The Honda Jazz is a good car. Driven in isolation I'd even go so far as to say it's very good. However, when compared to its peers – many of which are just about to launch locally – the 'newness' of Honda's latest light car feels largely otiose.
Now, let me qualify that statement lest I receive the wrath of the Hondaphiles among you...
In Australia, the GF-series Jazz is powered by a 1.5-litre single overhead cam multipoint injected four-cylinder that remains principally unchanged from its predecessor. Where many rivals are offering twin overhead camshafts, idle stop-start technology, direct injection and a host of other 'clever' engine technologies, the Jazz offers adjustable engine mapping... And that's about it.
On the plus side it only needs regular 91 RON unleaded petrol, and when mated to the optional continuously variable transmission (CVT) it at least manages to adhere to its claimed combined cycle fuel consumption figure. But that itself is not anything to write home about...
Honda says the base-grade Jazz VTi CVT (pictured) will consume 5.8L/100km, and we pretty much levelled that number in our week with the car. But – and it's a big but – the newly released Mazda2 is said to use half a litre less, and the new Volkswagen Polo just 4.8. We expect the new Toyota Yaris and Hyundai i20 to pose a similar threat when they arrive locally.
The Honda's engine makes a competitive power figure (88kW at 6600rpm), though lacks a little in the way of torque (145Nm at 4600rpm), relatively speaking. The CVT masks some of the shortfall, but has a tendency to surge on 'upshifts', and with a full complement of passengers aboard, progress is rather lack lustre, especially uphill.
Riding on 15-inch wheels and using conventional strut front and simple torsion beam rear suspension, the Jazz is 'acceptable' rather than 'exciting' in the handling stakes.
The electrically-assisted steering is effortlessly light but totally devoid of communication. In fact, it almost takes effort to hold the wheel on centre as the motor remains 'on' at 12 o'clock, causing the Jazz to wander at the slightest breath.
This lack of feedback is especially noticed in corners. The Jazz points and follows these instructions reasonably well, however, the interaction between the front wheels and the driver is guesswork for the most part, which somewhat detracts from the experience overall. At least it's easy to park...
With disc brakes up front and drums at the rear, the Jazz manages to pull-up with appropriate levels of confidence and with decent pedal feel. The pedal box itself, however, feels deeply set, contrasting the higher position of the driver's seat. This weird ergonomic mismatch does cause excessive pressure on the thighs during repeated pedal action, but one the bright side, the hip point makes getting in and out a pleasure.
The slightly elevated rear bench offers a good view ahead and to each side, which is something it must be said the Jazz is good at offering all-round. There's a fairly impressive amount of space, too, though most passengers complained that the rear seat cushion was too firm, and too flat. Perhaps that's the price you pay for the flexibility of Magic Seats...
These are a Jazz trademark and the little Honda has long been renowned for this clever rear-seat trickery. The seats flip in various directions to allow convenient through-loading or even added load height. Configurable through several modes, this versatile functionality only betters the cargo space on offer, which Honda says is 350 litres (up 13 from the previous model) with the seats and cargo shelf in place, and 1492 all told.
On the technology front, the Jazz is an interesting proposition in that it appears to offer a lot, but is in fact just slightly behind the curve. There are LED headlights [which alas offer a poor spread of light on dark country roads], 7.0-inch touchscreen audio, dual USB ports, Bluetooth telephony and audio streaming and, assuming you have an iPhone 5 or newer, sat-nav – via a very clumsy cable.
A reversing camera and cruise control are also offered, while single-zone climate control, push-button start, alloy wheels, front foglights and heated "leather" front seats are found on the high grade VTi-L.
But there are no auto headlights, no rain-sensing wipers, no electrochromatic rear-view mirror and – again – no idle stop-start. The touchscreen set-up for all and sundry is also fiddly to use on the move, and doesn't dim in step with the instrument panel [you can adjust the screen, but not the volume, home or HVAC controls, separately].
We also found the lack of covered incidental storage to be an issue, and thought wind noise was worse than many we've sampled in this class – a shame considering how quiet the rest of the package is. Similarly, we felt that the improved handling has come at the cost of ride quality, something you only tend to notice when you get out of the big smoke.
Shorter service intervals of six months or 10,000km seem to negate the capped-price servicing offer [$260 at the first interval], and when compared to the likes of Kia and Hyundai, the three-year/100,000km warranty appears a little brief.
Oh, and should you want metallic paint – i.e. any colour other than Rallye Red – be prepared to fork out another $495.
As I said at the outset, the Jazz is a good car, and probably offers more space-for-dollar than just about anything in this class. That point aside, however, it really hasn't progressed and in view of its rivals, may soon feel like a case of too little, too late.
What we liked: | Not so much: |
>> Cabin and cargo space | >> Mismatched technology |
>> Real-world fuel economy | >> Open incidental storage |
>> Outward visibility | >> Ultra-light steering |
Also consider:
>> Holden Barina (from $15,390)
>> Hyundai i20 (from $15,590)
>> Toyota Yaris (from $14,990)