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Honda Jazz / Fit Might Get 1.0-Liter Turbo from Civic

Small engines with big power are nothing new, but some manufacturers have been reluctant to offer such a thing. Honda Europe used to be one such company, but now it has no less than three turbocharged gasoline engines that it wants to install on all its cars, probably including the Jazz.
Honda Jazz / Fit Might Get 1.0-Liter Turbo from Civic 5 photos
Photo: Honda
Honda Jazz / Fit Might Get 1.0-Liter Turbo from CivicHonda Jazz / Fit Might Get 1.0-Liter Turbo from CivicHonda Jazz / Fit Might Get 1.0-Liter Turbo from CivicHonda Jazz / Fit Might Get 1.0-Liter Turbo from Civic
The 1.0-liter is the smallest of three VTEC Turbo engines (they don't actually have VTEC though) Honda has developed. Right now, the European Civic hatchback is its only major recipient, but the Jazz could swap its 1.4-liter for one as well.

With an output of 129 PS and 200 Nm (147 lb-ft) of torque, the 1-liter sounds like it could give the Jazz more spirit than it's ever had.

British magazine AutoExpress spoke to Honda UK's head of cars Phil Webb on the sidelines of the Paris Motor Show, where he said the following: "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."

The single major hurdle is the average Honda Jazz client, who is older than the segment average and is thus less tempted by performance. But sooner or later, Honda might be forced to make changes by emissions regulations.

Of course, there's also the possibility that the HR-V mini crossover is the actual recipient of the new engine. However, we need only look at Ford to realize 1-liter 3-cylinder turbo engines are here to stay. Heck, they've even been used on very large cars like the Skoda Octavia or SEAT's Ateca.

"Our age profile for the Jazz is decreasing, so there are opportunities for us there. 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," added Webb, so there might even be a hot Jazz. But we're not holding our breath.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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