The Honda Jazz CKD – now the most affordable Honda you can buy in Malaysia

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We Malaysians love a good bargain. I mean, who doesn’t like quality products sold at a cheaper price? We’re even willing to compromise a little if we can save some bucks for other more important stuffs, like paying double the price of a regular kopitiam coffee for a cup in Starbucks. And this is where this latest news will excite you as much as the ladies coming across a 90% discount on designer shoes and guys on 50″ LED HD TVs during football season.

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Honda has just launched the CKD Jazz earlier today with a price that’s bound to raise eyebrows (in a good way). First off, a bit of history on the 1.5litre Jazz that’s sold here. Introduced in 2008, the Jazz back then was fully imported costing more than RM100k. Not exactly affordable but it still sold by the droves and became one of the most popular compact hatches in Malaysia. Since then, there has been a few new competition but the biggest competitor to the Jazz was it’s own twin, the Jazz Hybrid which promises better fuel consumption, higher safety equipments and sold at a lower price thanks to government hybrid tax exemptions.

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Recently, the price of the Hybrid Jazz was further reduced to RM89,900 after it is being locally produced, increasing the price gap with the regular petrol Jazz although spec wise, the CKD Jazz Hybrid is now more in line with the petrol. Honda surprised everyone today by announcing the price of the new CKD Jazz Petrol which retails for RM74,800 OTR inclusive of insurance, making it the cheapest Honda one can purchase here in Malaysia.

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Design

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Its a design that we’re all very familiar with and very little separates the CBU and CKD other than a revised bumper and fog light design up front.

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The rims are different but they remain 15″ shod with 175/65 tires. The back is virtually identical between the imported and locally assembled at Honda’s plant in Malacca. Measuring 3,900mm in length, 1,695mm in width and 1,525mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,500mm, there is no change in dimensions compared to the CBU.

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Performance

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Nothing new here. The same SOHC 4 cylinder 16Valve i-VTEC 1.5litre engine is being offered with similar power outputs of max power of 120PS @ 6,600rpm and maximum torque of 146Nm @ 4,800rpm.

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Ride and Handling

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The same 5 speed automatic can be found paired to the engine and the steering is rack and pinion type with Electronic Power steering. In the brakes and suspension system department, expect ventilated Disc & MacPherson Strut with Stabiliser Bar in front and Solid Discs & H-shape Torsion Beam for rear.

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Cabin Convenience

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Those who have sat in a Jazz before will recognise the layout. Nothing has been changed compared to the CBU.

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No audio or MFD controls on steering but it is tilt and reach adjustable.

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For music, you’ve got the Intergrated audio (MP3 & WMA compatible) headunit with USB port and AUX jack and sound is played through a 4 speaker system

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The twin glove compartments have been retained. The last time I sat in a car with such a feature was the Volkswagen Beetle.

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The best thing about the Jazz is the Ultra Seats which transforms the car from a 5 seater all the way to one, catering to cargo of different lengths and height. I especially love the fact that the rear seats can also be reclined somewhat for added rear passenger comfort.

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Fold the rear 60:40 split folding seats, you get up to 1,321litres of space with a flat bottom.. Reclining the front passenger seats allows long items such as a lamp post to be easily stored while in folding the rear seats up in tall mode gives you over 4 feet height of space at the back, ideal for tall items like potted shrubs. Good thing Honda never did any advertisement on how many durians it can keep at the back.

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For spares, you get space savers

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Safety

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Everyone expected a reduction in safety spec when Honda went the CKD way (like what happened to the Jazz Hybrid) but everyone couldn’t be more wrong. The safety spec sheet is the same as the CBU which includes:-

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• Dual SRS airbags
• ABS
• EBD
• BA
• VSA
• Front pretensioner seatbelts
• Front seat belts 3-point ELR with shoulder anchor adjuster (x2)
• Rear seatbelts 3-point ELR (x3)
• Security alarm system with immobiliser
• Wave blade key
• Pinch-free window (driver side only)
• High-mount brake light
• Ultrasonic sensor
• 4 corner reverse sensor

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The only thing that’s different with the CKD is the omission of auto door lock and it’s more to do with compliance with European regulations on requiring auto door locks to auto unlock in the event of a collision. As the CKD Jazz does not have this feature, it has to be removed.

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Specifications

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Everything in the CBU you can find here in the CKD.

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Exterior

• Body color front and rear bumper
• LED-designed tailights & high-mount stoplight
• Door mirror with side turn light
• Front intermittent wiper system
• Rear wiper system
• Fog light
• Alloy wheel

 

Interior

• Blue black fabric upholstery
• Height adjustable driver seat
• Rear seat reclining
• Ultra seat
• Driver armrest
• Tilt & telescopic steering wheel
• Self-illuminating meters
• Vehicle Information Display (VID)
• Power window
• Power door lock
• Power retractable door mirrors
• Vanity mirror with lid
• Map light
• Key alarm
• Light alarm
• Seat belt reminder (driver side only)
• Accessory socket
• Intergrated audio (MP3 & WMA compatible) headunit with USB port and AUX jack
• 4 speaker system

 

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Maintenance and Ownership

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At RM74,800 OTR, the Jazz petrol comes  with 3 years warranty or 100,000km whichever comes first. In addition, owners get to enjoy 6 months (or 10,000km) free labor services whichever comes first. Colors to choose from includes Taffeta White, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Sparkling Brown Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl.

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Now, we would all like to make a special mention that the RM25,000 reduction in cost has nothing to do with government initiatives beyond what is already in place. The reasons why Honda can price the CKD Jazz at such a competitive price (without removing any feature other than the auto door lock) is due to a few factors:-

 

1) Weakening Yen which does not show any signs of increasing anytime soon

2) Local R&D center which specializes in matching local parts design and content paying off

3) Though not mentioned, I assume there is great synergy with the Jazz Hybrid which is already in production.

 

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Honda is expecting a monthly sales of 500 units from its 64 Honda dealerships nationwide. Judging from the response so far due to its pricing and specs, I’d say they can well expect to hit the target. Just hope the new production line 2 that’s scheduled to open towards end of this year in the Malacca plant is able to cater to the expected huge demands from young execs and students. Personally, I think this is a brilliant positioning strategy from Honda. With the Prius C selling at RM97k seen as the only contender to the Jazz Hybrid (comparison article between the Toyota and Honda hybrid found HERE) and hybrid customers are a different league from regular petrol engine buyers, there is very little reason for Honda to reduce the selling price of the Jazz Hybrid further. To this end, differentiating the product offering with a much lower priced Jazz makes perfect sense. One might ask why not position the City as the cheapest model? I’d say it’s probably never their intention to enter a price war with the Vios which admittedly sells far more than the City (which, also admittedly costs more to begin with). Toyota had the Yaris to compete against the Jazz but since it’s not an offering here, Honda could have priced the Jazz closer to the RM80k mark and still, it would sell.

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For once, I am very glad and grateful that the company did not do that. Suddenly, buyers who were considering the Suzuki Swift, Kia Rio, Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208, Chevrolet Sonic, Nissan Latio and the upcoming Preve hatchback have another option to choose from. For that, it’s ironic that we thank Honda Malaysia for doing their bit in making cars more affordable instead of the present government policy. So, have you placed your order yet?

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