Honda South Africa had something to celebrate recently when they unveiled the brand new Honda FIT, the fourth generation of the immensely popular Honda Jazz, renamed to bring it in line with Honda’s international naming convention and to mark the extensive upgrades its received. I also hit a milestone recently, when the odo’ on my 2005 Honda Jazz clicked over the 200,000 km mark, and I ran out of pages in my service book. It’s the norm when writing about a new model to compare it to the one preceding it, but as the fourth generation Jazz is hitting the tarmac with a new name and a whole new attitude, I thought it may be more apt to compare it, instead, to the trailblazer – the “OG” – the first generation Honda Jazz.
The year following its release, the first-generation model clinched the title of Japan’s best-selling vehicle – a first for Honda. It went on to rack up awards and win over fans in all of its global markets, including here in SA. And now, two decades later, Honda has sold millions of these stylish hatchbacks to owners, like myself, who were won over by its spaciousness and practicality.
Now, with the launch of the new FIT, Honda is hoping to not only retain those many loyal customers, but to attract a whole generation of new ones by appealing to their emotional side – the one that falls in love at first sight and asks about the practicalities later.
Look Twice
One way Honda is hoping to do this is with a redesign of the car’s exterior character. It retains its original – and iconic – “one-box” or monoform silhouette and short nose, but whereas the first generation Jazz’s nose tapered off to the front bumper in a pleasing curve, the FIT’s stops short to meet a beefier front bumper and grill. The effect gives the car’s face an unfortunate “underbite” look about it, but there are certainly those who will find it quirky. Or, indeed, not notice it at all as the sum of the car’s redesigned parts – attractive lights, a snazzy rear roof spoiler, eye-catching wheel designs and sleek, uninterrupted visual lines – work well together to give the FIT a more dynamic and youthful look than its forebear.
Magical Practicality
Inside, the FIT has retained the Jazz’s famous “magic seats” (I mean, how could it not?), which allow for a host of different configurations. Flip up the single back seat and pop that potted palm in the footwell, no problem. Flip up both and pop in two palms. Fold the single-seat flat, and you can carry all manner of long things (fishing rods, golf clubs) across the width of the boot and the back seat. Fold the entire bench flat, and you can move house with it (which I have done on numerous occasions, minus the fridge and the double bed, of course). Sadly, though, while the interior passenger space has increased with every successive generation, the new FIT’s boot has shrunk somewhat – by at least 50 litres compared to my original Jazz – which is a shame.
But, while the FIT’s booty has shrunk, it has picked up some extra padding on its seats to make for happy bums, at least. It has also picked up a significantly wider field of vision. By more than halving the thickness of the A-pillars and opting for hidden windscreen wipers, the front seat occupants are given an unobstructed and virtually panoramic view out of the expansive windscreen.
All About the Yoo No Bi
So, as not to detract from the view, the FIT’s dashboard is sleek and uncluttered with an almost mid-century modern design aesthetic – or what Honda call “yoo no bi”, the aesthetics of utility; design based on simplicity and functionality.
As with the exterior, long sleek lines dominate the dash, with a 9” touchscreen (standard on the Elegance and Executive models) taking pride of place. And it is here where the original Jazz – with its radio and CD player – is really left in the dust. The touchscreen is based on a reconfigured smartphone interface which makes it intuitive to use, while the display can be configured to your personal preferences. An ingenious little shelf under the touchscreen has been designed specifically for you to rest your hand on while you make your selection, and this – along with the inclusion of some tactile dials and buttons (thank goodness) – means you can largely keep your eyes on the road while driving.
The FIT also offers smartphone mirroring, via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, with the latter available wirelessly. Yup, no cables needed. Which is incidentally also the case with the first generation – because there is nowhere to plug any cables in! Unless you count the cigarette lighter, of course (remember those?).
Getting the Green Light
The new FIT also ups the ante on the OG Jazz with a raft of new and improved safety technologies, including six airbags and Honda’s ACE body structure technology for enhanced occupant crash protection. You can also look forward to a suite of “SENSING” active safety technology (including a collision mitigation braking system, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control) – but only on the FIT Hybrid model.
Yes, you read that right – as well as the three 1.5-litre petrol CVT models (same engines and transmissions, but with differing spec levels), Honda is throwing its hat into the hybrid ring for the first time since the discontinuation of the Honda CR-Z in 2016, with its 1.5-litre i-MMD e-CVT hybrid system. In addition to an i-VTEC petrol engine, the FIT Hybrid uniquely makes use of not one, but two electric motors – one which acts as a generator to recharge the battery, and the other which aids propulsion at slower speeds. These, along with a lithium-ion battery and a fixed gear transmission, work together to ensure a smooth and direct response.
But, the FIT Hybrid really is a marvel of technology that deserves an article all its own – and by someone far more clued up on all of its operating intricacies – so let’s get back to comparing apples with apples and have a look at the petrol variants.
On the Road
My beloved first-gen Jazz comes with a 1.4-litre engine which produces approximately 61 kW of power and 119 Nm of torque (and wonderfully low fuel consumption figures). As expected from the larger 1.5-litre engine, the FIT kicks up the power to 89 kW with 145 Nm of torque (and a bit more money at the petrol pumps). And you can certainly feel this on the road, where the FIT was responsive and took on suburban streets and highways with equal ease, its slightly lower frame ensuring great cornering on the many Winelands passes we sailed over during the launch drive.
The one downside is its CVT transmission. The auto ‘box felt “sticky” on occasion when shifting gears. It also sounded perpetually agonised when placed under the strain of climbing a hill or overtaking at speed. The resultant engine noise had me itching to switch gears manually. Sadly, though, the FIT doesn’t come with a manual option – unlike my little Jazz, whose manual gearbox has given me years of dynamic gear changes and spirited driving. Autos have surged in popularity in the last decade or so. Thus, it’s understandable why Honda opted for only auto transmissions – if only there was a dual-clutch or torque converter option thrown in to give buyers an alternative to the CVT.
Last Word
The FIT is available in several eye-catching new colours and promises competitive pricing. You’ll pay R319,900 for the entry-level Comfort petrol variant, and – at R469,900 – Honda claims the FIT Hybrid is one of the most affordable hybrid passenger vehicles on the market. But has this newcomer kept enough of its original practicality to keep the long time Jazz drivers happy while adding enough tech wizardry and innovative design to appeal to a new demographic? I believe it has. As to my OG Jazz, the mechanic who serviced her last declared that she’d easily do another 200,000 km – by then, I have no doubt that the FIT will still be a firm favourite with buyers, and who knows, it may even have a better gearbox.
Report by Nicky Furniss | Images © Honda South Africa
