Way back in 1999, Honda decided that adding batteries would be a good thing and so created its first hybrid model. It was only the second carmaker – after Toyota – to put a hybrid car on public sale, but unlike the rather boxy, unattractive first-generation Prius, Honda’s first crack at a hybrid came in the glorious shape of the ultra-sleek two-seat Insight, a car known since as Honda’s UFO. Undeniably Frugal Object?
In the quarter century (plus change) since, Honda has built on that hybrid expertise, even if the sales response in Ireland hasn’t got anywhere near the successes of its fraternal Japanese rival. Blame high pricing – Honda has always fancied itself as a premium brand, and so talented cars such as the CR-V and Civic are hamstrung by overinflated stickers.
As is this, the Honda Jazz. The little Jazz has been around in one form or another since 2001. Still, it has been recently updated and now comes in a hybrid-only form, with an upgraded engine that offers more power while maintaining impressive economy.
In fact, the Jazz’s power output has been boosted from 109hp to 122hp, which isn’t going to set anyone’s tyres on fire, but which is a useful bit of extra performance. It certainly doesn’t come at the expense of fuel consumption, as we’ll see.
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The extra power comes from both sides of the hybrid system, with both the 1.5-litre petrol engine and the electric motor getting an extra 10kW of power each. Economy and emissions are claimed by Honda to be the same as before, though – 102g/km and 4.5-litres per 100km (that’s 62mpg). That doesn’t make the Jazz the most economical car around – a Toyota Yaris hybrid can beat the 4.0-litres per 100km barrier if you try really hard – but in real-world terms, the Jazz performs well.
In fact, over some mixed driving with lots of fast motorway cruising – usually the worst possible thing for a small hybrid in economy terms – our test Jazz returned 4.9-litres per 100km, which is down with the buttons when it comes to running costs. That 102g/km CO2 figure means cheap motor tax, too.
On the outside, the Jazz has undergone some changes. The curved snub nose originally used by this generation has given way to a slim honeycomb grille, although with its big lights and tall shape, it looks like just about the most unthreatening car ever.
Inside, it’s a bit like stepping back to the early 2010s, but in the best way possible. That’s because Honda still believes in buttons. The touchscreen in the centre of the dash measures a mere 9in across, and it’s astonishingly – by other modern car standards – unintrusive.
It’s also a little unintelligible, with a tricky menu layout and a sense that you can never quite find what you want. It’s also incredibly finicky about connecting to Apple CarPlay for some reason, but the Bluetooth audio connection works fine.
Anyway, the best thing is just to ignore the screen entirely and enjoy using the actual, physical buttons. You have three rotary controllers and various push-buttons for the heating and air conditioning, as well as some handy buttons for the cruise control system and volume control on the neat three-spoke steering wheel.
So, no needless diving into sub-menus for things like adjusting the door mirrors, turning on the heated steering wheel, or adjusting the ventilation. Ah, bliss (honestly, I’d take a hammer to most touchscreens if I could), although the old-style USB-A power sockets do seem a bit out of date.
There’s also space aplenty. Up front, you sit – in this Advance model – on part-leather, part-cloth seats of exceptional comfort and support, looking out over neat and clear digital instruments. In addition to the space available for you and your passenger, what really stands out is the visibility.
The stubby nose helps, but better yet, Honda’s engineers have tucked the windscreen pillars back towards you, leaving space between the main screen and the pillar for what you might have once called a “quarterlight”, so where most car makers leave you trying to peer around a massive blind spot, the Jazz gives you widescreen vision.
Speaking of widescreen, you might struggle to fit a telly in the relatively small 304 litre boot, but there’s always the option of flipping up the bases of the rear seats, cinema style, and opening up a huge, tall storage area back there.
If you’re carrying people, then the Jazz really shows the likes of the Toyota Yaris Hybrid and Renault Clio Hybrid the way home when it comes to rear seat space – even sat behind my own driving position, I had loads of room for my lanky legs and bulky body. Oh, the sheer joys of simple practicality.
How does the Jazz actually drive? It’s fine, but alas – given Honda’s legacy of NSX, Type-R and more F1 wins than you can shake a stick at – it’s resolutely un-sporty. That’s good, as it means the ride quality is mostly very good (occasionally upset by urban surfaces), but despite relatively well-weighted steering, it’s no back-road hero. If the Jazz’s body roll doesn’t put a stop to your fun, then the rather soft-feeling brakes will.
The engine also becomes rather too vocal when you ask for maximum acceleration, although driven more gently, it proves to be well refined. You spend a lot of time on lower-speed journeys, running on the battery anyway. Performance is not at all rapid, but it’s just about adequate.
Never mind, instead revel in the Jazz’s long-range comfort and refinement (bar a bit too much tyre whoosh at motorway speeds) and its dinky size when parking. After back-to-back weeks of test-driving bulky SUVs, the Jazz is a wonderfully refreshing reminder that small cars can be great, too.
Is the price even that much of a barrier? Well, the Jazz hybrid, in its basic form, is some €4,000 pricier than a basic Toyota Yaris Hybrid, but then the Honda is so much more roomy than the Toyota that it almost counts as more of a rival for the Yaris Cross SUV, and there is price parity between those two.
Equally, the Jazz is only about €1,000 more expensive than the Renault Clio E-Tech Hybrid, and again is roomier in the back (if not in the boot), so there are definitely pricing swings and roundabouts, and you have to look past the headline figures.
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Given the air of utter indestructibility that comes with any Honda, I think I’d be prepared to suck up the slightly higher costs, not least because at a time of great upheaval and uncertainty – petrol prices, car taxation, SUV crackdowns – the Jazz’s roomy, frugal simplicity and reliability just seem ever more tempting.
Lowdown: Honda Jazz i.5i-MMD Hybrid Advance
- Power: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 90kW motor and 0.8kWh lithium-ion battery producing 122hp and 131Nm (engine) +253Nm (e-motor) of torque and powering the front wheels via a CVT automatic transmission.
- CO2 emissions (annual motor tax): 102-104g/km (€180).
- Fuel consumption: 4.5l/100km (WLTP) 4.9l/100km (observed).
- 0-100km/h: 9.6 seconds.
- Price: €33,495 as tested, Jazz starts from €31,495.
- Our rating: 4/5.
- Verdict: Pricey, but the Jazz is the best small hybrid of all.
