Honda Jazz
FINAL REPORT It wasn’t exciting, but supermini had its highlights
HONDA admits that the average age of a Jazz owner is fairly high, at 61. While that’s no bad thing, it means that at 24 years old, I’m some way short of the typical profile. Our last Honda long-termer was the fire-breathing Civic Type R hot hatchback, so we wanted to see how something from the other end of the spectrum stacked up in the real world.
It’s certainly not as glamorous or as intimidating on the road as the 306bhp hatch. Styling is always subjective, but the Jazz has always been more about maximising interior space than delivering a style statement. However, the current car has a bit more personality, and our top-spec EX model is helped by its shiny 16-inch alloys and vibrant Sunset Orange paint. I’ve seen a few other Jazzes in this bold colour, and although it won’t be to all tastes, it could help to attract a younger audience.
The Jazz still has some away to go to match the most desirable superminis, though. The featureless rear and tall proportions mean it’ll never look as sharp as a Ford Fiesta or VW Polo, and we wish Honda had integrated the daytime running lights into the main lamps. Inside, it’s a sea of black plastic and bland materials that are solid and hardwearing, rather than upmarket and stylish.
However, Honda has focused on what matters to its traditional customer base; everything is easy and quick to operate (apart from the touch-sensitive heating controls) and there is plenty of storage. Legroom for rear-seat passengers is genuinely remarkable; my set-back driving position usually causes issue for people sitting behind me, but that’s never been the case in the Jazz.
Headroom is good and the boot is big, so in some ways it’s better to think of the Jazz as a good-value small family car rather than the slightly pricey supermini it really is. The car rarely put a foot wrong in six months. Once the tyre pressure monitoring system had stopped giving out false alarms, the only other annoyances were the over-sensitive active braking system, and slow electric window motors.
Fuel economy never dipped below 45mpg, although that could have been better if you didn’t need to rev the 1.3-litre engine to get the best from it. Motorway trips showed up the Honda’s lack of torque and refinement, with a constant drone at 70mph and the frequent need to drop down a gear or two for steeper hills. However, the slick gearshift and acceptable agility made diversions on to country lanes surprisingly entertaining.
We’ll miss the humble and reliable Honda; it wasn’t the most hotly fought-over car in the car park, but its versatility meant it punched well above its weight.
“The Jazz has always been more about maximising interior space than delivering a style statement”