Honda Motor Southern Africa has added a fresh Jazz Sport model to its local line-up, with the newcomer effectively replacing the Dynamic derivative that previously topped the range.
The Japanese automaker has extracted a little extra oomph from the Jazz Sport’s familiar 1,5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, hiking peak outputs from 88 kW to 97 kW and 145 N.m to 155 N.m. Take note, however, that the new variant is offered in CVT guise only (the brand says this transmission – which features paddle-shifters – has been “revised”).
The new Jazz Sport completes the obligatory 0-100 km/h sprint in a claimed 9,8 seconds, which makes it eight-tenths of a second quicker to three figures than the standard CVT-equipped Jazz (but only one-tenth faster than the manual models available lower in the range).
Priced at R310 000 (the same as the outgoing Dynamic model), the Jazz Sport commands a R17 500 premium over the Jazz Elegance CVT derivative. But, besides the added grunt, that cash also buys you an aero body kit that Honda says takes “inspiration from the [Civic] Type R” and includes a cheeky rear spoiler and a three-strake diffuser.
You’ll likely furthermore notice the Jazz Sport’s thinner front splitter, which like the rear spoiler gains a red accent line. Chunkier side skirts and LED headlamps are also part of the package, along with new gloss black 16-inch alloys, gloss-black side-mirror caps and wrapped in 185/55 R16 rubber. The suspension system, meanwhile, has been retuned with revised damper settings, a more rigid steering rack and additional body reinforcement.
Inside, you’ll find red stitching on the seats, armrests and leather-trimmed steering wheel, while alloy sport pedals are also standard.
