Honda launched the 2017 City at the beginning of this year, and now the Japanese automaker has revealed the 2017 facelift of the Jazz hatchback in its home country, Japan. It is likely to be introduced in the Indian market in the near future. The new Jazz features a set of bumpers and LED lights just like the 2017 City. The changes are not limited to the exterior only but are in the interiors as well.
Spot The Difference
Changes to the facelift Honda Fit, or the Jazz (in the Indian market), are not exactly of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it variety, but you need to have observed the current Jazz carefully to determine the changes. Luckily, my job (and my hobby) demands I look carefully at cars and therefore I can tell you that the new model has a more muscular bumper with prominent mass towards the ends. The fog lamp housing – although it retains its shape – gets added cladding in order to make it look more chunky. Completing the change is a new grille which is slimmer with an identical-looking headlamp cluster with LED lamps and DRLs (similar look to the Honda City's). These changes make the car look a bit more striking than the current model, which now, after having a look at the facelift, looks even blander.
From the side, the hatchback retains the older shape with the strong body line entering from the tail lamp and extending till the front wheel arch. Wheels for the international model are 16-inchers and the Indian version will also get this size.
Though the rear pics are out yet, we expect the difference to be minimal, with a chiselled bumper and LEDs in the tail lamp cluster.
Interiors
The Jazz facelift continues with the same interior setup as the current model, but Honda could give it a different upholstery option and the new Android-based 7.0-inch Digipad touchscreen unit which graces the City and WR-V as well. Also, the boot space of 354-litres and the magic seats functionality are expected to remain the same.
Under The Hood
Powering the Jazz facelift will be the same set of engines – a 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol mated to the 5-speed manual or CVT automatic with paddle shifters and the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel bolted to the 6-speed manual. Powers figures are 88PS/110Nm for the petrol and 100PS/200Nm for the diesel.
Key Changes
- New Front Bumper
- LED Headlamps
- LED DRLs
- LED Fog Lamps
- LED Tail lamps
- 16-Inch wheels (possibility)
- Android-Based 7.0-inch Digipad Touchscreen
These changes will make the Honda Jazz remain in competition till the next generation hatchback arrives later in the future. The facelift will arrive in international markets in June but an Indian launch won't happen until at least the festive season. It will still compete with the MarutiBaleno and the Hyundai i20 but, looking at the City, the top-end model (which could be the ZX) could very well be considerably costlier than the rivals.
Source: Zigwheels.com
