Will Singapore groove to Honda’s new Jazz at SGD100k a pop?



People often say that the forbidden fruit is always the sweetest, and that’s definitely the case here. Despite the City Hatchback being earmarked to replace the Jazz here in the ASEAN region, Honda Singapore bucked the regional trend and introduced the all-new Jazz in the island nation last week instead, and we can only watch with envy.

The fifth-generation Honda Jazz is offered in three variants in Singapore, all of which are imported directly from Japan: the 1.5 Base (SGD98,999/~RM300k), 1.5 Home (SGD101,999/~RM310k), and 1.5 e:HEV Luxe (SGD103,999/~RM315k).

The Base and Home variants are powered by the same 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine as seen on our “regular” Honda City here in Malaysia, which sends 121 hp and 145 Nm of torque to the front wheels via an Earth Dreams CVT gearbox.

As for the 1.5 e:HEV Luxe, the range-topping variant features Honda’s Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) hybrid powertrain. Similar to the one on the Honda City RS e:HEV, a 108 hp and 253 Nm “traction” motor will power the front wheels, while a separate 1.5 litre Atkinson-cycle engine mostly works as a generator to juice-up the batteries.

During high-speed cruising, the motor powers the wheel directly via a single-speed transmission and a lock-up clutch, as internal-combustion engines are more efficient at higher-speeds compared to an electric motor.

The Japanese-market Honda Fit e:HEV

In terms of trims, the Base and Home variants are pretty much identical on the exterior, with LED lightings all round and 16-inch two-tone alloy wheels as standard. The Luxe variant gains additional chrome finishing on the wing mirror housings, alongside a different wheel design, though still 16-inches in size.

On the inside, the Singapore-specification Honda Jazz comes with leather upholstery across the board, but the Home and Luxe variants adds leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel to match, alongside an automatic climate control system. Also standard across the variants is the nine-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

As for safety, only the Luxe variant is equipped with the Honda Sensing advance driver assistance suite, which includes autonomous emergency braking, lane centring assist, lane keeping assist, as well as adaptive cruise control with stop-go function. That being said, six airbags and electronic stability control come as standard on the Jazz in Singapore.


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Honda Fit (Japan)