All new 2015 Honda Jazz vs Hyundai Elite i20 vs Maruti Suzuki Swift: Spec Comparison

1.) Engine: One of the biggest downsides of the old Jazz was it being on sale only with a petrol engine. With the price of petrol constantly on the rise, demand for diesel cars has been increasing. In the 2015 Jazz, Honda has addressed the need by plunking its i-DTEC unit that we have already seen on the Amaze and the City. In this state of tune, the Jazz is expected to make 100PS of power and 200Nm of torque. The petrol unit on the other hand will be the same as Amaze. It will produce 90PS of power and 110Nm.  Both engines will come mated to a 5-speed transmission. While the Swift and the Elite i20 don’t come with an automatic gearbox option, the Jazz will also come with a CVT option.

The Elite i20 and the Maruti Suzuki Swift too are available with petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol trim of the Elite i20 comes with a 1.2-litre unit that makes 83PS at 6,000rpm and 114.7Nm 4,000rpm. At 90PS, the diesel unit on the Elite i20 produces 10PS less than the Jazz but then at 220Nm it is torquier.  

The Swift’s petrol engine makes 84PS and 114Nm from a 4-cylinder unit that displaces 1,197cc. The diesel on the other hand, gets the Fiat sourced 1.3-litre Multijet unit that makes 75PS and 190Nm. 

2.) Features: In terms of features, the All New Jazz comes as well equipped as you would expect a premium hatchback to be. The top-end 2015 Jazz comes with a 6-inch touch screen infotainment system with navigation, Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity. In terms of safety too it comes quite well equipped with ABS and airbags for the front two passengers. Other features include, a reversing camera but sadly without parking sensors, height adjustable driver seat, touchscreen climate control and more. It doesn't get a keyless entry and button start though. 

Hyundai has always set high standards as far as features are concerned, and the Elite i20 is just an example. Leaving aside the navigation and the touch screen climate control, the Elite i20 gets them all. It also gets a reversing camera with parking sensors, button start as well as keyless entry. In terms of safety it comes with ABS, Airbags but no EBD. Over and above all of these features, the Elite i20 also comes with anti-pinch driver side power window. 

The Maruti Suzuki Swift has never really come well equipped, especially when compared to the other two in discussion. But in the recent facelift, the Manesar-based car maker made some improvements by adding Bluetooth telephony, AUX and USB connectivity. But just like the Jazz, this one too doesn't come with keyless entry, button start. In fact, it doesn't come fitted with a reversing camera either. In terms of safety it is one step ahead of the other two thanks to EBD and Brake Assist. 

3.) Fuel Efficiency: No matter how good the car looks, or refined the engines is, fuel efficiency is one big factor that influences the buying decision. In this regard, the All New Jazz has hit the nail right on the head with its diesel variants returning a claimed figure of 27.3kmpl. The petrol manual can run 18.7 kilometres in a litre of fuel, while the CVT is slightly more efficient at 19kmpl. 

The Elite i20 hasn't quite proven to be a very fuel efficient car, and returns 22.54kmpl for the diesel while the petrol trim though comes close and boasts of an ARAI claimed figure of 18.6kmpl. Thanks to improved thermal efficiency and improved frictional loses the the Swift now claims better fuel economy than before. The diesel claim stands at 25.2kmpl while the petrol is the most efficient in this compare at 20.4kmpl. The Elite i20 as well as the Swift don't get automatic gearbox options. 

4.) Price: The Maruti Suzuki Swift is the cheapest among the three and starts at Rs 4.58 lakh for the base petrol variant. In fact, at Rs 7.21 lakh the top-end diesel trim too has been priced quite reasonably. 

The base variant of the Elite i20 starts at Rs 5.30 lakh while the top-end diesel trim goes right up to Rs 8.05 lakh. Although the Hyundai offering is priced considerably higher than the Maruti, the Elite i20 not only looks new age, is well equipped but feels a lot more premium as well. The 2015 Jazz is expected to be priced similar to the Elite i20 with the base variant costing about Rs 5.50 lakh and the top-end diesel variant priced at around the Rs 8 lakh mark.