whatcar.com^ August 2020 17
Bootisn’thuge,butexibleMagicrearseatsarehandy DistinctivebodyoutlinelendsJazzplentyof rearroom DashboardtakesdesigninspirationfromelectricHondae
‘fixedgear’systembehaves
inafrustratinglysimilar
way,raisingtheenginerevs
whenyouaccelerateand
holdingthemthereuntilyou
reachcruisingspeed.This
isn’tatranquilexperience,
especiallybecausetheJazz’s
1.5-litrepetrolengineis
rathercoarsewhenrunning
athighrevs.
Onslowerroads,and
aroundtown,you’rebetter
offdrivingwithagentlerightfoottodissuade
thepetrolenginefromcuttinginatall.Infact,
electricpoweraloneismorethansufficientfor
keepingupwithurbantrafficandcanbeused
forafewminutesatatimebeforeelectricity
reservesaredepleted,afterwhichchargeis
restoredremarkablyquickly.Factorinlightand
accuratesteeringandtheJazzisaquietand
relaxingcartododgeabouttownin.
Ridecomfortissomethingofamixedbag.
Ontightandtwistycountryroads,thecarfeels
surprisinglysettled,thankstoitsrelativelyfirm
suspension,butlargerabrasions,suchasthe
potholesanddrainsyou’llencounterinurban
environments,canjostleyou
aroundquiteabit.Wejust
hopetheridewillbemore
suppleonSEandSRmodels,
whichcomewithsmaller,
15inwheelsasstandard.
Impressively,Honda
hassqueezedthehybrid
systeminwithoutsacrificing
interiorspace.Notonly
isthereacresofroomin
boththefrontandrear,but
Honda’sbrilliantlyflexible
Magicrearseatshavealsobeenretained.These
canbefoldedflattocreatealarge,flatload
bay,oryoucanliftthebasesuptocreatea
considerableloadareainplaceoftherearseats.
Andwhiletheratherunadventurousstyling
ofthenewJazzsuggeststhatitsdesigners
mighthaveclockedoffalittleearly,the
samecan’tbesaidoftheguysandgirlswho
workedontheinterior.Takingitsleadfrom
theall-electricHondae,theJazz’shorizontal
dashboarddesignlooksclean,feelsplush
(thankstounusuallydenseplastics)andmakes
useofphysicaldialsandbuttonsthatare
positionedlogicallyandthoughtfully.
HondaJazzEX1.5i-MMDHybrid
BUYER’SFILE
Price £21,
Engine 4cyl,1498cc,petrol,
plustwoelectricmotors
Power 107bhp(combined)
Torque 187lbft (combined)
Gearbox eCVT
0-62mph 9.5sec
Topspeed 108mph
Fueleconomy62.8mpg(combined)
CO 2 , taxband104g/km,23%
FIRST DRIVE
CLEVER METAL
Windscreen pillars are
much thinner after
Honda re-engineered
the Jazz’s crash
structure, giving the
driver a 90deg eld of
vision, up from 69deg
in the old car.
The 9.0in touchscreen infotainment
system fitted to our test car is a little more
hit and miss; it has physical shortcut buttons
to make swapping between menus easy on
the move, but its sat-nav graphics look a little
bit Nintendo circa 1999. Still, Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto phone mirroring are
both present, allowing you to run your own
navigation apps in place of Honda’s.
So, it’s time for the big question: should you
buy one? Well, it depends on your priorities.
If you want a small car that’s fun to drive,
you should take a look at a Ford Fiesta. And if
comfort is at the top of your list, try a Peugeot
- However, if you want something that’s
immensely practical and relatively cheap to
run (we never saw less than 60mpg on our
challenging test route), the Jazz is a fine choice.
Pricey,butrunning costs are
low and the Jazz is the small
car to beat for practicality
SAYS