By EWAN KENNEDY
27 November 2006

Honda’s Jazz follows the current fashion in having tall, boxy lines. The tall shape allowing additional interior space with no increase in other exterior dimensions. Sitting higher in the car makes for more legroom and permits a decent amount of room to be left aside for the rear luggage area. Weight can also be kept under control by building a taller car. So tall is the way to go, except that high can also mean ugly rather than handsome.

Clever work by Jazz's designers has made a neat job of hiding the tall look, providing eye appeal in a body shape that uses big headlights, a sleek bonnet and some clever sculpting around the rear end to disguise the inherent bulkiness in its tail.

Even better, the Honda is slightly larger than average for its class. It’s marginally more expensive than most of the others in its class, but the extra interior room negates the added dollars.

Honda Jazz manages to provide room for four adults without too much compromising on legroom. There’s reasonably easy entry and exit into the back seat, though some may find the rear door opening is on the tight side.

This Honda has one of the neatest and most effective folding rear seat designs yet. Jazz's rear seat slides back or forward to let you juggle the people/luggage equation. It can be folded flat with a minimum of fuss. The front passenger seat can be fully reclined to let you carry long loads extending from the dashboard to the rear window.

Build quality is high and the Jazz, like all other Honda cars, has an excellent reputation for reliability.

The Jazz GLi comes with a 1.3-litre engine, power windows, central door-locking and a single slot CD. The more expensive VTi and VTi-S variants have 1.5-litre engines, plus air conditioning, remote door-locking and sportier interior trim.

Both models come with fuel-efficient continuously variable transmissions (CVT). Buy the 1.5 engine with a CVT automatic and it comes with a sports mode offering seven preset gear ratios operated by steering wheel shifters. Thus giving a fair degree of manual control when you’re feeling in a sporting mood. The 1.3-litre engine runs purely as an automatic.

Handling is good provided the roads are reasonably smooth. The Jazz turns in easily, is happy to change direction in corners and is generally well set up for everyday driving. Enthusiasts may find it a little lacking in steering precision.

Australian Jazz models get the firmer European spec suspension. While giving decent handling the firmer suspension lets the Jazz be knocked about a fair bit on rough Aussie surfaces. And you don’t have to go a long way into the bush to find harsh road conditions in these times of local-road budget cuts.

Jazz is reasonably easy for the good amateur mechanic to work on, though there is some underbonnet crowding that’s inevitable on a car of this size. Keep some band aids handy – and don’t forget the workshop manual.

Spare parts prices for Hondas are more reasonable now than they have been in the past as the company is anxious to avoid being classed as out-of-reach by potential buyers when Jazz is compared with Korean marques, and even some other Japanese cars.

The Honda Australia dealer network is widespread in the heavily populated areas, but isn’t all that established in remote areas. We seldom hear of any real hassles with getting hold of spare parts, but if you are concerned about this it may be smart to make local enquiries before falling too deeply in love with one of these cute little models.

Insurance costs for Honda Jazz generally sit in the mid-range of the field. There doesn’t appear to be any real differentiation between companies on premium charges. It’s always wise to spend some time shopping around for the best deal, though.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Honda Jazz is still relatively new on the market and few have done a lot of work at this stage. We know of no inherent defects, nor do we anticipate any cropping up in the future.

Check that the engine starts easily and responds quickly and positively to the throttle, even when it’s completely cold.

A continuously variable transmission should be crisp in its reactions to changes in throttle position and road conditions. Because a CVT transmission feels different in its operation to other types of automatics, have an expert drive it if you are not confident it’s working correctly.

Make sure the brakes pull the car up without any pulling to one side and that no one wheel locks while the others are still rolling freely.

Bodywork should be undamaged and free from rust. Corrosion is not common unless the car has been poorly repaired after a smash.

Look over the interior to make sure it hasn’t suffered at the hands of uncaring owners, especially bored young kids.

As always, it makes a lot of sense to get a professional inspection after carrying out initial checks to the best of your ability.

CAR BUYING TIP

When buying a family-oriented car spend plenty of time looking over the condition of the back seats and boot for higher than average wear rates.

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