JAZZ FANS GIVEN FUEL FOR THOUGHT
EDWARD STEPHENS TEST DRIVES THE BABY SUV VERSION OF HONDA’S POPULAR HATCHBACK
HONDA Jazz buyers tend to be a conservative bunch and fortunately for Honda they tend to be loyal too.
When it comes to trading in their cars they rarely look further than the local Honda dealer and another Jazz.
But now that loyalty means they face a dilemma because along with the latest Jazz comes a bigger brother – the Jazz Crosstar.
It’s based on the hatchback they’re all too familiar with but is a small SUV version, which gives it a totally new look and some interesting features.
For starters the Crosstar is longer, wider, taller and has a longer wheelbase but more noticeably it has far more ground clearance as it’s designed as a lifestyle vehicle, although not one intended for off-road work.
This baby SUV is only available in one spec and that’s one above the top-ofthe-range EX trim on the standard Jazz, meaning a premium of £1,250.
But for that you get – apart from the SUV styling – a two-tone paint finish, roof bars, two-tone 16-inch alloy wheels, an eight-speaker premium audio system and water repellent upholstery, presumably for the more active lifestyle buyer.
The newcomer is only available as a hybrid, powered by a combination of a 1.5-litre petrol engine and two electric motors in a self-charging system, so never any need to plug in.
And it’s surprising just how often this car runs on purely electric in town and city as you purr around in silence.
It’s only when you put your right foot down really hard or are driving on the motorway that you notice that power is also coming from the engine. That means outstanding fuel consumption. Over a week’s motoring my average never dropped below 72 miles per gallon and that‘s going to be one of its biggest selling points.
Surprisingly Honda’s official figure is very conservative at just under 60 mpg but even that is more than most people would ever hope for.
The interior is light and airy
– thanks in part to the huge windscreen – and there’s a plethora of places to accommodate any oddments you have.
The controls are nicely laid out with a large, easy to read digital speedometer immediately in front of the driver and a centre-set touchscreen giving access to the car’s infotainment system as well as the satellite navigation and reversing camera.
The Crosstar is the first car in its class to be fitted with a new front-centre airbag which expands into the space between the driver and front passenger in the event of a side impact. It’s just one of 10 airbags in the new car.
For its size the Jazz Crosstar offers impressive space for both front and rear seat travellers. Honda’s “magic seats” in the rear fold into the floor to give a completely flat load surface or you can simply lift up the seat squabs like a cinema seat to give enough space to carry a mountain bike.
On the road the Crosstar is surprisingly responsive thanks to the large amount of torque across the rev range and the nicely weighted steering means it always feels well planted even at high speed on the motorway, unlike some of its competitors.
It’s one of those cars that you warm to the longer you drive it. So while traditional Jazz buyers might initially have reservations they will definitely be convinced they have made the right choice after a couple of days behind the wheel.
CHEERING low-flying aircraft as they cruised overhead became a bit of a tradition at clubs along Playa d’en Bossa, Ibiza’s longest and liveliest beach. Whoops of joy welcomed a new influx of clubbers and applauded the fact someone somewhere in the venue had probably missed their flight home.
But today, only gulls spread their wings against the deep blue sky. Standing alone on an empty beach, I’m an audience of one.
Spain, including the Balearic Islands, experienced one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe, and Ibiza’s famous club scene has been put on hold for this year. Mass gatherings are forbidden, dancing banned, and bars can no longer stay open until the early hours.
It paints a very different picture of the Ibiza familiar to most.
When I land at the airport, only a scattering of people fills the terminal. Outside, weathered posters advertise parties that ended months ago.
Foreigners, though, are starting to return.
Borders are open to visitors from the UK, and inclusion in the government’s safe list (meaning no quarantine restrictions in either direction) has given a green light for tourism to the island (though Scots still currently need to isolate), with the first influx of fly ‘n’ flop tourists arriving on TUI flights from Manchester and Gatwick on July 10. Several weeks ago, the idea of a summer holiday in Europe felt like a fantasy, but leading package holiday operator TUI promise
2020’s summer is back on, with regional departures to increase over the next few weeks. In terms of destinations, by August, Greece and Turkey will be sold alongside their Spanish programme.
Newly refurbished during lockdown, 495-room dual tower resort The Ibiza Twiins is one of the properties hosting TUI guests. Perspex screens on reception and multiple hand sanitiser dispensers are designed to keep Covid-19 at bay; in every room, slippers and bathrobes come with a complimentary disposable face mask. It’s a useful gift and a hint at the new normal here.
From July 13, mask wearing became mandatory in all public areas across the Balearics. Beaches, swimming pools and sun loungers are exempt; when sitting down to eat or drink, face coverings can also be removed. Anyone who breaks the rules could be fined 10 euros (£89).
In the absence of crowds, social distancing is easy, and I never struggle to find ample space in the sun. I’m one of only 90 guests – a fraction of the capped 70% capacity, and Ricardo Munoz, commercial and marketing director of the
Sirenis hotel group, admits they probably won’t see big bookings until 2021. “None of us are here to make money this summer,” he laments.
