Fit for a Daily Ride - Part 2

Arrived @ Kah Motor Sg. Pinang around 11ish the day before CNY to check out and collect the Jazz/Fit. Originally planned for 3M tint but settled on Kah Motor oem security tint called Wingard after I was given a deal I couldn't refuse which included a 10 year warranty and purchase price significantly below the typical 4+ figure. Pictures of my new ride below. There were also at least another 5-6 Jazzes waiting to be collected by new owners.

Took quite some time for the number plates to arrive. In the mean time I checked out the dash, lights, air-conditioning, power windows, etc. to ensure all were in working order. Only 11km on the odo.

MYDM Jazz gets the same orange lighted dash as the top spec JDM Fit RS minus the "RS" wording on the spot above the centre info cluster. We also get the same engine and auto (conventional 5-speed) drivetrain but strangely enough lower spec 1.3 bumpers which are the same as Jazz Hybrid, no sideskirts and rear spoiler, plain Jane seats, non leather wrapped steering wheel with zilch audio controls and no auto climate control air-conditioning. Cost savings exercise? @ only MYR 74.8K for the MYDM Jazz Petrol I am not complaining that much but I wish sometimes we can get better specs for Bolehland market cars without having to pay astronomical prices.

Here's how the JDM Fit RS looks like below. The Fit has a yummy 6 speed manual gearbox option but we only have autos here. Like the Fit RS chassis code for MYDM Jazz Petrol is GE8.

Build quality, fit and finish appears decent enough. I'd dare say even better than wifey's Civic. Dash is all hard plastics though. Engine bay is immaculate. Bonnet is super small and light to the point where going for a carbon version will mostly give an aesthetics vs weight saving advantage.

Honda claims the L15A7 single overhead cam engine makes 117hp (120ps) and 146 Nm torque but max power is practically at redline so one will have to really rev high NA Bagus style to enjoy the power advantage over a Vios for example. Engine and gearbox is same as the City. Honda is famous for fitting small sized batteries for less weight and better weight distribution on its cars. Compare this teeny weenie batt with the NS70 sized monster on Sharkie.

The plastic inlet manifold plenham chamber is stacked on top of the engine's cam cover for better packaging. Runners are cast aluminium.

Like majority cars nowadays the ECU is in the engine bay. Dunno why one would put a major electronic component there as to my logic an engine bay is hot and has certainly more vibration than inside the car's cockpit for example. Perhaps this simplifies the wiring?

Engine felt really tight during the drive home. Like most Jap cars in its class there is too much brake assist with the brakes prone to lockup at lowish speeds with the typical brake pedal press making it difficult to modulate the brakes. However once you go fast enough speed retardation is definitely way way less compared to for example the Wilwoods on Sharkie. Some say I have been spoiled :P NVH is good except for surprisingly loads of tyre roar which I blame on the teeny weenie Goodyear GT3 tyres. Can't wait to upgrade to larger 16 inched rims and decent tyres.

Handling is decent enough (comparatively) for this type of car and certainly better (to me) than a Myvi which is diabolical once you try to drive it like a hot hatch. Still quite a bit of noticeable body roll even when compared to the Civic. Will need stiffer suspension and anti-roll bars. Ride height is also too high and probably needs to be lowered 2-3 cm for the Fit to not look like a mini MPV. Oh oh! Here we go again...

First "mod" was to ditch the "Jazz" and "i-VTEC" badges for some original Fit RS ones. Since this was CNY I had plenty of time to DIY. All you need is patience and masking tape to get the alignment right. Having some pictures of stock JDM Fits is also required especially for the "RS" badge as there is no reference.

Do not collect your brand new car a day before CNY or even after the 2 day CNY public hols. Trust me coz I learned this the hard way. Can't even find any open shops to buy some decent car mats for the new ride so it was newspapers on top of the stock carpet mats for the duration of the CNY week until shops open for business :( A couple more mods are scheduled to go in but I shall stop here for now. Having said this I couldn't resist a teaser shot :P