Honda Jazz Hatchback 2008-

The Honda Jazz lives up to its Jazzy name by providing a stylish, smooth and well refined super mini, which offers a mix of practicality and good build quality. Staying true to the Honda name, the car is well built, reliable and helps raise the bar in the supermini market.

Pros and Cons:

• Spacious inside
  Combines practicality and comfort
  Nice looking dashboard
  Smooth to drive
  Provides the usual reliability of Honda

• Expensive for a car of this size
  Firm ride
  No diesel engines to choose from

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Exterior and Interior

The Honda Jazz is an attractive car that looks like a miniature version of the old Honda Civic. This is a good thing and the styling team at Honda has produced a much improved model compared to the previous version of the Jazz. When you select a trim with alloy wheels the car looks really smart and almost sporty. Even the standard models have a certain amount of 'Jazz' though and will not disappoint. The bonnet has a lovely raised part in the center of the panel which really helps to set the style of the vehicle.

Inside the car the Jazz is also well equipped. The quality of the interior is lower than that of a German hatchback, but then you are paying nowhere near the price of the aforementioned vehicles. Considering the price the interior is wonderful and will provide enough equipment to keep most people happy. The dashboard is really well laid out and looks stylish. It is finished off perfectly with the backlit colours which help to add a touch of class. All of the buttons are well located to the driver and feel firm enough that you know they won't break easily. The steering wheel also looks lovely and is nice to hold when driving the vehicle. The seats are comfortable enough for the short journeys this car is designed for and will even provide enough support for the occasional long journey.

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Engines

The Honda Jazz is available in either a petrol or hybrid engines. The range starts with the 1.2 i-VTEC 90bhp which on only available with a manual gearbox. The next in the range is the 1.4 i-VTEC 100bhp which is available with an automatic or manual gearbox. Finally the range offers a 1.3 IMA HX-T 102bhp petrol/electric hybrid, which is an award winning engine. The only engine missing from this range is a diesel, although it probably isn't necessary considering the economy provided by the other engines.

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Performance and Economy

The Honda Jazz has improved its engines for the latest generation and this has helped with both the performance and the economy. The 1.2-litre petrol engine accelerates from 0-62mph in a mere 12.5 seconds, the 1.4-litre and accelerates from 0-62mph in 11.5 seconds. The 1.4-litre Hybrid engine is also no slouch, the 0-60 time is 11.7 seconds which isn't too bad considering the economy it will return.

The huge benefit of owning a Honda Jazz is the economy it can provide and as a result the low cost motoring the owner receives. The 1.2litre can deliver an average of 53.2mpg, the 1.4-litre delivers an average of 52.3mpg and the hybrid can deliver a massive 62mpg. Not only will you save money due to the amount of fuel your using but also the insurance groups are low.

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What it's like to Drive

Overall the latest Jazz is a good car to drive and has massively improved on the previous generation. The Jazz delivers a comfortable ride, the only thing that stops this from being classed as an excellent car is the fact the car isn't the smoothest. It is let down by the suspension which isn't as good as the rest of the car and will allow the bumps and uneven road surfaces to transfer into the cabin. The seats will keep you comfortable, especially on short journeys and they provide a nice high position for the passengers.

Around town the Jazz comes into its element. The steering is light at low speeds and parking is a doddle. The Jazz is better than many of its immediate rivals on motorways, but it wasn't really designed for this kind of driving and the occasional trips are more advised than frequents ones.

The automatic gearbox is ok and provides quite smooth gear changes. For the price of the vehicle you couldn't really expect anything better. The manual gear box is our favorite though as you will probably be able to change gears smoother than the automatic box.

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Faults and Repairs

The Jazz is made by Honda and that says almost as much as you need to know. Honda is renowned for their excellent build quality and their cars very rarely need much repair work. For this level of engineering you will have to pay a higher purchase price, but cheaper vehicle can often be a false economy.

If something does go wrong be aware that Honda main dealerships will charge high repair and labour rates.

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