When you put one of the most refined power trains into a cultivated body that is clean and attractive – and when you ensure that all subservient systems have been designed to perfectly complement each other – and when you make absolute provision for the driver to be in total control, yet totally at ease along with passengers, you get an excellent small car. That is what the Honda Jazz is; and that is how it was created.
The essential character and quality of a car is often lost by ‘improvement’ or ‘refinement’ – especially when the economic pressure of the marketplace demands cost cutting – but I’m pleased to report that the latest Jazz meets those self imposed stringent standards of design, construction quality and integrity to make it one of the best small cars. In 2024 it was ‘the best buy’ according to Which magazine.
My elevated mood is the result of getting to know the latest Jazz which banished my Winter blues. Years ago the phrase ‘HAPPY JAZZ’ used to denote music that was played with a smile and received with nods of approval and plenty of feet tapping.
That was then. But why do I smile again?. You take the phrase ‘happy jazz’, you spin the wheel and before you can say Basin Street Blues backwards, you have the new look Honda Jazz 1.5 hybrid full HEV.(No plugging in to worry about here) This is a hatchback that graces the highway with polyrhythmic pleasure. By all accounts, the fourth generation Jazz is the coolest cat in town. To deploy an overused phrase, this is a small car with a big heart. It’s so pleasant to drive, roomy, modern and comfortingly familiar that behind the wheel you’re happy.
A 1500cc engine drums up a ready rhythm, with two electric motors for the hybrid side of things, comfy seating, an excellent driving position and a versatile multi-repertoire interior with lots of space.
Off the beaten track of small car stereotypical sameness the Jazz scores top marks for safety and reliability at the highest level. All a result of what has become the motor industry universal yardstick…Honda engineering quality.
Today’s cars combine venerable underpinnings of sophisticated engineering with modern micro-processed digital devices in the interests of smooth running. So many complex systems working together can lead to over complexity and driver perplexity. Not so with the Jazz where electronic assistance is delivered as smoothly as scoops of velvety cream. As a driver, you just lap up the experience and delight in the sense of well-being that Honda technology brings.
Forget that this is a small car – for the clever seating arrangements allow you to bend, fold and transform the load carrying space – so much so that you have the capacity of a small van.
On the road you go with the flow all the way to about 110 mph. The £29,280 Advance spec – with all the comfort, convenience and safety features you need – is a joy to drive. Constantly variable transmission takes all the stress out of town driving and the computer sorts out ideal changes of ‘gearing’.
There’s a seamless switch between electric, hybrid or engine drive to deliver the ideal balance of efficiency, refinement and performance. Use eco mode and you’ll think your eyes are deceiving you. Honda claims 61.4mpg. Believe it or not, on a gentle run in eco mode 76.3 mpg was the remarkable figure I achieved.
This ‘up tempo’ Honda is a ‘drive-easy’ dream of a dashing little car at the top of its class. As for the engine and electric motors combination (which gives 120bhp combined)..it can’t be faulted. The petrol engine runs when needed and the electric motors do their stuff when the computer decides. You just sit back and drive. It’s a system that will be pretty much guaranteed to keep on ‘go-go-going’ without skipping a beat.
Not all cars in this class are as surefooted either. Ride quality and handling are excellent. If discs are platters (to persist in the musical idiom) then this firmly shod four-wheeled wonder is a veritable platypus that won’t be shifted from its place at the top of the bill. Don’t duck out of trying one.
