BEAT THE CRUSHES ON BIKE
I’VE been to some pretty amazing places for the launch of new cars, like posh country clubs in Marbella. But never to a car park in a light industrial estate in Bracknell, Berks.
I’m at my first socially distanced car launch. Each journalist has a table with an ipad on it, a key safe and a selection of PPE.
We are to watch a presentation about the motor on the ipad after which we are given a code for the key safe to extract our ignition key.
Lunch is a sandwich and a bag of crisps. This is how it’s going to be for the foreseeable future but I don’t mind because it is cars that matter.
Hybrid
The key fits the new Honda Jazz, available in this generation only with a hybrid powertrain.
Honda has the most inconsistent and bizarre product planning of any car company.
The brilliant little CR-Z coupe, the world’s only affordable sexy hybrid coupe, was sent to the great scrapyard in the sky after only a few years.
But the Jazz is different. Honda has never messed about with this strong seller and instead has just tweaked and gradually improved it over the generations.
It has an immensely loyal following with 60% of customers moving
THE Motor Cycle Industry Association is storming ahead with its campaign to get more people onto two-wheelers.
It’s produced clever ads that show how you’re isolated on a motorcycle compared to being squashed up inside a bus or
Honda Jazz Crosstar
REAR MIRROR MONSTER: Unremarkable...
BACKSIDE BEAUTY: ... Which is a polite way of saying boring.
PLAYTIME PLEASER: Crosstar version’s two-tone paint option.
NAUGHTY NIGGLES: The
from a Jazz to a new one. Why? Because it offers a high level of practicality and clever use of space combined with excellent reliability and ease of use.
One thing that has dramatically changed this time is the new version called the Crosstar.
The recipe is a very familiar one: add some plastic cladding around the wheel arches to give the faux train. That’s especially relevant since I just read a survey that found two-thirds of people are not going to use public transport for the foreseeable future.
Bikes are the answer for those who hate queuing in traffic on their way to work. engine is noisy if you rev it hard. So don’t.
TASTY TOUCHES: Lots of storage solutions. Cubbyholes and bins in other words.
FAST OR LAST: Designed for living in the slow lane.
WONGA WONDER: Sensibly priced. The Crosstar is dearest but best.
off-roader look and a hint of an adventurous lifestyle, and crank up the ride height a few millimetres for the same purpose.
Since the Jazz has traditionally appealed to the older driver this is an interesting approach.
We have both the normal Jazz to drive and the Jazz Crosstar. The standard car is available in SE, SR and EX trim levels while the Crosstar is only offered in the top-level EX trim. Honda’s sales department reckons that only 10% of new Jazz sales will be Crosstar models but I think that’s pessimistic.
Why? Because it looks a lot more attractive and engaging than the regular Jazz.
For starters you can specify the Crosstar with a black roof which, with the sky blue of our test car, looks very tasteful.
Appeal
And those plastic add-ons also give the Crosstar more visual appeal. Next to it the plain white Jazz looks boring. The Crosstar is 45mm longer, 31mm wider and 30mm taller than the regular Jazz.
Those are the only differences because both cars are powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine that develops 97bhp. This is combined with two electric motors, one a generator and the other a propulsion motor.
There are three driving modes: EV Drive, in which a lithium-ion battery powers the propulsion motor; Hybrid Drive in which the engine drives the generator which in turn powers the propulsion motor (which then drives the wheels); and finally Engine Drive in which the petrol engine drives the wheels directly via a lock-up clutch.
First thing you’ll notice when you step into the new Jazz from the old one is a much better view out front.
The A-pillars are considerably thinner thanks to engineers beefing up the next pillars along with high strength steel. The cabin feels more airy too.
What hasn’t changed is the clever use of space and the wide range of storage places, from large door bins that can hold a drinks bottle to handy oddments storage areas across the dashboard.
Long-time Jazz owners will feel very comfortable with this new one’s interior.
Whether or not they will be that interested in Honda’s new personal assistant software that made its debut in the Honda E electric car is another matter.
I’m not convinced that the older driver really does want all these complicated systems. Or regular beeps and intrusions from the lane departure warning system.
I’m a big fan of entry level models as I like value for money more than I do leather seats and gadgets.
The cheapest Jazz is the SE at £18,985. The EX Crosstar is the most expensive but is still a reasonable £23,580 and this is the version that my money would go on.
Even though the centre of gravity is higher for some reason it is a nicer car to drive than the regular version.