Nicholas reviews the Honda Jazz Hybrid. Read his other car reviews. Ed
The Honda Jazz Hybrid, at £15,995, is currently the cheapest Hybrid car on sale, and based on the regular Jazz, it is well worth considering if you need space and economy.
Supplementary electric engine
It uses the same technology as the bigger Honda Insight, with an electric motor helping out the 1.3 petrol engine to aid performance and efficiency.
While all the technology is hidden under the skin, the Jazz Hybrid is differentiated from the regular Jazz by a glitzy grill and a pair of chrome rear lights, which some may feel don’t really suit the simple, mature design of the smallest Honda.
Huge boot
Within the one-box body is a flexible seating system and a huge 300 litre boot. For reference, the boots in the Vauxhall Agila and Nissan Micra are only 225 and 265 litres; The much-larger Alfa Giulietta, from the class above, can only provide 350 litres of boot space.
The practicality is not affected by the addition of a hybrid drive train, nor is the ease with which a Jazz can be driven with. In eco mode, the car is powered by the silent electric motor up to about 30 mph. Stop at a junction and the engine cuts out, restarting as soon as you release the brakes.
With an automatic gearbox and light steering you can concentrate on watching the varied dashboard screens and displays. And observing the road of course.
Great on rough roads
There are some horrible roads around Porchfield and Newtown where I took the photos, but through supple suspension and solid build-quality the Honda Jazz really isolates you from the rough stuff as well as any car I’ve driven, including much bigger and more expensive machines. The off-shot of this is a lethargic gait down a twisty road, although between the comfort, the economy and the practicality there is enough quality for the car to be enjoyed.
The only weak spot is in the data. 62.8mpg and 104g/km are impressive, but not enough to qualify for free road tax and it isn’t near some rivals such as the 80mpg VW Polo Bluemotion.
The Jazz does without a noisy diesel engine and provides better performance, but this will be of short comfort to somebody hoping to achieve huge economy.
So if extreme efficiency is your main concern you should look elsewhere. However the Honda is a much better proposition for a family car, and the Hybrid is certainly the best Jazz in the range.
Summary
A car for the more relaxed buyer, who needs space and economy but not extremes of both. 8/10
Thanks to Northwood Honda, Cowes, for the loan of the vehicle.
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