Honda Jazz

Honda Jazz is one of the most practical and reliable superminis on market

Auto Express Car Reviews

Rating:
Latest deal price: from £11,296 to £18,253
For : Practical interior, high-tech hybrid version, superb reliability
Against : Expensive, poor quality interior plastics, lacks refinement

The Honda Jazz has proved hugely popular in the UK. It has built a strong reputation for reliabilty and its clever interior packaging is second to none. It's only available in one body style, but the five-door model is almost as flexible as some MPVs, while still being compact and easy to park. Only the lack of any diesel engines limits its wider appeal. A new hybrid version – which uses the same petrol-electric drivetrain as the innovative Honda Insight – has greatly improved the Jazz's efficiency, but all versions are expensive to buy.

Our pick: 1.4 EX 5dr

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Honda Jazz

Styling

The original Jazz offered an enormous cabin but was hampered by its boxy shape. The latest version has an even bigger interior but its bulk is concealed behind neat and well proportioned bodywork. Hybrid models get a bespoke grille, a more aerodynamic bumper and blue-tinged headlights, while base S models do without alloy wheels or body coloured wing mirrors.

Interior

The dash layout is oriented towards the driver, with big easy-to-reach controls for the stereo and heater, but the hard and shiny plastics used inside can't compete with European rivals such as the Renault Modus.

Driving and Performance

With a tall, upright driving position and excellent all-round visibility, the Jazz is a very easy car to drive, with a light gearshift and steering helping to ease the stress of travel. There are two petrol engines on offer: a 1.2-litre with 89bhp or a 1.4-litre with 98bhp. Neither feels particularly quick and both have to be worked hard to make decent progress. The hybrid is better, with the electric motor providing extra torque at high revs, but the CVT automatic gearbox is very noisy. The firm ride doesn't deal well with broken road surfaces either, while wind and road noise is noticeably higher than in rivals like the Volkswagen Polo.

MPG and running costs

All petrol Jazz models emit between 120 and 130g/km of C02, putting them in VED band D. The 1.2 and 1.4-litre engines can do more than 50mpg, but expect those returns to fall dramatically once the car is loaded with passengers and luggage. These figures aren't bad but are behind the class best. Although the hybrid will return 62.8mpg, its much more expensive to buy, which could negate the lower fuel costs. Insurance and servicing costs are competitively low.

Practicality

The Jazz's intuitive and flexible interior is its strength, and it's capable of transporting a tremendous variety of different loads. The 399-litre boot is bigger than most family hatchbacks, and features a clever double-layered floor to help stow loose items. The back seats fold completely flat at the touch of a button, and the seat bases can be flipped up to create a tall loading area. The high roof also means there's enough headroom for even the tallest passengers. With the exception of the Toyota Verso-S and Nissan Note, very few rivals can match it for space.

Safety and reliability

Small cars don't usually do well in satisfaction surveys, but the Jazz is the exception to the rule. That said, it has fallen from a very impressive 11th to 29th in this year's Driver Power Top 100 list. It received a perfect 100 per cent score for reliability, and seems almost immune to breakages or faults. It earned a five star rating from Euro NCAP, and comes with six airbags and ISOFIX mounting points as standard – but entry-level S versions do without ESP.

For an alternative review of the latest Honda Jazz visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk