According to Honda UK’s head of cars Phil Webb, the Honda Jazz supermini is looking like the best next candidate to receive the automaker’s 1-liter three-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit after the Civic hatch.
This small engine delivers 129 PS (127 HP) at 5,500 rpm and 200 Nm (147 lb-ft) of torque at 2,250 rpm, working together with a 6-speed manual transmission. So, if these are decent figures for a C-segment car like the Civic, then they should work even better for the Jazz.
The Honda exec spoke about the new 1.0-liter 3-cylinder unit with AutoExpress during the 2016 Paris Auto Show, stating that “with all our engines we are looking to see where we can develop them. Customers will love it, so I think it will be something we’ll look to use elsewhere. You look at what we’ve got with Jazz and you never know what’s around the corner.”
Of course, since the downsized engine makes so much sense for the Jazz, it’s possible that the small HR-V crossover could be a potential candidate as well – though we have no official reason to suspect that as of right now.
With the Jazz however, the 1.0-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit would help the supermini compete better with rivals that are already utilizing similar engines, such as the Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost.
“Our age profile for the Jazz is decreasing, so there are opportunities for us there,” added Webb while discussing the model’s somewhat conservative image. “At the moment there’s nothing planned for a sporty version but we’re always looking for what we can do to bring younger customers into our dealerships.”
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