New Honda Jazz vs Hyundai i20 comparison

Diesel engines are all about great fuel economy and low running costs. The Jazz has always been about great practicality and versatility. I think you see what we’re getting at. A diesel engine is a nice fit on the sensible Jazz. Problem for the Jazz is that all of its competition can be had with diesel engines too. Competition that includes the likes of the immensely popular Hyundai i20 we have with us today. Our Car of the Year 2015, the i20 is the most complete of the large hatchbacks in India and is the car against which buyers will probably judge the Jazz most often. So here it is, the first showdown between the all-new Jazz and the segment-leading i20.

Diesel duel

You probably know the version of the i20 with us. It’s the one with ‘CRDi’ in its name, a price ranging from Rs 6.4-8.05 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and 1.4-litre common-rail diesel engine that makes 89bhp at 4000rpm and 22.4kgm from 1500-2750rpm under the hood. As for the Honda, prices for the Jazz diesel start at Rs 6.5 lakh and top off at Rs 8.59 lakh. The Jazz's diesel engine doesn't warrant too long an introduction because it’s the very same one you’d also find on the Amaze, City and Mobilio.. It’s a 1.5-litre common-rail engine which, like the i20’s motor, uses twin cams to work its 16 valves. Peak power is 10bhp up on the i20 with 98.6bhp produced at 3600rpm though peak torque is 2kgm less – 20.4kgm at 1750rpm. However, both cars are similar in their use of efficiency-enhancing six-speed gearboxes.

As the Jazz diesel is the unproven entity, we’ll grant it its hearing first. Well, there is a lot we can hear actually. Honda’s i-DTEC engine is amongst the loudest around and in this application too, makes its presence known with its harsh, industrial noise. For what it’s worth, the engine noise seems marginally better damped than in the City thanks to more extensive use of sound-deadening material. But I still think Honda should consider offering noise-cancelling headphones on all models equipped with this engine, at least as an optional accessory!

The Jazz’s engine does redeem itself as we get moving. Good driveability is the highlight here with the engine offering its best at a very accessible 1500-2500rpm. Correspondingly, we can get by in traffic without the need to work the gearbox all that much. Gearshifts are positive and the clutch, though a touch springy in action, is easy enough to operate. Highway cruising ability is good too but the diesel Jazz offers little to excite. The engine isn’t particularly punchy nor is it quick-revving. In fact, I find it best to shift up early because there’s little gained by holding out till the 4000rpm rev limiter.

At the first car swap, the i20’s engine immediately makes an impression for its quietness at idle. Things don’t change much on the move either with just a subdued clatter keeping us company at low speeds. The i20’s easily got the more refined engine but it’s also evidently not as tractable as the Jazz’s motor. Where the Honda engine gives you sufficient go at 1200rpm, the Hyundai’s motor keeps you waiting till about 1800rpm. It’s the reason I find myself working the i20’s gearbox more than I did in the Jazz earlier. It’s not a big issue really, because the gearbox is smooth and the clutch nicely weighted. It’s on the open stretches that the i20 feels more at ease. The engine feels livelier than the Jazz in the mid-range and also revs quicker to its higher, 4900rpm limiter. It’s not as punchy as the Volkswagen Polo’s 1.5 engine but performance levels are more than adequate. We did manage to hook up both cars to our testing gear and the figures reveal that they are really close on performance. The i20’s 0-100kph time of 12.85 seconds makes it a shade slower than the Jazz (12.33 seconds). The Jazz is faster through the gears as well but again, not by much.