New Honda Jazz
IN ITS original iteration Honda’s Jazz has succeeded beyond everyone’s wildest dreams. The compact hatchback was one of those rare cars that quietly secured sales with the minimum of fuss or effort.
Don’t believe us? Take a look around next time you’re out – Honda’s little marvel is everywhere. It might not be flash but it has secured a steadily growing niche for itself.
But as is the case in the car industry, the product update cycle beckons after over half a decade on sale. The desire to improve this, tweak that and generally change things to create a new round of interest is what designers, engineers and marketers live for.
Not so Honda. It might have radically overhauled its Civic family hatch, but the firm’s latest generation Accord is a sensible and measured update of its respected predecessor so as not to upset loyal buyers. And the same is true of this second generation Jazz. At its core the Jazz customer base is a conservative one, so the old adage of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it couldn’t be more appropriate.
However, as with so many things in life, this refreshed Jazz has experienced a little middle age spread: it’s slightly larger in all the right areas, ensuring occupants and their belongings can stretch out a bit more.
Progress and changes in attitude towards the environment have dictated that the Jazz now boasts two new petrol engines – diesel doesn’t figure in the range. The 89bhp 1.2-litre unit should offer more of the same for buyers – economy and refinement – with the 99bhp 1.4-litre engine promising a more sprightly performance that should please anyone wishing to take the Jazz further than the supermarket.
While improved economy, emissions and refinement are all important attributes, the Jazz is not about outright performance. Comfort is king when you’re dealing with compact cars that’ll spend a lot of time in town, which makes Honda’s decision to modify the Jazz’s suspension a welcome one. With the car’s ride that bit more compliant, traversing poorly surfaced urban roads is less of a chore. Factor in the retuned steering and there’s a noticeable improvement in high speed stability and cornering ability.
Versatility is also key in the small car market, and this is another area where the first generation Jazz trumped the opposition. Along with the spacious cabin – even first time around – the Jazz’s clever folding rear seats and ingenious boot storage options won the hearts of many.
The good news is that such features have been retained, while 1.4-litre variants gain an innovative ‘double trunk’ boot. By manoeuvring a combination of the cargo net and boot floor panel you can change the storage options open to you. And with space available below the boot floor, while the cargo net ensure that belonging don’t get flung about the boot. According to Honda, everything from the occasional shopping bag to a pushchair will easily fit with the minimum of fuss.
Even without the fancy boot feature, folding or flipping the rear seats allows you to carry small items of furniture or even bicycles, transforming the Jazz into a posh little van. And with the seats up, back seat passengers can rely on increases in knee and shoulder room to ensure that they never feel cramped despite the car’s modest overall dimensions.
And it’s fair to say that occupants are unlikely to feel the pinch in the refinement department either. Make no mistake, for all the Jazz’s down-to-earth versatility, it is not a bare-bones runabout. Fit, finish and equipment levels are easily up there with larger, more expensive cars.
The big car feel continues with the generous array of standard and optional equipment available. Whether it’s electric windows, the impressive audio systems and sat-nav, the multitude of airbags and electronic stability controls to the very grown-up panoramic glass roof on the high-spec 1.4 model, there’s never a feeling that you have to slum it just because you’ve chosen to buy a small car.
If that’s not enough there’s always the clever auto gearbox option for the larger engined Jazz. Strictly speaking it’s a six-speed automated manual gearbox, but the absence of a clutch pedal should make it a popular choice for anyone spending a lot of time driving in cities.
It’s obvious from the existing customer base and the design of the car itself that the Jazz is very much a considered choice in the world of small cars. There are cheaper cars and there are more powerful cars on the market, but none come close when versatility and durability issues are raised. Honda people are thoughtful people, and this spills over into their cars.
The Jazz is a smart car. If you consider yourself a smart person who appreciates the important things in motoring – space, ease of use, refinement – then you’ll appreciate Honda’s latest Jazz.
Prices start from £ 9,990.
Get down to your nearest Yeomans Honda dealership today to experience the new Jazz for yourself.
