Opinion: My actual thoughts on the newly launched Honda City X and Jazz X Malaysian specced limited editions

Since the launch of the current City in 2014, 87,000 units have been sold. The current Jazz, launched here in 2014 has sold 34,000 units to date. But the last few months have been a very tough period for vehicle sales here in Malaysia. So in order to drum up sales in a weak market, Honda has launched  the limited edition Honda City X and Jazz X sometime last week. Honda claims that the 'X' supposedly means X-clusivity, X-citement and X-cel. 

But what you actually get is an 'X' badge on the bootlid, an 'X' embossed on the half leather front seats, an 'X' moulded on a boot tray which is in the boot and two colour choices for each model. The rest are stuff you would find in the top spec City or Jazz. There are no X-tra horsepower, no X-tra torque and no X-tra bodykit. Limited Ed cars should be X-cessive, X-traordinary and X-tremely unique. Much like the pink limited edition 2009 Perodua Myvi 1.3EZi I have sitting in my driveway. See? This is as limited edition as the Honda X cars here. So I am as impressed as the Perodua limited edition which actually is still like all of the three bazillion trillion million zillion Myvis out there. And no X-man like Wolverine or Professor Xavier is going to drive one.

If you sat with me at the mamak and this car passes by it would be as impressive as the next B segment car that passes by. I mean honestly, would my knees go weak in excitement over this? Should I go all excited over this? I could if I was skilled in acting. Or someone paid me RM2.6billion. Actually RM400million would do....then I would sing high praise of this car and any car for a short while after which I would stop writing and retire to a life of luxury in Margaret River, Western Australia where I will buy a vineyard, grow grapes and produce wine. Pinot Blanc from 'Chateau de Rig'. How's that?

But many would buy them as these cars are Honda cars. Reliable Japanese tech and actually decent enough to drive around, if not outright sporty in nature. I have driven the City before and I did find it qutie a nice city car to drive. Not really firebreathing exciting, But this is bread and butter B segment car in the first place. It is built to a price and it is quite well made. I think the engine is responsive and the car is nippy albeit the usual Honda NVH issues above when passing through different road surfaces and the seemingly lack of soundproofing at speeds over 110kmh is still there. But yes, you can't go wrong with a B segment Honda.

And these cars are better than that Nissan Almari (actually nearly everything is better than owning a Nissan Cupboard). Even this  Honda 'three extra items make this a limited edition car that is super exclusive and worth all the trouble in the world to buy' City/Jazz X.

450 Honda City X and 300 Honda Jazz X cars are up for grabs. Both the City X and Jazz X will be priced at RM86,100 (On-the-road with insurance) and RM82,500 (On-the-road with insurance) respectively. The waiting period for the X Edition models is one month. 

PRESS RELEASE
Sep 01,2016
Honda Malaysia Introduces X Edition for City and Jazz Models
Petaling Jaya, 1 September 2016 – Honda Malaysia (or the Company) today introduced the limited edition models for the City and Jazz which will be known as City X and Jazz X.  Both models carry the X emblem to showcase the ‘eXclusivity’ of these X Edition models. Additional features such as Daytime Running Lights (DRL) are made available for these models to highlight their stylish appearance. Both models are fitted with Half-Leather Seats that carry the X emblem to provide extra comfort for both driver and passengers. The X Edition models also come with Trunk Tray for customers’ convenience. Honda Malaysia hopes to create ‘eXcitement’ among customers with these value-added offerings for the Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) certified models and to continue to ‘eXcel’ by being the best-selling models in its segment respectively.
The City and Jazz are popular Honda models in Malaysia contributing 50% of total sales for Honda Malaysia in 2016. Since its launch in 2014, close to 87,000 units of City and more than 34,000 units of Jazz has been sold as at July 2016. Both models continue to maintain a lead in their respective segment as of July 2016 which are obvious testament of the wide popularity both the models have among customers in Malaysia.
The City X and Jazz X are powered by 1.5L SOHC i-VTEC engine paired with Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) that was developed under Honda’s proprietary Earth Dreams Technology where drivers can enjoy smooth acceleration and better fuel efficiency.
The Jazz X features the signature Ultra Seats which can be flipped into four difference versatile modes to meet the varying needs of the owner’s lifestyle while the City X boasts a 536L Trunk Space which is the biggest in its segment, a convenient and practical feature to have indeed. Both the X Edition models maintain all the other features offered in the City and Jazz such as Smart Entry and Push Start Button for convenience; safety feature such as Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) for a peace of mind; and USP Ports and Power Sockets to meet the technology needs of everyone in the car.
Honda Malaysia believes that with the introduction of these X Edition models, the City and Jazz would be able to attract a new group of customers especially those who prefer a vehicle with additional offerings in a value for money package.
Both the City X and Jazz X will be priced at RM86,100 (On-the-road with insurance) and RM82,500 (On-the-road with insurance) respectively. The waiting period for the X Edition models is one month. The City X and Jazz X are available in limited units and colours. 450 units of the City X are available in Modern Steel Metallic and Dark Ruby Red Pearl colours while a limited 300 units of Jazz X will be available in Modern Steel Metallic and Carnival Red colours.
The service maintenance for City X and Jazz X is 5 years warranty with unlimited mileage, extended service interval to every 10,000km and 6 Free Labour Services alternating with paid service till 100,000km.
Check out the X Edition models at any 88 Honda authorised showrooms nationwide today and be one of the eXclusive owners of the
City X and Jazz X! For more info, please call Honda’s Toll Free number at 1-800-88-2020 or log on to www.honda.com.my