Mike Humble:

7/10 – Far from being a budget choice, it is though, a thoroughly enjoyable and well engineered car.

Mars bars, wagon wheels, even cream eggs – they’ve all gotten smaller over the years, though cars have become much bigger. Take the MINI for example, it’s now even bigger than the old Austin Maxi and the recently phased out Ford Mondeo estate seemed just as large as an old Transit van. A problem with current cars, especially hybrids, is that they don’t seem to offer as much interior space as we were once used to. In the trade, they call it packaging, namely the method of getting as much equipment or passenger space out of an interior as possible. Cars like the Nissan Juke and outgoing Land Rover Freelander are two prime examples of them seeming larger than the norm yet having notable cramped interiors.

The design legend, Sir Alec Issigonis, of original Austin Mini fame, was legendary in his ability to seemingly get a gallon into a pint pot. That said however, the only soft trim in the Mini was its seats. Should you have been unlucky enough, you stood a greater chance of being killed during an accident by being a passenger opposed to being hit by one as a pedestrian. Small or city cars these days are so much more than just being a ‘steel umbrella’ or a better option than a journey on a damp bus, they have to be so much more than basic forms of transport. Which brings me nicely up to the recent sampling from our good friends at Honda – the Jazz Crosstar Advance Hybrid.

The Jazz, allied to its bigger sibling the Civic is a very nicely thought out and very cleverly executed car with an interior that cannot help to make you coo and nod in appreciation. Despite the compact dimensions, this five-door hatchback offers not only thoroughly decent head and legroom for all shapes and sizes or occupant, the trade-off between passenger and boot space is really quite excellent. Not only do the rear seats fold almost as flat as a billiard table, the rear seat cushions lift and lock upwards. If you cannot mentally picture this, think of going to the ABC as a kid to watch Star Wars – yes? you’ve probably got the idea now. The passenger and boot area is superb and almost belies its compact dimensions.

As you would expect of a Honda, the Jazz is nailed together with confident precision, bedecked with a nice paint finish (on the exterior anyway) and has an urban tough, kiddie proof feel to the interior. A little bit more soft to the touch plastics wouldn’t go amiss, especially if you’ve exited from an older German or French car, but everything fits, works well and seems to be made to last. The seats are pretty good too despite the drivers only adjusting for recline, fore, aft and height. There’s no lumbar adjustment or cushion angle on offer, but the comfort level was found to be very good – even after a non-stop haul from Sussex to Lancashire. Very impressive.

Standard equipment is good with most items such as adaptive cruise, LED headlamps, sat-nav, all round power windows and all the safety abbreviations you can think of all there, and in most cases, easy to fathom. The LED digital instrument cluster may seem a bit minimalistic but it’s very colourful and futuristic looking displaying all the required data such as battery state, charging mode, speed, distance etc. You can switch through various display options via the buttons on the steering wheel and tailor make your vista of the display. The info-tainment screen in the centre is just right for size and doesn’t overkill the appearance of the facia as per other brands. Here you’ll find Apple Car Play and Android auto though the latter kept disconnecting without warning on the test car.

You can also keep tabs on your efficiency by looking at the fuel data logged from previous journeys, choose from numerous Honda ‘Apps’ and see the trip computer functions that are too large or data complex to view within the instrument display. Honda have got a handle of their latest info-tainment systems and their current offering, while still being a little idiosyncratic upon first use, are a whole lot easier to use generally. No real gripes with the sat-nav and the audio sound quality were noted, although re-scanning for DAB radio channels is rather time consuming and a little complicated. I quite liked the chunky dials for the heating system, the extra little padded glovebox and the way the night time illumination is easy on the eye and barely reflects from the windows.

As for driving, the Jazz for most of the time, is very smooth, refined and quiet with urban and motorway journeys especially so. The Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive – or iMMD works really well using a 1.5 V-Tec petrol with a hybrid CVT and twin electric motors. The system constantly monitors speed, engine load and throttle inputs to switch in and out of petrol or electric drive to maximise overall efficiency, and the way it does so with virtually no noticeable sensation by the driver is worthy of praise. Even the power regeneration once you back off the juice and use the brake doesn’t feel snatchy or jerky like some rivals do. You really can sense the attention to detail and prowess of its engineering through the overall driving experience.

Wind noise at speed is well suppressed despite large door mirrors, and the overall cruise is excellent, providing the surfaces are reasonably smooth. Road ruts and minor potholes are dealt with well though there is a notable amount of suspension noise at lower speeds on broken roads, especially from the rear. The ride is good enough and becomes quite decent once you bundle a couple of passengers inside. Those with a keener attitude to cornering will find the Jazz has adequate grip in the bends, although body roll can be noticed sometimes and lifeless electric steering gives poor feedback at the rim. The car lets you know when you’re sneaking outside the envelope well before panic sets in so all is not lost. If you want limitless excitement, your local dealer will happily arrange a test drive in the Civic Type-R.

I quite like the ‘virtual’ gearbox too. Press the throttle beyond the kickdown mode and Jazz turns into rock n roll. As the drivetrain locks into petrol and motor mode, the engine note emits the same noises as if the car was going through a range of ratios, despite its CVT nature with a buzzy and busy but not too overpowering zestiness. It’s all of course artificially produced, but enough to make a younger or keener driver smile in appreciation – I liked that little touch a great deal. Only under full acceleration or climbing a steep hill does the driveline try to overcome the pleasant hush that the Jazz has for 90% of the time.  With engine power of almost 110ps and motor power of 90, the combined total is limited to reduce transmission strain, regardless, performance is more than enough and it’s laughably easy to return well over 50mpg.

So then, to conclude. The Jazz Crosstar has been cited by other reviews as being expensive and in some cases, pointless – I disagree. I found the mild styling alterations make it look cute and Tonka-Toy rugged in stature. Jazz is well made, has a superb warranty and is backed up by a network of generally well respected and often, family operated dealerships. Expensive? Well look at it this way, it’s roomy, well equipped and comes with a pedigree of engineering excellence. That coupled with the fact the owners love them and repeatedly purchase the brand over and over again, it can be summed up in the following…

If you want something that’s a little more special than just run of the mill and built to go the distance, consider it to be decent value for money.

What do YOU think? Tell us by scrolling down and commenting.

THE HUMBLE OPINION:

“Intelligent, practical, well made and generally good to drive. The Jazz Crosstar is not only a belter around town, it does the job really well on long hauls. A thoroughly enjoyable little thing for all types of drivers and all occasions.

Forget the blue rinse image, it’s really a complete package”

SPECS:

Engine: 1498cc 16v petrol with 107ps and 131Nm of torque – Euro 6D

Final Drive: Self charging hybrid twin motor CVT with 0.7Kw battery pack

Economy & Emissions: 58.9mpg* – 60mpg on test. 88G/km Co2

*Performance: o – 62mph in 9.7 seconds – Maximum speed 108mph

Luggage Capacity: 304 to 1205 litres

Warranty: 5 years or 90,000 miles

Price as tested £29,710

WHATS GREAT?

• Superb engineering
• Good build quality
• Cleverly designed inside and out
• Remarkable use of available space
• Well equipped with good tech and safety kit
• Long distance comfort and refinement

WHAT GRATES?

• Unfair image of Sanatogen and affluent pensioners (you have to have a go)
• Noisy suspension on poor roads
• Compared to some – it aint cheap
• Would benefit from some lighter interior trim shades
• Poor paint finish under the bonnet

OVERALL RATING – 7/10

Our thanks go to Sam and the team at Honda UK

For further Jazz or other Honda model range info CLICK HERE