Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £10,365 to £13,535
Roomy and versatile; nippy yet economical engines; simple and user-friendly; well-built and reliable.
Ride still a bit bouncy; only two engines to choose from; not the cheapest in class; rather dowdy image.
Not as much fun to drive as the new Fiesta, nor as youthful in character, but a lot more practical and versatile.
Honda's Jazz consistently performs well in customer satisfaction and reliability surveys: its owners love it.
Key to its success are three factors: excellent reliability, its user-friendliness and its practicality - though compact in size and smaller than many other supermini rivals, it has a huge boot with clever flat-folding rear seats, and it can accommodate as much cargo as many a far larger hatchback. A little longer and wider than its predecessor, this new Jazz is roomier than ever, with rear seat-space improved in particular.
This new-generation range again comes with just two petrol engines (1.2- and 1.4-litre) but these new units are both more powerful than those in the outgoing model, yet still economical. There's also the new i-Shift six-speed automated-manual gearbox option, with manual-style gearshift, sequential paddle-shift and fully auto modes.
Though the new Jazz looks little changed on the outside - you'd be hard-pressed to notice many differences unless the two cars stood side by side - Honda has thoroughly overhauled it under the surface, revising chassis, steering, brakes and suspension, and improving rigidity of the body structure. A fairly comprehensive update, then, which should ensure the Jazz's continued popularity and acclaim.
Sales of this model start in the UK in October 2008, with prices from £9,990, though models with air conditioning are £1,000 more.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Honda Jazz
wrote on 06 04 2007
wrote on 16 11 2006
wrote on 15 10 2006