Honda Jazz

As regular readers will know, we're pretty keen on the Jazz here at Auto Express. It's been a regular group test winner and took the top award in our New Car Honours earlier this year. Now, after two months behind the wheel of our long-termer, I must admit to being one of the converts.

Despite its tiny exterior dimensions, the Honda has proved brilliantly adept at carrying my two-and-half-year-old son and the half-hundredweight of paraphernalia that seems to go with transporting small children these days. After running a Nissan Almera Tino MPV previously, I was a little worried that the Jazz would lose out in the practicality stakes. But what with the folding rear seats and high roofline, I've yet to encounter any problems with luggage capacity.

Having sampled a number of its rivals in the supermini sector, I can safely say that the Jazz is head and shoulders above its competitors in terms of interior flexibility. Getting my son George into his seat proves extremely easy - even though it's sited in the middle of the rear bench - and he simply loves the view through the Jazz's massive front screen.

But it's not only the spaciousness of the cabin that has won me over. The design is a real breath of fresh air after some of the Far Eastern hatches I've driven. The main console is big at the top and small at the bottom, which makes for brilliantly placed switches and loads of legroom - the perfect combination. As with the Tino, the Jazz has the sort of indestructible feel that all Japanese cars seem to come with as standard. The dashboard has yet to emit a single creak, while the trim looks as good as new - quite an achievement given the amount of toddler-carrying it's been asked to undertake.

Neither can I fault the driving position, which is one of the best I've ever come across in a supermini. I'm more than six feet tall, yet have no problem getting comfortable behind the wheel. Indeed the only problem concerns the Jazz's thick A-pillars, which are something of a pain when it comes to pulling out of junctions and approaching pedestrian crossings. They block out quite a large area of road, and you need to actively look around them to check that nobody is about to step out in front of you.

On the road, the Jazz feels completely at home in town, where it has racked up the vast majority of its miles to date. After the diesel Tino, the Honda's 1.4-litre engine feels really perky and is far more suited to carving through rush-hour traffic. The steering is light and a little artificial-feeling, but it's great for parking in multi-storeys and nipping in and out of gaps.

In terms of its long-distance credentials, the Jazz has proved itself to be the perfect motorway companion. Although it features a smaller petrol tank than the Tino (which means more frequent stops), the Jazz can gobble up the miles just as well. Indeed, the only minor black mark against the car concerns the gearing, which seems a bit short for motorway work. At 70mph, the engine is somewhat vocal and, although it never quite reaches headache proportions, another gear or more soundproofing would make the Jazz's cabin a far more refined place to be.

Problems? None whatsoever. As with the Stream MPV that preceded the Jazz's arrival on our fleet, RJ02 FPC has the feel of a car that's been built to last. If our previous Hondas are anything to go by, I don't expect to be worrying my local dealer much before the 12,000-mile service deadline. Even then, the ΂£92 price we have been quoted shouldn't make too big a dent in the budget.