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2020 Honda Jazz review: all-round improvement for new hybrid supermini

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

My first acquaintance with the Jazz came with a crash. In autumn 2001, at its Tochigi R&D centre in Japan, Honda staged an illuminating offset crash test between the 1,150kg Jazz (its replacement for the dismal Logo) and a six-year-old, 1,830kg Honda Legend saloon at a closing speed of 62mph.

When the dust settled the dummies in the Jazz were shaken but intact, the doors could be opened and the passenger compartment retained its shape. On the much larger Legend, however, the pedal box was torn from the bulkhead and severed the driver dummy’s feet…

It was a heart-stopping safety demonstration of a supermini that’s become a worldwide phenomenon and also allayed our concerns about its under-floor fuel tank. In 19 years, cumulative sales around the world as Jazz (or Fit in some markets) have been more than 7.5 million and in the UK total Jazz sales to date have been 406,139; maybe you just notice them more...

I’ve driven all of them; each new generation recognisably similar, but a little improved. Honda is a company run by engineers rather than marketing wallahs; it builds a better mousetrap, hopes the world will come and usually it does.

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

So the Jazz is safe and sensible and up there with the most reliable cars ever built, though it’s never been the last word in handling prowess and ride quality, or high in the gotta-have-it stakes. I vividly recall the ashen face of the Honda PR who inadvisably asked me to demonstrate the handling improvements on the Mk2 Jazz during its launch.

And in that time, there have been hybrids (the lacklustre IMA system), an estate (the Shuttle, sold only in Japan) and it’s been built all around the world including China, where the authorities were so pleased they allowed Honda to retain a majority stake in the operation.

The other thing about the Jazz is that it has become inexorably linked with our more senior citizens; older folk who are canny with their money and who perhaps appreciate reliability and ease of use over on-the-limit handling. So, is this new hybrid-only Mk4 version a suitable replacement for their current Jazz and, more importantly, will it attract even more buyers?

The new bits

On the outside the new model is a bit longer than its predecessor by 14mm, although it’s 24mm lower and about the same width. There’s also an SUV/crossover-styled version called Crosstar, which is longer, higher and wider still.

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

The appearance is, well weird, but most of the Jazz traits are retained including the central, underfloor fuel tank and the rear “magic” seats (actually these were called “ultra” when introduced), of which the bases can be folded up to give a tall load space in the middle of the car.

The marketing blurb talks about a “widescreen” view for drivers, though actually that consists of smaller windscreen and door pillars; quarterlight windows at the leading edge of the front doors, a feature of previous Jazz models, have been retained.

Interior and equipment

The materials are of a higher quality than in the predecessor, though there are some facia plastics that make you wince and think of the Seventies. Strange fibre pads adorn the dashboard and the driver’s digital instrument binnacle looks like something you give a toddler to watch Peppa Pig. There are reasonable amounts of storage space in the front, though, with a deep central locker and you’ll just about get a bottle of water in the door pockets.

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

The central touchscreen is certainly an improvement, with more attractive colours and graphics, but there are about 20 functions so, like all these devices, it can be a distraction. And as with all Hondas the switchgear is idiosyncratic, with a simply massive screen backlighting dimmer switch, and there’s a packet of jellies to the first Telegraph reader who can turn off the standard lane-keeping assistance at the first attempt.

But there are other times you want to give a Honda engineer a socially distanced hug, such as the twin USB buttons on the EX version, one of which allows you to simply charge a phone and not have to do a peremptory grab for every function on the screen.

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

There’s also a proper 12-volt power outlet and all the cars, apart from the little-sold SE version, come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard. A wi-fi hotspot is optional.

Comfort

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

With generous seat and steering adjustment, you can get a decent if high-mounted driving position and, with thicker cushioning, the front seats certainly feel more comfortable, although there’s not enough lower back support.

Honda has also thickened the rear seat cushions and comfort is much improved as a result, though this is really a four-seater as the sloping roof sides and restricted width mean three adults across the back will be cramped.

The boot is generous for the class; 304 litres with the rear seats upright and 1,205 litres with them folded forward.

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

Our test car was the top-model EX trim, which gives you snazzier leather and fabric trim as well as heated seats, electrically folding mirrors, a rear-view camera, satnav, a premium stereo and 16-inch alloy wheels over the standard trim.

