Jazz Tuned For A Facelift

It looks like Honda is going to Jazz up its supermini! The car voted the winner of the Auto Express Driver Power 2004 satisfaction and reliability survey has just got an overhaul in Japan, where it is badged the Fit. And British buyers look set to benefit later this year.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Peter Lyon

24th June 2004

The revised model gets a new mesh grille and sportier, low-slung front and rear bumpers designed to make it appear less tall. It also has LED rear lamps to give a more modern finish, and there's a choice of four new paint options. Inside, the Japanese firm has redesigned the entire dashboard and brightened up the trim with new colour schemes. A leather steering wheel has been added, and there's also an op-tional sat-nav screen. To keep up with the likes of Nissan's Micra, a new smart card key system hooked up to the immobiliser has been fitted.

A revised five-speed manual transmission will go on sale alongside the existing seven-speed CVT, while the 1.4-litre petrol engine will be tweaked to improve economy. The revised Fit is already on sale in Japan, so the facelifted Jazz should debut at the Paris Motor Show in September, before going on sale in the UK shortly after.