What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

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

208. 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