Honda Jazz Facelift Coming Soon?

The second-gen Honda Jazz, launched in India in 2015, is about to get a facelift. Recently, test mules reported to be of the Jazz facelift were spotted testing in South America, while leaked images have surfaced online. With growing competition in the premium hatchback segment, Honda couldn’t have picked a better time to bring out the Jazz facelift.

So what can we expect in the updated Jazz? The facelift will feature extensive changes to its fascia with a redesigned bumper, grille and all-new LED headlamps. The Jazz facelift will also incorporate Honda’s new design theme which first debuted on the Civic globally. Also seen are a different set of alloy wheels, a refreshed rear bumper and tail lamps with LED inserts. While no images of the interior are available, we can expect the Jazz facelift to pack in a lot more equipment, similar to what Honda offers in the all-new WR-V crossover. 

The facelift is likely to carry forward the same engine options as before - a 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol that produces 88PS of power and 110Nm of peak torque and a 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel motor which has a power output of 100PS and 200Nm of peak torque. The petrol motor comes mated to either a 5-speed manual or an optional CVT automatic gearbox. The diesel motor, however, gets a 6-speed manual gearbox. 

The Honda Jazz is one of the most the roomiest car in its class, but this hasn’t helped its sales figures. It has been struggling to pose any real competition to its rivals in India - the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and the Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda hopes the facelift will renew interest in the hatchback. We expect the Jazz facelift to reach our shores by the end of 2017. Since most of the competitors have performance edition of their regular hatchbacks in this segment (think Suzuki Baleno RS and Volkswagen Polo GT series), we would appreciate a sportier version of the Jazz, perhaps with an updated petrol motor. Asking for too much, are we?

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