Having been a Big Car driver for many years, I decided a year ago this week to become more environmentally friendly.
Looking for something a little less staid than the Saab, Merc and Rover 75 that had been my previous three cars, the five door Honda Jazz caught my attention by jumping up and down excitedly on the forecourt whenever I drove by. I had to have it because it made me feel so happy. I even like the brand name. It's high safety spec, (special mention given to Honda's award for pedestrian safety) and solid security features galvanised me into the decision.
This is a little car, tiny in fact, on the outside. I'm almost five feet tall and I can reach across the roof to
wash it! It has curved lines with a little snub nose and the girls and I think that from the front it looks like a little cat.
Get inside though, and there is ample room for four, or five if the fifth is quite small. A high roof lends a feeling of space, while rear passengers enjoy decent leg room due to a dropped floor in the back. All three rear seats have three point safety belts.
It has a 1.4 litre engine, with five manual gears (yes, plus reverse!). There's plenty of acceleration right through the gears to the legal seventy miles an hour limit, and I don't have to drop a gear to overtake on the motorway, as I frequently did with the Rover. Let's face it though, it's not a Boyracer's dream - you ain't going anywhere at the tonne!
The model I have is the 1.4l Sport, (we call her Hannah), which means there are alloys, heated mirrors, sunroof and A/C, different spec seat trims and a cd player. She's also very dark metallic blue, which was one of three colours on offer at the time, however now the colour range has been added to quite extensively, which makes me sick because I would have loved a more groovy colour.
The driving experience is good, the dash controls logically set out, gears well defined and the pedals nicely responsive. The power steering is sometimes a little overkeen, I find, but like every car's little idiosynchrasies, you get attuned to it. Road visibility is superb with no blind spots, and the wide angle side mirrors are very effective. It took me a while to get used to the narrow chassis and I certainly don't take corners as quickly as I used to. The ride can feel a little bumpy at times, which for me is all part of the fun of the car, except when driving for three or four hours at a time, when my bum can get a bit jiggled to death.
For the passenger, I am assured by the girls that Hannah is great. They're comfortable despite what look like small seats. There are plenty of cupholders and door pockets for their junk. The cd is well used and the six speaker system meets the requirements of my teenager. The boot space is covered by a pull screen rather than a solid parcel shelf, so they can get into any extra junk they may need on the journey easily.
As I said, I've had this car for a year now and can recommend it unreservedly. With mixed road driving I usually achieve 45mpg or thereabouts, so running costs are kept low. Insurance will hold no nasty surprises either - fully comp before no claims discount with Directline for a 40yr old female, with one named driver (my secret) cost less than 700 pounds. The reservoir for washer fluid is big enough that I don't have to fill it every five minutes - a personal bugbear. Servicing is required every 12,000 miles.
When I picked the car up, the salesman showed me the washer fluid reservoir and pointed out the engine at the same time, then told me to forget about the engine as I wouldn't need to look at it again. You know, I believe him? The Honda engine is so reliable it's almost boring.
But let me tell you my favourite thing about Hannah Honda. She has Magic Seats! They are really called that. The rear seats can fold up and lock so that loads can sit on the rear floorpan. You can fold a single seat up, say for a big plant, or the double seat up for a small chest of drawers, or all three to get in Ruth's bike from Santa at Christmas! If needed, the seats can fold down as in other small people movers to provide a flat load space, but I find the magic seats so much more quick and easy I've seldom used that function. Ordinary boot space is also deceptively generous, easily taking my weekly shop, or our holiday suitcase with other bags on top. As I've said before, I've loaded her up so heavily at times that I thought her tyres might pop and she's never yet complained.
The Honda Jazz starts at around £9000 - visit www.honda.co.uk for more details.
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Great review - we're thinking about getting a new car & have been looking on the Honda website today - but there is nothing better than a review from someone who has one. Thanks Teresa xx
claireydeacon 11.01.2006 21:59
I think this can stay on my wish list. The only thing I could do with knowing is how much boot space there is? Great review. Claire
Advantages: Great city car, lots of room, storage space, good Dsi engine, good resale value Disadvantages: Maybe a pricey for some especially the 1.4 not much wrong with this car
rambo 02.07.2005 (02.07.2005)
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Review of Honda Jazz
Mar 29th, 2003
(Mar 31st, 2003)
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