The other surprise is the breakfast buffet, which most hoteliers have retired in our new germophobic world. When I enter the restaurant,
As package holidays resume to the Balearic party hotspot, SARAH MARSHALL finds out how Ibiza is operating post-lockdown
a member of staff registers my temperature with an electronic zapper; anything above 37.5C and I’ll be whisked into quarantine. Inside, a one-way system weaves past counters of food, although only serving staff can plate items, and even bananas must be picked up with tongs.
Along with sickness, fear of quarantine is one of the big stumbling blocks preventing people from booking holidays in 2020. TUI recently announced details of a new Covid-19 Cover programme, available to every guest until the end of the year, which promises to take care of costs associated with self-isolation abroad. It provides some reassurance during unpredictable times.
Most tourists I meet are simply relieved to be on holiday. It’s unanimously agreed the only peculiarity is how normal it feels to be away.
Like everywhere in 2020, though, Ibiza looks different.
Local guide Pepe Costa, who’s been leading tours for 38 years, says this is the quietest he’s ever seen the island. “But it’s still as beautiful as ever,” he says from beneath a plastic visor, as we explore the breezy, hilltop ramparts of Dalt
Vila, Ibiza’s fortified old town. “Many people think we have only the nightlife, but there’s the history, the culture, the gastronomy; there are many things to do.”
Perhaps it’s a trick of the soft, Mediterranean sunlight, but in the absence of busy ferry traffic, the sea
sparkles and shimmers as if laced with sapphire gemstones. In the narrow, cobbled streets, only a few cafés have lifted their awnings, but walking alone through medieval archways allows me to instantly step back in time.
Many agree this is a chance to revel in Ibiza’s past glories – from discovering early Phoenician settlements at Sa Caleta, to celebrating the free-spirited, hippy vibe that’s made Ibiza such an inclusive place. The disco lights may have temporarily dimmed, but there are still opportunities to party and have fun. Co-owned by Duane Lineker (nephew of famous former footballer Gary), O Beach was one of the first venues to relaunch its daytime pool parties at the beginning of July. The chic venue overlooks the bay of San Antonio, Ibiza’s beating heart of entertainment, but today the typically hectic promenade ambles along at a gentler pace.
Inside, I’m allocated my own seating area and poolside daybed, and politely asked not to move around too much. Using my phone to zap a QR code, I can order drinks and platters of food from masked waiters, while DJs spin a suitably laidback set. Aside from the absence of any dancing, it feels like a party in semi-swing.
“It may be different for this year, but it’s still a great experience,” says Duane, who remains positive about the season. “Especially when everyone has had to endure some form of lockdown.” A boutique day club for families, neighbouring bar Bam-Bu-Ku, also owned by the company, launched a few weeks ago. Teens queue up to ride a surf machine and toddlers play in a sandpit, while parents sip extravagant cocktails; its success demonstrates Ibiza’s holiday spirit is very much alive. Up in the rural hills of San Antonio, where olive groves and almond trees advertise Ibiza’s beauty far more effectively than glitzy billboards, iconic hotel, bar and restaurant Pikes is also having a good summer so far.
Although numbers have been reduced and plugs are pulled at 2am (restaurants have been granted a later licence than bars), the atmosphere in the kitsch country farmhouse is still carefree. A couple plays tennis on a court dominated by a giant roller blade, once used as a dancer’s podium, while others laze in the pool with inflatable flamingos.
According to Dawn Hindle, co-owner and creative director at Pikes, now is the time to experience real Ibiza: amazing restaurants, superb, spacious beaches and ‘back to mine’ vibe chilled sessions.
“The healing, feminine energies that everyone and the world needs right now can be discovered in Ibiza,” she enthuses. “As we have been saying at Pikes for a while, it’s a true ‘rockovery’ moment, and we may never get this experience or moment again.”
Footballer Bobby Charlton with his bride, fashion model Norma Ball, after their wedding ceremony at Middleton Junction near Manchester, July 28, 1961
the wedding guests paying for their own meals.
Diana, whose real name was Diana Mary Fluck, took the maiden name of her grandmother as her stage name and was known as Britain’s Marilyn Monroe. Diana and Dennis later separated and he passed away in 1959. Bedknobs And Broomsticks and Murder, She Wrote star Dame Angela Lansbury married fellow actor Peter Shaw in London on July 26, 1949.
Peter later worked at the William Morris Talent Agency and represented Elvis Presley.
Angela was cast as Elvis’ mother in the film Blue Hawaii even though she was only 10 years older than the singer.
Peter and Angela met when film studio MGM asked him to accompany her at red carpet appearances and romance soon followed.
They had a son and a daughter together and were married until Peter’s death in 2003.
Angela, who is now 94 years old, once said: “I’ve had an incredible relationship with my husband, with my family. I know they’ve had problems of their own, but we have never wavered in our closeness as a family.”
There were few traditional thrills when British actor Albert Finney married his second wife, French actress Anouk Aimée, at Kensington Registry Office on August 7, 1970.
There was no reception, honeymoon or even wedding ring and no best man. Albert said: “I’m not the romantic type. I’m a bit like the late, great Peter Sellers, only happy in character roles.” The relationship ended in 1978 when Anouk fell for Hollywood star and Love Story leading man Ryan O’Neal.