8 February 2011
New car report: A sexy little number
When Honda launched the new Jazz late last year, we commented that it would be interesting to watch the sales charts over the coming months. Although it's only been a couple of months since launch, the Jazz has got off to a flying start, leaving all the competitors in its wake. Quite an achievement for Honda, given that this market segment is hotly contested and purchasers wallets tend to remain firmly closed towards the end of the year.
Heading the leader board in the sector and staving off competition from the likes of the Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2, Honda must be satisfied that they have got the formula right.
Honda proudly promote the huge loading capabilities of the Jazz, boasting that the rear Magic Seat system allows items such as mountain bikes, bulky furniture and 42" TV's to be loaded on board, and you can't argue that the Jazz isn't the most cavernous vehicle in its class.
The Honda Jazz 1.5 litre Sport we drove this week gave us opportunity to appreciate the Tardis-like spaciousness of the rear loading area. It's good to know that we could have hauled loads of cargo, that is, if we had really wanted to.
Which raised a question in our minds; does the Jazz really appeal to buyer demographic where the need to cart mountain bikes, surf boards and TV sets around is high on their list of priorities? Like us, they could if they wanted to, but all this cargo space could be described as being a handy feature for the odd blue moon occasion.
Styling wise, the short bonnet and high roof line make the Jazz look a little bulbous, but the overall design is well balanced if not chic and trendy. It remains to be seen whether the practical Jazz will continue to sway buyers away from stylish Swifts, Yaris's and Zoomy Mazda's in the long term.
Apart from getting the 1.5 litre engine, the 1.5 Sport gets cruise control, alarm, fog lights and 16" alloys. It also gets a rear roof mounted spoiler and side skirts which only compound the vertical visual weight on an already bulky body shape.
The additional features included in the Sport package are worth having, but like the rest of the range you sit up high in the driver's seat, unlike the low slung seating position you might expect of the Sport model. Consequently the Jazz Sport hardly feels sporty.
Even with the high seating position, there is still a huge amount of headroom. The long rake of the windscreen, with its stretched out A pillars and large triangulated front quarter light glass add to the spacious feel of the interior and provide good visibility.
Summary
The Honda Jazz is a very worthy contender in the small car segment, which has translated into strong sales volumes in its honeymoon period. The Jazz has always been popular with more mature buyers and it is questionable whether the new Jazz will widen appeal and capture younger buyers, which Honda will be hoping for.
There is the ability to connect an IPOD, MP3 player or flash drive via USB connectivity, so maybe these features will have appeal to a more youthful generation.
Practicality is second to none and the clever folding Magic Seat system does exactly what it sets out to do in allowing huge loads to be carried.
Safety
ABS brakes and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) with Brake Assist (BA), six airbags including curtain airbags are standard safety equipment, as is Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) structure which provides better restraint of intrusion from invading vehicles. However, the omission of Electronic Stability Control (ESC), one of the biggest advances in active safety in recent times, is disappointing.
Pricing
Due to our weak dollar and in keeping with most vehicle manufacturers, pricing was adjusted upwards from 1st January 2009.
The new pricing for the Jazz range is:
- Jazz 1.3S Manual $23,500
- Jazz 1.3S Auto $25,500
- Jazz 1.3 Sport Manual $27,400
- Jazz 1.3 Sport Auto $29,400
- Jazz 1.5 Sport Auto TBA
- Jazz 1.5 Tempo Auto TBA
Technical
1.3 litre i-VTEC engine producing 73kW @ 6,000rpm and 127Nm of torque @ 4,800rpm
1.5 litre i-VTEC engine producing 88kW @ 6,600rpm and 145Nm of torque @ 4,800rpm (as tested)
Transmissions on offer are options of 5 Speed Manual or 5 Speed Auto.
Driving tips
While the driving position and performance of the Honda Jazz Sport isn't particularly sporty, it foots it well on the road with other cars in its class. The one concession to "sporty" is the steering wheel mounted shift paddles, although we doubt they will ever be used by most Jazz drivers.