2017 Honda Jazz Review – The Unsung Hero of the Honda Range

Say what you will about it, the Jazz is the unsung hero of Honda’s entire range. No,
won’t set your pulse racing, and while it’s your Type Rs and your NSXs and what have you
that steal all the attention, the Jazz is just here, quietly doing what it does.
And it does what it does very well indeed. For example, did you know it’s won all kinds
of awards for things like its reliability, it’s been named the most reliable car in
Britain for more than a decade and a couple of years ago, it was even named the car you’re
most likely to lust after on Valentine’s Day.
Not sure about that one, not in that yellow anyway, but… Yeah…
See part of the reason for the Jazz’s evergreen success, apart from the fact that it’s inexpensive,
unintimidating and reliable is that it’s just so flippin’ useable. This latest version’s
longer than any other Jazz previously and has also had its wheelbase stretched so it’s
even more cavernous and practical inside. TARDIS-like then, but we’ll get to that
later on. Up here in the front, things are comfortable, there’s good visibility out
the windscreen and it’s an easy car to get to grips with as well thanks to simple, well-laid
out controls and this decluttered dash that’s a big improvement on the last model.
Sure, it’s plasticky and not really much to look at, but then it’s all about value
for money and not exemplary German-grade fit and finish. Our test model, the range-topping
EX Navi trim, comes with plenty of goodies too like a Garmin sat-nav, all-round parking
sensors and automatic lights, plus DAB radio and a reversing camera.
If you’d like to know more about the interior of the Jazz, it’s different trim options
and whatnot, you can click on the link to see our earlier review, but in the meantime
let’s get into the back and crack on with the Jazz’s real party piece: practicality.
Like many new Hondas the Jazz comes with those brilliant Magic Seats, which flip upwards
to unveil storage room for luggage down here. Fold them down and sit in the back and there’s
enough room back here to genuinely make you question the liveability of many larger crossover/SUV-type
cars, with plenty of leg and headroom, comfy seats and doors that open wide to make getting
in and out a breeze. With 354 litres it’s got more boot space
than many small people carriers too, and trumps most hatchbacks by around 70 litres. The boot
lip is low, the opening is well proportioned and so it should take even awkward and heavy
items with ease. Fold them Magic Seats flat and there’s 1,314 litres of space, plus
handy things like anchor points and a luggage net for securing loose bits and bobs.
Simple enough engine lineup to choose from too, given that there’s only, err, one engine.
It’s a 1.3-litre naturally aspirated petrol, which makes exactly 100bhp. No Honda VTEC
YO shenanigans here, as you might expect, but it’s very very smooth and very refined
around town particularly, which is really what you’ll want.
We’ve previously tested it with the standard manual gearbox, but this one comes with the
optional CVT auto and, man oh man, this CVT. I’m not usually one for ragging too hard
on CVTs and there are a few I actually quite like, but the droning, power-sapping qualities
of this one… It’s like a Dementor’s Kiss…
I have to be fair though, it’s quite easy to drive – the Jazz is an easy-going car
anyway, usefully agile when it needs to be as the steering’s quite quick and it can
be quite sharp, but it’ll spend most of its lifetime just moseying on up and down
the road at no particularly great speeds. In that respect the CVT is probably the gearbox
of choice for those who want to just get on with minimal fuss, and it’s more economical
than the manual too. Honda says this one can return up to 57.6mpg with 114g/km of CO2,
about two mpg higher than the manual and 6g/km less.
If there’s one big niggle about the Jazz, it’s that it’s quite expensive for what
it is. Prices start from £13,500, which mightn’t sound like a huge amount in the grand scheme
of things, but consider that it’s £3.5k more expensive than its main rival, the Nissan
Note. This test car? £17,855 as standard, plus
the yellow paint which is £500, so a total of £18,355.
Worth the extra cash though? Well if you’re on the look for a compact but hugely practical
and reliable hatchback that’s modern but not too complicated, then yeah.
It’s excellently fit for purpose, and while it’s not one to fall in love with necessarily,
it’s one very usable, very clever car. But what do you think of the new Jazz? Let
us know in the comments section below and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube
channel. Click on the enquire button to find out more
details about this car or for any other models, visit Carkeys.co.uk. And to watch more reviews,
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2017 Honda Jazz Review – The Unsung Hero of the Honda Range – Car Keys

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