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Honda has rolled out upgrades to its Fit hatchback, which was known as the Jazz in Australia.
Once one of our markets most popular hatchbacks, Honda Australia discontinued it in 2021 and has since cited the shrinking market share for hatchbacks and higher entry price of the new model as reasons that it has yet to return.
Despite this, the new fourth-generation model has been on sale in the UK for some time and has now been updated in its home market of Japan.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the new version has tweaked styling and variant structures, as well as upgraded materials inside and out, with an upgraded multimedia suite.
In addition, the RS variant scores sportier gloss-finish design touches, while the range-topping Crosstar gets SUV-like plastic overfenders, with a higher level of standard inclusions for this update like a heated steering wheel and front seats.
The new Fit continues to be available in Japan with two powertrains, either a 1.5-litre dual-motor plugless hybrid (90kW/253Nm) or a 1.5-litre petrol (87kW/142Nm) with a CVT automatic.
In Japan, the Fit can be had in front- or all-wheel drive layouts in any variant and with any powertrain, while in the UK it can only be had as a front-wheel drive in hybrid form.
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In Japan the Fit range spans from the equivalent of $16,084 for a base front-wheel drive non-hybrid to $26,320 for the range-topping Crosstar e:HEV AWD. In the UK the pre-update Jazz version starts from a much more expensive A$52,388 for a base e:HEV Elegance, and tops out at an eye-watering $56,868 for the top-spec Crosstar e:HEV.
At the time of its discontinuation, the locally-sold Honda Jazz was one of the most affordable new cars on sale in Australia, with a starting price of just $14,990 before on-roads for an entry-level VTi manual, with the top-spec send-off VTi Limited Edition priced at $19,990 before on-roads.
The entry-point to the Honda range now is the Fit-related HR-V Vi X small SUV, which is priced from $32,900 drive-away.
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Honda has said it won’t return to the hatch segment with the Jazz, but it will return with its fully electric Super-One city hatchback, which is due in Australia before the end of the year.
The Super One is priced lower than the Jazz, in the UK anyway, from the equivalent of $36,704.
Whether it has what it takes to challenge the growing array of Chinese offerings in the electric hatchback space, spanning from the similarly-sized BYD Atto 1 ($23,990 BOCs) to the BYD Dolphin ($29,990 BOCs) and MG4 Urban ($31,990 drive-away) remains to be seen.
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Honda is in the process of expanding on its range of plugless hybrid offerings in Australia as it looks to improve its fortunes since it changed its business model to an ‘agency’ style from a traditional dealer model in 2021 coinciding with the discontinuation of the Jazz.
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