Think of any Honda car and straight away a hassle-free ownership experience springs to mind. Apart from Toyota, does any other company’s entire range have this reputation? Furthermore, even when newer models arrive, the expectation is that maintenance costs will be low, with outstanding fuel economy a big factor in that. So it is with the latest generation Jazz.
In the British market, as well as other countries in Europe, the powertrain for all variants is a 1,498 cc so-called ‘e:HEV’ hybrid system. And it works really well, with real world average consumption of close to 60 mpg. I borrowed a Jazz for a week and soon saw why the car is so sought after on the second hand market, cheap running costs being just one reason.
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Hybrid system includes an EV mode
Pairing the four-cylinder engine with not just one but two motors is a signature engineering choice for the Japanese OEM. Drive goes to the front axle via an electronically controlled CVT. There’s rarely any high-rev buzzing, the gearbox being more or less silent and as good as a torque converter automatic. Power and torque are respectively 89 kW (122 PS) and 254 Nm (187 lb-ft).
Honda is probably not too worried by the arrival of ever more China-based brands in the UK market. The main competitor for the Jazz, after all, is the Yaris Hybrid, another B segment hatchback with very strong brand loyalty. Each has its own attributes, the little Toyota tending to attract more of a younger crowd.
The image of the Jazz as a car for retirees is accurate – at least in Britain – and Honda has accepted this. Even so, all generations of the model have been quite fun to drive and I am constantly amazed that those who might consider themselves too young to buy one don’t realise this important fact.
Seats which tilt like those in cinemas
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By GlobalDataThat fuss-free aura which comes as standard with all Hondas is all through the Jazz. Want to carry a long load from IKEA? Easy. Open either back door, touch one button and not only does the backrest flop forward but as it moves the mechanically linked seat cushion lowers towards the floor. Hey presto a flat surface. What the company calls ‘Magic’ seats are deserving of the name.
Honda has also designed the model with big windows and that includes the rear-most one as well as the windscreen. Kids especially will be really happy wherever they sit plus fabrics are highly practical, plastics on the door cards and dashboard tough but mostly soft too.
B-setting rather than paddles
Up front the steering wheel is just the right size and joy of joys, what is a conventional shift controller slots between P, R, N, D and B with zero delay. There are no frustrating moments when making three-point turns in a Jazz. And pulling the lever down to B for enhanced engine braking has an immediate effect on consumption via a tell-take digital readout. Which encourages you to do this often.
Honda also gives the driver an EV setting, complete with a little green leaf icon and with a warm engine, the car will often default to running on the battery’s reserve. This, by the way, can be built up in the most satisfying way, a series of vertically-displayed icons rising to an eventual ‘full’ the more you harvest kinetic energy.
Lots of tactile controls
Yet another touch typical of the company is an array of physical controls. I often wonder might something so simple be a reason why many car buyers are swayed to one model over a digital alternative. In the Honda, the volume dial feels lovely, window buttons too have a precise action with the same applying to the little illuminated buttons for preferences such as direction of HVAC air flow.
There is so much room inside the Jazz you almost forget this is a small car. The trick being performed here is to position those inside relatively low (in what is a tall hatchback) so that everybody has lots of knee and headroom. The boot is also generously sized, holding a competitive if not outstanding 304 litres. However that soon expands to an impressive 1,205 cubic litres with the seats down.
Honda UK markets the model as four variants, these being Elegance, Advance, Advance Sport and Crosstar Advance. The last of those is a mock-crossover, lending this version semi-tough looks thanks to some dark plastic around the wheel arches, slightly raised suspension, plus roof rails.
Dynamics
Cars from this company tend to have another thing which commends them, aside from reliability, low cost and strong resales, that being keen dynamics. Maybe the Jazz isn’t quite class leading though, the steering set-up defaulting to lightness and the suspension being all about compliance. That said, and as long as you don’t mind a bit of body roll, driving is usually fairly engaging but not quite in the Sporty category.
How does Honda fare sales-wise?
Across Europe, Honda is holding its market share at point eight of a per cent, though actual volume fell by 6.0 per cent during the first three quarters, to 56,843 (60,489 between 1 January and 30 September 2024). Those numbers are for EU and EFTA countries plus the UK, the last of these being the company’s long-time best market: Britain accounted for 20,497 units of that total.
The Jazz remains the number one model for Honda in the European region, deliveries up by more than 116 per cent year-on-year to 17,317 cars (source: Dataforce). British buyers especially continue to love this model and for all the reasons mentioned above, it’s not hard to see why.
The Honda Jazz e:HEV costs from GBP29,060.
