The new little ones join at the end of September Honda on. The small Jazz car and the mini SUV HR-V are intended to bring a breath of fresh air to the Japanese manufacturer's portfolio and generate new buyers for the brand. Exact prices will not be communicated almost four months before the market starts, but it can be assumed that the price list for jazz will start at around 13.000 euros as usual. Interested parties should invest at least 20.000 euros in the bonsai SUV, which is based on the same platform as the jazz.
Both the Jazz and the HR-V are visually very different from their predecessors. The third generation of jazz is now drawing fast. The second generation van-like was given up in favor of a flatter and stretched lines. The length increases by almost 10 centimeters and now comes to almost four meters in length. The new HR-V bears no similarity with its namesake (1999 to 2005). The design of the jacked-up box-shaped station wagon was discontinued, the new one is drawn entirely in the style of the modern mini-SUV and is based on the big brother CR-V.
The space available for the vehicles is plentiful. The trunk volume of the Jazz varies between 354 and 884 liters. Because the tank in Jazz is traditionally not housed under the back seat as usual, its seats can be folded up like a cinema chair to transport bulky items in the footwell. Alternatively, the backrests can be folded down, which results in a flat loading floor in the trunk. New in generation three is an additional foldable backrest in the front seat, which also makes it possible to transport particularly long items. The 4,30 meter long HR-V also has the practical seating system. The trunk volume here is 453 liters, if the rear seat backrests are folded down, the value increases to 1.026 liters.
But the designers also learned a lot from the interior design. Away from easy-care hard plastic structures in the dashboard or in the center console, towards optically and haptically appealing interiors. There is also a new, Internet-enabled infotainment system with a seven-inch display that also allows the smartphone screen to be mirrored on the touchscreen in the center console. The Japanese also electronically upgraded the assistants. A city emergency braking system is now always on board; collision detectors, lane departure warning systems, traffic sign recognition and automatic high beam can be added on request.
The engines are also new. A 1,3-liter petrol engine with 75 kW / 102 hp is used for jazz. The four-cylinder is coupled to a six-speed transmission as standard, a CVT transmission is available on request. The HR-V is optionally powered by a new 1,5-liter petrol engine with 96 kW / 130 PS for Europe or a 1,6-liter diesel with 88 kW / 120 PS, which is also used in the compact Civic. Both engines are combined with a six-speed manual transmission, and a continuously variable transmission is also available for the petrol engine. It is still uncertain whether there will be more engines or a hybrid version for the Jazz or an all-wheel drive option for the HR-V.
Author: Elfriede Munsch / SP-X