Used Honda Jazz (Mk3, 2015-2020) review - How practical is it?
With spacious and cleverly packaged interior, the Jazz is one of the most practical small cars you can buy
Over the years, the Jazz has set the standards for space efficiency in the supermini class. With its mini-MPV looks, the Honda packs plenty of space into a relatively compact body, while the interior is also packed with useful storage and clever design. In fact, the Jazz offers more head and legroom in the back than cars one or two classes above.
Dimensions and cabin design
Practicality is where the Jazz excels. Nothing this side of a Nissan Note has as much outright space, with the little Honda offering more room than many cars in the class above.
With a functional but futuristic layout inside, the Honda offers plenty of usability and storage: there are loads of cubbies, the door bins will take a bottle of water and there are two cupholders ahead of the gearlever. There’s another by the steering wheel, as well as another lidded bin behind the handbrake; and, although the glovebox isn’t huge, it’s big enough for various bits and bobs.
Without making the car externally huge – it’s still less than four metres long, at 3,995mm – Honda has managed to deliver an interior that is more than capable of carrying four people in utter comfort. Even five average adults would be no problem.
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The wheelbase (distance between front and rear axle) is 30mm longer than its predecessor, and from bumper to bumper the Jazz has grown by 95mm.
Rear-seat passengers benefit from 115mm more legroom and an additional 20mm of shoulder room compared to the Mk2 Jazz. Honda actually claims more rear knee room is available in the third-generation car than you’ll get in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Boot space
The latest Jazz carries over the trick Magic Seats from the previous generation, so the rear bench flips up like a cinema seat to reveal even more luggage room, thus improving flexibility.
There’s a useful 354 litres of boot space with the back seats in place.
With the seats down, there’s a cavernous 1,314 litres of space up to the ceiling – more than all its main rivals and only surpassed by the now-discontinued Nissan Note (1,495 litres).
Equipment and technology
If you want sat-nav, you need to seek out models upgraded from SE or EX to SE Navi or EX Navi grades, respectively. The Garmin sat-nav system integrates neatly into the Honda Connect touchscreen, where it’s easy to get on with and provides nice, clear mapping.
Base S models get a single-slot CD player with a DAB radio, Bluetooth, aux-in socket and USB slot, as well as a four-speaker stereo and steering-wheel mounted controls. SE and EX variants, which automatically get the Honda Connect touchscreen, build on this with an extra pair of speakers, plus they have two USB ports.
The solitary audio option was the Honda 3D Sound, which adds a compact digital signal processing (DSP) unit to the existing in-car entertainment, to improve the sound system. No upgrades that have better speakers and amplifiers are offered.
Standard equipment is generous on all versions. Whichever model you choose, you'll get cruise control, Bluetooth, auto lights and wipers, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, rear parking sensors and camera, plus the Magic Seats in the back. These fold flat and also have seat bases that flip up, cinema-style to create a secondary load area behind the front seats.
Safety
In terms of safety, the Jazz aced the Euro NCAP crash tests, coming home with a full five-star rating in 2015, and impressive section scores of 93 per cent safety for adult occupants, 85 per cent for child occupants, 73 per cent for pedestrians and 71 per cent for safety assist systems. On this last score, that’s because all but the basic S models get Honda’s Driver Assistance Safety Pack, which includes lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition and forward-collision warning. Every model also comes with the City-Brake Active system that can help to avoid low-speed accidents.
