality and comfort. It’s got the most spacious cabin I’ve experienced in a hatch, with particularly impressive rear seat space and all-round visibility. 

The Jazz has been the default camera vehicle for all our shoots and it’s never let me down. Its 355-litre boot swallows everything – be it my camera gear, big suitcases or anything in between.

This diesel version is efficient, too – even regular crawls down the Kalyan - Shilphata road to my office in Vashi cannot shake the average fuel efficiency to much below 19kmpl. And with a reasonably big 40-litre fuel tank, I am getting a predicted range of over 720kms after brimming up.

It’s not all roses, though – I still feel this diesel engine needs to be more refined even though I am aware it has been worked on. Nevertheless, I am still familiarising myself with the Jazz. Having driven and loved the old version, I am keen to find out if this updated version moves the game on significantly. 

Vehicle Log

Odo: 5359kms 

Fuel Efficiency: 18.6kmpl

Faults: None

Pictures by Kapil Angane