The Honda Jazz has been completely renewed. While its new brother, the E, is only available with a purely electric powertrain, the new version of the trusted model always has a hybrid powertrain. How the Honda Jazz elaborated on the concept of its predecessors and thus became an extremely well thought-out car.
The concept of the Jazz has been around since 2002. A model name returned that was already on a small Honda in the eighties. The compact hatchback with some MPV features has been characterized for 18 years by a fairly high roofline, a straight-sloping rear and a smart interior design. The placement of the petrol tank under the front seats creates a lot of space in the back, while the so-called Magic Seats provide a lot of convenience there. In the second generation, Honda already introduced a version with a hybrid powertrain. With the previous Jazz that option was canceled, but now the Jazz always has the combination of an electric motor and a combustion engine that runs on petrol.
Honda is again very emphatically following its own path, not only in terms of technology, but also in terms of design. At the moment it cannot be hip enough in the B-segment, judging by the frivolous shapes and exuberant style elements. In addition, the Peugeot 208 is the ultimate example of an extremely fresh and mischievous design, but Honda can of course also do something with the E, a retro-like nod to the first Civic. With the Jazz, the brand took no risk in terms of design, although it looks a bit friendlier than its predecessor due to the shapes of the headlights and the lighting rings. It seems as if the Jazz design team got something from the joy of the designers a door away, who went pretty crazy on the E. The Jazz looks small on the outside, but open the door and you will be amazed by the space. The light material of the seats feels as it appears: soft! You sink into it a bit, while this Executive version immerses you in luxury. A wide strip of leather-like material runs across the dashboard and the buttons and plastics also radiate quality. The buttons for the climate control certainly feel high-quality.
A little MPV feeling
In front of the driver there is a relatively small display that excels in clarity. These instruments provide the usual information. There is no tachometer, but the speed is also irrelevant due to the design of the powertrain. You will, however, find a lot of information about consumption and energy flows. We still get a bit of an MPV feeling in the front, because the windscreen is far from the front seats and there are quite large glass surfaces between the A-pillar and the front doors. You are not on the box, so the seating position tends to that in a hatchback, although for a somewhat stiffer body the entry level will be high enough. The dashboard excels in ergonomics, with the large knob to the left of the instrumentation, for adjusting the brightness of the screen lighting, a fine example of user-friendliness. How often nowadays we don’t have to swipe in a screen menu for such actions! Keep the controls simple, that was clearly the mission. That is probably why you do not operate the powertrain with a funky rotary knob or switch, but with an old, trusted automatic lever. There is no lack of storage options. For example, there are door compartments and there are even two gloveboxes.
It is high time to discuss the Magic Seats. Honda sticks to those rear seats in the Jazz. You can fold up the rear seats, creating a high cargo space between the front seats and the seats folded against the backs. If you need to transport a collapsed wheelchair, a children’s bicycle, a houseplant or something similar, you will be grateful to the Japanese for this invention. The luggage compartment holds 309 liters, which is slightly less than the previous Jazz had to offer. There is a deep compartment for small items under the loading floor. If you don’t have stuff but people in the back, they will, thanks to the functional design of this car, have more than enough head and legroom.
Atkinson Principle
An even bigger piece of art than the Magic Seats is the hybrid powertrain. Honda also opts for its own solution there. The drivetrain consists of an electric motor and a 1.5 petrol engine. There is no planetary gear system, but there is a fixed transmission ratio between electric motor and petrol engine, whereby a clutch can also directly drive the 1.5 on the wheels. The latter is especially the case on the motorway. The 1.5 functions according to the so-called Atkinson principle. Due to the combination with the electric motor, this petrol engine can operate as much as possible in the rev range where it is most effective. The choices to have the Jazz either entirely electrically driven, or to have the 1.5 work as a generator for the electric motor, also went well. When the battery is sufficiently charged, the Jazz will initially move electrically. Soon after, or sooner with a less charged battery, the petrol engine kicks in. Then you hear that the engine is running at a constant speed, to ensure that the electric motor is supplied as a generator. At higher speeds, there is a coupling of the 1.5 with the front wheels. If you sit the powertrain with a system power of 109 hp and 253 Nm on the skin, then the engine noise penetrates hard. At full acceleration, the technology feigns short shift moments. The gear may well be there. The Jazz sprints from a standstill to 100 km / h within 9.5 seconds. Even more important is of course how much petrol the Jazz with its electrified powertrain consumes. We arrive at 1 in 20.6, the manufacturer’s figures indicate 1 in 21.7 according to the WLTP cycle.
Considerable weight
The combination of soft seats and a soft chassis tuning ensures a comfortable driving experience, in which it is also noticeable that driving and rolling noise from the outside for a car in this class also remain significantly outside the interior. The damping is soft and the car leans in corners, but the steering inspires confidence and you can feel what is happening to the car. The chassis knows exactly how to handle thresholds. Only short transverse ridges are noticeable for the occupants, but that is due to the hefty weight of 1,300 kilos. After all, a hybrid powertrain makes a car heavy.
Those who find the Jazz’s appearance too dull, can opt for the Crossstar version, where things like modified bumpers, wheel arch edges and roof rails should give it a crossover-like appearance. As far as the equipment is concerned, the Jazz as a 1.5 Hybrid Executive is well equipped. Driving assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control in combination with lane assist and lane keeping are available, the latter of which works better on the motorway than on provincial roads. There the steering wheel is too much looking for the white lines on the road surface. Seat and steering wheel heating are also standard.