|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
8 September 2008
Not a company to make changes for the sake of it, Honda has given
us a new Jazz that looks like a solid evolution of the old model,
but which is all new in every way.
While
the body may retain its oh-so cute looks (we love that TV ad where
cartoon cars become all catty over the Jazz!), it’s larger than
before in length, width and height. Not only is it larger, but it
also sits on a longer wheelbase, thus creating significantly more
space inside the rear area of the cabin. So much so that it’s
possible to get three average-sized adults in there without any
real squeezing.
Boot
space is up as well and its capacity can now be increased more
simply than in the superseded model. That’s because the 60/40
split rear seats can be folded flat without having to move the
front seats a few notches forward. Thus you retain full legroom in
the front while getting maximum space in the boot.
Best
news of all is that the driver can see out with a minimum of
disruption of vision by the pillars. We have been critical of
quite a few new models in recent years because of the blind spots
created by large A-pillars (including, it must be said, in some
Hondas) so it’s good to see the engineers and stylists have
combined to make this city car safer to drive.
As
well as being larger, the body is even more rigid than before,
which makes for real gains in NVH (Noise, Vibration and
Harshness). Our testing showed the new Honda Jazz to have the sort
of refinement that normally requires a car a complete size larger,
and more expensive.
Though
the engine sizes remain the same at 1.3 and 1.5 litres, both
powerplants are all new. The biggest changes are to the 1.3, which
now delivers 73 kW instead of 61 kW, with torque improved from 119
Nm to 127 Nm. It’s much harder to get more torque than more
power, so that eight Newton metre increase is hard won.
Better
still, the torque graph has been flattened out with handy
improvement in the oft-used bottom end of the tacho. Our road
testing showed this 1.3-litre Honda engine may have all the power
and torque that a lot of buyers need. Try before you buy…
The
1.5-litre engine was already a sophisticated unit, more so than
the old 1.3, so has had fewer on-paper benefits. However, the
engineers have managed to extract another seven kilowatts and two
Nm. Better driveability is the real improvement in these engines
and that doesn’t show up in these bare numbers.
Official
fuel numbers are 5.8 litres per hundred kilometres for the
1.3-litre, and 6.4 litres per hundred in the 1.5-litre. These fuel
numbers are for a Jazz with a five-speed manual gearbox. The
automatic transmissions’ consumption increases to 6.6 litres per
hundred kilometres with the 1.3 engine, and 6.7 with the
1.5-litre, so there are savings to be had if you don’t mind
doing your own gear shifting.
There
has been one backward step in the new Jazz, however. While the
automatic is an efficient five-speed, it’s now a conventional
torque-converter unit, thus losing out on the lower fuel
consumption offered by the previous CVT (continuously variable
transmission). Honda admits this decision has been made
principally because potential buyers didn’t like some of the
characteristics of the CVT, particularly the way it selected
relatively high engine revs to gain maximum efficiency. Such is
the way of the world…
Though
the suspension system uses the same design elements as on the
outgoing Jazz, there have been changes to virtually all the
components, as well as to the geometry. The result is more
balanced handling and very good comfort levels.
Honda
Jazz is offered in GLi, VTi and VTi-S variants. All have power
windows and door mirrors, central locking, a four-way adjustable
steering wheel, ABS brakes with discs at all four wheels, and dual
front airbags. The Jazz GLi comes with the 1.3-litre engine.
Moving
up to the Jazz VTi adds the 1.5 engine, an onboard computer, an
alarm system, and front-side and curtain airbags.
Finally,
the Jazz VTi-S also has the 1.5-litre engine, and features a
sports body kit, 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control and a
leather-wrapped steering wheel.
These
are the sort of exceptional small cars we have come to admire from
Honda over many years. Best of all, the newest Jazz has been
enlarged to the extent that it really can be used as a family car.
The
complete Honda Jazz range, with prices (excluding on-road costs),
is:
GLi 1.3-litre: $15,990 (manual), $17,990 (automatic)
GLi with Safety Pack 1.3-litre: $16,990 (manual), $18,990
(automatic)
VTi 1.5-litre: $19,170 (manual), $21,490 (automatic)
VTi-S 1.5-litre: $21,590 (manual), $23,920 (automatic)
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
