New Honda Jazz vs City Hatchback: Is the Philippines really missing out? 

In connection to the introduction of the Honda City Hatchback to the Philippine market, Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) announced that it will be dropping the esteemed Jazz from its model lineup. Sure, the fourth-generation Jazz/Fit exists in other markets like Japan and Europe, but just like in Thailand, Honda PH has opted to bring in the City’s Hatchback version instead of the new Jazz. 

2021 Honda City Hatchback Quick Look: A worthy Jazz replacement?

So how does the Honda City RS Hatchback compare with the all-new, fourth-generation Honda Jazz? Are we missing out on what the new Jazz is offering? Let’s find out.

The all-new 2021 Honda City RS hatchback

Starting with the design, the new City Hatch especially the RS variant looks sportier and more aggressive than the fourth-gen Jazz. In fact, the all-new Jazz looks more subdued, and more minimalist than the outgoing locally available Jazz. There’s a bit of irony here, since the Jazz, since time immemorial, has been marketed as a sporty little hatch.

Sure, it still has the round and compact silhouette that people like about the Jazz but the new City Hatchback is more angular and aggressive. The fourth-gen Jazz, on the other hand, is more on the cute side. Some people might like that but we reckon a lot more Pinoys will prefer the dashing looks of the City Hatch.

The funky and cute fourth-generation Honda Jazz

Moving on to what’s inside, both the City Hatch and the fourth-gen Jazz come with well-arranged and well-equipped interiors. Both have foldable rear seats for more cargo space, automatic air-conditioning, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, a four-piece speaker set (EX trim UK), and both have decent space for up to five occupants.

When it comes to design however, the brightly-colored interior of the European-spec Jazz mirrors the minimalist look of its exterior. There aren’t many valleys and eye candy on its dashboard, and the same goes for its interior door cards. Even the center console doesn’t have much in the way of design. Sure, everything inside the new Jazz follows a simple theme, but it’s definitely visually appealing. If you’re into minimalism that is.

Inside the dark-themed interior of the City hatchback

In comparison, the City Hatchback mirrors the more standard-looking, dark-themed interior of its City sedan sibling. It looks simple too, but it's not as minimalist as the fourth-gen Jazz’s interior. For one thing, its dash has more nooks and crannies than the Jazz. It’s definitely not as bulky as some dashboard, but it's larger-looking than the one on the Euro-spec Honda hatch. And speaking of what’s larger, it is also apparent that the City Hatch offers a roomier interior than the new Jazz.

As for on-board tech, this is where the fourth-gen Jazz is slightly better than the City Hatchback. We can say that because the Euro-spec EX variant for example comes with a nine-inch Garmin touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a digital audio broadcasting radio. Sure, the City RS Hatchback does have an eight-inch screen with Android Auto, but its Apple CarPlay is the standard wired type.

The fourth-gen Jazz is also very high-tech when it comes to safety. The one sold in Europe comes standard with adaptive cruise control, eight airbags, a tire deflation warning system, forward collision warning, collision mitigation, an intelligent speed limiter, lane keep assist with road departure mitigation, traffic sign recognition, and many others.

The fourth-gen Jazz offers a brighter interior

Under the hood, the Honda City Hatchback uses a 1.5-liter DOHC I-VTEC gasoline engine that it shares with the new City sedan. The engine can make up to 119 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. It is paired to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which sends power to the front wheels. The 2021 Honda City Hatchback also comes with paddle shifters.

The European-spec Jazz in comparison, has more engine options. In Japan, the said model uses a 1.3-liter I-VTEC engine or a 1.5-liter I-VTEC two-motor hybrid. For the European model, only the hybrid is available. Now, this hybrid mill can make a total of 109 horsepower and 253 Nm of torque. This setup also uses a CVT, and depending on the market, is a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle.

The all-new Jazz's rear end isn't that sporty-looking

The 2021 Honda City Hatchback RS is available with a suggested retail price of Php 1,115,000. Due to the Php 70,000 safeguard duties, HCPI said that the company will be implementing a deposit amounting to Php 13,000 to reduce the burden on its customers.

To sum it up, the fourth-gen Jazz looks simple, but it features a lot of high-tech safety features that the Philippine-spec Honda City hatch doesn’t have. Furthermore, its hybrid engine also provides more power and torque. And being a hybrid, it might prove to be more environmentally friendlier too.

Meanwhile, the rear-end of the City hatch is angular

The Honda City hatch meanwhile, is larger and might provide more cargo and space for its occupants. Moreover, its exterior is markedly sportier than the fourth-gen Jazz. Then again, it makes less horses than the Euro-spec Jazz hybrid.  

So, did we miss out on the fourth-generation Honda Jazz? Well, maybe we did when it came to on-board tech and horsepower. As for design and looks, well, we’ll leave it up to your preference. 

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