With a budget of Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, which is better buy: Liva or Jazz?

Honda Jazz, with its revised price starting from Rs. 5.5 lakh to Rs. 6.06 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), is posing tough competition to hatchbacks in this price range, such as the segment leader Maruti Swift, the Volkswagen Polo, and the new kid in the block, the Toyota Liva.

We have already compared the Jazz and the Swift comparison and CarToq members have been actively comparing the Jazz, Swift and Polo. Here, we compare the Jazz with the Liva’s top-end variants V & VX that are priced in the Rs. 5.5 lakh – Rs. 6 lakh range, to see which car offers more value for money!

Where Jazz beats Liva

Looks, fit and finish

Jazz is not built for a budget; hence, the car will not disappoint you if you are looking for premium quality plastics and better upholstery in your hatchback. On the other hand, the Liva with its cost-cutting measures such as single wiper, tacky plastics on its dashboard and the wafer-thin seats, may serve the purpose, but could leave buyers wanting more.

Performance: (Pick-up, Handling, Ease of Driving)

Pick-up wise, the Jazz has an edge over the Liva, because, the Liva’s engine has been particularly engineered for better mileage. The Jazz’s gearbox offers better pick up and a more sporty feel compared to the Liva. Handling wise, both the Liva and Jazz are equally good though, the Jazz’s aerodynamic body makes you feel planted at all speeds. Both cars are easy to drive, particularly the super-smooth gear shifts and steering feedback makes them urban-friendly hatchbacks. However, the ergonomically laid out instrument dials with amber back lighting is user-friendly in the Jazz while the centrally located instrument console in the Liva, especially the tachometer, is not easy to read on the move.

Overall, the Jazz offers slightly better performance than the Liva.

Value for money: (Features, relative price)

The Jazz has three variants (Standard, Select and X) only, all priced between Rs. 5.5 lakh and Rs. 6.06 lakh, with comparable features to the two Toyota Liva variants (V and VX) in the same price range. Here’s a table that puts the Jazz and Liva prices and variants in perspective.

[table id=142 /]

Comparing the features offered by the Liva V & VX with that of Jazz Standard, the latter comes with front power windows with auto up & down feature for the driver side window (besides 4 power windows), front and rear seat height-adjustable headrests, MID (Mult-information display) with average fuel consumption, instant fuel consumption and distance to empty range.

The Jazz Standard is also loaded with features such as USB and aux-in ports, auto volume by speed, steering mounted audio controls, key alarm, headlight alarm, high mount stop lamp, power door mirrors, front seatbelt pretentioner with load limiter, driver side auto pinch guard, rear seat with 60:40 split provision and seat back pocket (passenger side).

The Liva VX comes with front bumper skirt, rear bumper skirt, side skirt, roof spoiler, leather wrapped steering wheel and DVD compatible music system which are not offered in Jazz X. But then, the Jazz X offers power door mirrors with auto retract, driver seat height adjust and reclining rear seats. Hence, the Liva VX seems to offer mainly cosmetic features while the Jazz X offers practical features for a better daily driving experience.

Overall, all the variants of the Jazz have more features than the Liva.

Comfort

Jazz has lower NVH (noise, vibration harshness) and more plush interiors as against Liva. Hence, long distance travel will be more comfortable in the Jazz, as the Select and X also have reclining rear seats. Liva’s bench-like flat rear seat is spacious for three passengers whereas in Jazz, the rear seat, due its 60:40 split and slight humps, will be best for two passengers. Otherwise, the Jazz with its spacious interiors more than makes up for what we usually expect from a hatchback. And with 384 litres of boot space, it is has far more luggage capacity than the 251 litre boot in the Liva.

Overall, this makes the Jazz a more comfortable car.

Where Liva beats Jazz

Mileage

The ARAI mileage of Jazz is 16.7 kmpl while that of Liva is 18.31 kmpl. In real world conditions, even if the Liva returns 16 kmpl and Jazz returns 14 kmpl, the Liva will run more per litre and could eventually save a significant fuel cost over a period of time.

Conclusion

Clearly, there lies a wide gap between a budget hatchback and a premium hatchback. The Jazz leads Liva in terms of fit and finish, features list, performance and value for money and comfort, while the Liva has an edge over Jazz only on mileage.

Summing up, for a potential buyer looking for a petrol hatchback in the Rs. 5.5 – Rs. 6 lakh range, the Jazz, with its tempting price package and creature comforts, offers maximum bang for the buck!