The Honda Jazz is not a chic, pleasing small car, not an eye-catcher that immediately wins hearts. Yet he has a lot to offer. These include low consumption, a clever rear seat and good equipment. On the other hand, it gets quite loud under high load and the basic price is not exactly low.
The Honda Jazz is an extremely clever car in many ways. It’s just a shame that you can’t see it directly. But the small car that has been built in Germany since 2020 is likely to remain a niche model, and not just for visual reasons.
Even much more pleasing small cars are currently having a hard time asserting themselves against the fashionable crossover competition in their class in Germany. The Honda doesn’t even try. Instead of looks, he focuses on practical values. The body, cut in the style of a van, with a short bonnet and high roof is not a feast for the eyes, but is hard to beat when it comes to capacity.
The window line, which bends up towards the front, is just as inconsistent with current viewing habits and design trends as the diagonally branched A-pillar. Both together ensure a good view of the landscape and traffic. At least when looking ahead, there are currently few better cars on the market. When looking back, the wide C-pillars are annoying, but this is partially compensated for by the recommended reversing camera.
As already indicated, the interior of the Jazz is very spacious for a vehicle around 4 meters long. Above all, there is a lot of space in the front and in the rear, and the legroom in the rear is also impressive in a class comparison. The Honda also has a special trick up its sleeve for luggage: the seats on the back seat can be folded up like in a cinema, creating additional storage space.
In addition, there is the trunk, which is already quite large at 304 liters and can be expanded to 1205 liters by folding down the backrests. The mechanics are smooth-running, idiot-proof and can be operated with little effort during all these conversion work. The well thought-out room concept continues in the first row, where, in addition to numerous useful storage areas, the two-part glove compartment helps with organizing and stowing small items and papers.
Compared to earlier Honda models, the interior of the Jazz is designed to be much quieter and more pleasing. There are physical buttons and switches for most functions, only for some infotainment controls you have to type through the menu of the small central touchscreen, which is sometimes a bit cumbersome. After all, it works quickly and is available soon after vehicle start. The materials in the cockpit are kept simple, according to the vehicle class, but the plastics around the center console in particular are very scratch-sensitive, which makes them look aging quickly. There is nothing to criticize about the processing.
When driving, the small Honda shows its best side in city traffic. The only drive available in Germany is a hybrid system consisting of a 1.5-liter petrol engine, generator and electric motor. The latter usually sets the front wheels in motion alone, while the combustion engine purrs quietly and produces driving current in a relaxed manner. Because it does so in a favorable load range, it is more economical than other petrol engines that have to do direct drive work. And despite the conversion losses into electrical energy, the Jazz is satisfied with three and a half to four liters per 100 kilometers. Because the electric motor ensures brisk start and decent acceleration at city speeds, the Honda never comes across as a powerless economy vehicle.
The even power development and the jerk-free propulsion thanks to the stepless power transmission are also pleasing, especially in typical stop-and-go traffic. Drive technology reaches its limits at higher speeds. Then there is a noticeable lack of draft despite the petrol engine then rushing to help very noisily. Nevertheless, are more reserved. floating with the driving style, consumption well below five liters is also possible on the motorway and country roads.
Jazz quickly chokes off sporting ambitions anyway. The petrol engine, which booms at high loads, the high center of gravity, the rather callous steering and the somewhat stiff-legged chassis show that driving pleasure is not the main task of the small five-door car. The comfort is okay, even if potholes and manhole covers are taken a bit stubbornly at low speeds. At higher speeds, however, the springs and dampers work more and more smoothly.
With a starting price of 23,850 euros, the Honda Jazz is one of the most expensive small cars in Germany. The high entry hurdle is mainly due to the electrified drive and is at least partially compensated for with extensive equipment. Even the basic version “Comfort” offers the most important extras, the small car is a bit prettier thanks to 15-inch aluminum and body-colored add-on parts in the “Elegance” version for 25,000 euros – a surcharge that is worth it, since then the touchscreen and Parking beepers are on board. The most expensive variant is the “Crosstar Executive”, which upgrades the somewhat colorless exterior of the series with off-road add-on parts.
Rationally, there is little to complain about in Honda’s small car classic. The drive is very economical, the rear seat that can be folded up is clever and the space available is very good overall given the tight dimensions. The rich equipment puts the high price level into perspective.
On the other hand, the Japanese shows weaknesses in terms of emotionality: the design should not be a reason for anyone to buy it. And the driving behavior outside of city traffic is likely to find rather few fans in the autobahn country of Germany. If you don’t let that scare you and buy primarily out of considerations of utility, you will certainly be happier with the practical five-door than with a fashionable, dynamic mini crossover.
Technical specifications