Tokyo 2019: Honda Jazz – 4th-gen debuts, five variants, two-motor i-MMD hybrid system, Sensing - Latest Car News, Bike news & Reviews, Auto News

Greetings from Japan, where Honda has officially unveiled its all-new Jazz at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The fourth-gen hatchback, which is sold as the Fit in Japan and the US, is scheduled to go on sale from February 2020.

The automaker says that the new car has been developed with more “emotional value” than numerical absolutes, with comfort and engagement taking precedence. Design-wise, the new car has a softer, more-rounded look, less rakish than the third-gen GK it replaces. The front end features larger, less geometric headlamps that include square projectors and U-shaped LED daytime running lights within the clusters, and while the company’s Solid Wing Face grille is still around, but the design has been simplified.

Other design elements include a thinner A-pillar, which not just improves frontal visibility but also ensures a safer structure by enabling impact energy to flow to the vehicle body in the event of a collision. The frontal visibility is also enhanced by relocated windshield wipers, which are now positioned to be barely visible.

Variety is the name of the game, with the Jazz being presented in a diverse range of styles – five are available for the car, namely Basic, Home, Ness, Luxe and Crosstar, as already revealed in the leaked image set earlier in the week.

The Basic is the entry-level model, featuring a simple and endearing design, while the Home presents the car with coordinated colours and materials, including natural looking fabric seats, a genuine leather wrapped steering wheel and Prime Smooth soft padding.

The Ness, meanwhile, sports up the car by ramping up the colour presentation. The variant also adopts water repellent materials for the seat surfaces and soft padding on the instrument panel.

The Crosstar is the most rugged version of the car, presenting it in a crossover fashion much like the Perodua Axia Style, with exclusive exterior design elements such as wheel cladding and model-specific 16-inch aluminium wheels. Inside, the Crosstar also gets water repellent materials for the seat surfaces as well as soft padding on the instrument panel.

The Luxe, as its moniker suggests, is the most posh of the lot. The exterior features platinum chrome plated elements and 16-inch wheels, while interior fitment includes leather seats as standard, the idea being to create an elegant and comfortable space for occupants.

No details on specific powertrains were revealed today at the launch, but the automaker says that its new two-motor i-MMD hybrid powertrain – which replaces the current Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive (i-DCD) system – is set to feature prominently, the unit very much a key element in the company’s push in its new e:HEV direction.

In Europe, the car will only be sold with the hybrid system, but the Jazz will be available with the usual range of petrol engines in other markets.

Inside, the instrument panel features a flat-topped design which emphasises horizontal and straight lines. The front seats are a new generation body stabilising design, which the automaker says will be less fatiguing over long drives. As for the rear seats, they continue to feature seat arrangements as before, but now come with a larger and thicker seat pad to improve comfort.

Safety and driver-assistance tech for the new Jazz will include a front wide view camera on top of the automaker’s Sensing suite, which will come standard on the car across the range. The Jazz will also be the first model equipped with the Honda CONNECT onboard board communication module developed exclusively for Honda vehicles.