We took delivery of the updated 2023 Jazz on Friday (traded the 2021 model). Initial impressions are that the update has made a good car better in some important areas, especially with driveability.
Exterior/appearance:
Some don't like the car's appearance and I doubt the facelift will change their minds. There was nothing wrong with the pre-facelift's looks in my view, and similarly this one is fine too (we went for the same colour again - dark grey).
Interior/equipment:
Changes here include: wireless charger for mobile phone (handy as we have wireless android auto working thanks to this forum), slightly lighter colour leather seats, black accents on the steering wheel and next to the gear selector. Minor changes, but the interior of this car is so well thought out that it did not need much updating.
Performance:
This is where the changes are most noticeable. We went for a 60km drive today (between 80-100km/h). The throttle is more sensitive, i.e., less pedal movement is needed to accelerate. It also seems to hold speed better at inclines. We passed a tractor and sped up from 40 to 100 very quickly, with engine noise barely audible. These improvements will make the Jazz even more refined and comfortable on longer trips.
Lastly, on my previous Mk4 there were two slight annoyances. The auto brake-hold was unrefined when releasing (it was audible and could be felt, almost like the car slightly lurched). Secondly, the hatch would not always latch properly and the lock release would sometimes be sticky. Both of these issues are resolved with the new model.
I am very happy with the purchase and felt it was worth trading up to the new model. We do get a government rebate in NZ on hybrid and electric cars, so that made the changeover amount very favourable.
I am very passionate about cars and we have owned many (mostly VWs, BMWs, Mercs and Hondas). Issues that others may not notice can easily annoy me and has resulted in the selling of many previous cars, including the Jazz's predecessor, a BMW i3. Given with the Jazz I bought (basically) the same car again after two years is testament to how good these cars are. When I first drove it in 2021 it felt like Honda had returned to the quality engineering of their heyday (in the 1990s) - you could sense this was a well thought-out and well-built car. The facelift has made a well-engineered car just that little bit better in meaningful ways.
Apologies for the long post, but I wanted to share my enthusiasm for this great little car.