Safety first

“Honda Sensing” is the name for the suite of safety technology used in the Jazz, which dispenses with the radar system of range-finding, using a wide-view camera instead. Accident mitigation braking will slow the car if it detects a potential collision and this now has a wider range of operation, as well as recognition of cyclists and pedestrians.

All Jazz models come with adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance which now recognises grass verges as well as white lines in the road. Blind-spot information and road departure mitigation are also included, while there are 10 airbags in all models.

The new hybrid system

Forget Honda’s old IMA hybrid, this Intelligent Multi Mode Drive (i-MMD) system with its thermally efficient, 96bhp/97lb ft, 1.5-litre, Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol engine and twin direct current (DC) electric motors, is all new for the Jazz – although it’s similar to that in the CR-V Hybrid, but with a smaller-capacity petrol engine.

It’s notable because like most Honda EVs it uses DC motors and it also because it doesn’t really have a conventional transmission, simply a single-ratio step-down gear to the front wheels.

The petrol engine sits in series with the electric motors and upstream of them; for most of the time it drives a combined motor/generator, which provides the electricity to drive the car via motor two, and/or charge the 0.86kWh lithium-ion battery which lives under the rear floor. Braking electricity regeneration is controlled via the electrical brake servo.

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

There are three main driving modes: EV mode, where the car drives as much as possible with its meagre battery power; Hybrid, where the engine drives the generator, which drives the motor which drives the wheels; and Engine Drive, where a clutch closes to connect the petrol engine to the wheels to increase efficiency for high-speed cruising.

Since the second motor is more powerful than the petrol engine and doesn’t drive the car with the engine, the total system output is basically that motor’s 107bhp/187lb ft output.

It’s thermally- and space-efficient and, make no mistake, it’s seriously clever stuff, with calibration demands which would confound a Formula One team. The fact it works at all is a miracle and in reality it works pretty well.

On the road

Start up and the drivetrain software will try to move off using battery power alone, although the engine will soon start. For the most part it stays in the background, with a slightly strange hollow noise not unlike the warning noises of pure electric vehicles.

Its reaction to the throttle is fairly brisk so there’s not much of a rubber band effect when you accelerate gently, while the characteristics of the electric motor means it feels brisk despite its 1,246kg weight.

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020 - Andrew English driving
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020 - Andrew English driving

Pressing on, however, the revs soar and while the system provides some artificial steps in the power delivery which sound like gears, you’ve got to be driving spiritedly to hear these. And while it’s a Honda, so the engine loves to rev and sounds great doing it, it still feels unconnected with pressure on the throttle.

There’s a decent braking function via all-round discs, and a nicely progressive pedal feel even at low speeds, which is often the bete noir of hybrid cars.

Handling and suspension

The suspension consists of the class standard of front McPherson struts and a rear twist beam, all of which have been gently improved for this new model.

On the EX model’s 16-inch wheels the Jazz clatters away at B-road surfaces, bouncing and galumphing at the front and heaving a little at the rear. Sharp-edged bumps really catch out the suspension, with an audible thump and sharp reaction into the bodyshell. This is a shame, as in all other respects new Jazz is a vast improvement, refined, finessed and generally titivated, but the damping control is wanting, particularly at the rear, which doesn’t seem to be in sync with the front.

I also got a drive in the slightly larger and heavier, but more softly sprung, Crosstar on the same roads and while it rolls like a ship in a gale, the ride quality is much better.

2020 Honda Jazz Crosstar - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz Crosstar - tested 01/06/2020

As far as the handling goes, the new Jazz isn’t a total disaster, but this isn’t a car you’d push through corners for the sheer joy of it. Well, actually you might, because there’s nothing quite so funny as seeing another driver’s face as he sees a Honda Jazz cornering on its door handles.

In the main the Jazz will go straight on if pushed, however, and while the steering is the last word in precision, Honda doesn’t seem to understand steering load progression or feedback at all.

Conclusion

If you already own a Jazz and are looking at replacing it, this will be automotive catnip. It’s a better Jazz; improved slightly in every area, with a better and more comfortable interior and a new and clever hybrid drivetrain, which delivered a genuine 60mpg with me driving.

2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020
2020 Honda Jazz - tested 01/06/2020

It’s quite expensive, though. With prices starting at £18,980, Honda seems to be pitching the Jazz directly at its arch rival Toyota’s new Yaris. There are a lot of conventional and well-priced rivals in this sector, however, even if they don’t quite share the Honda’s exemplary reliability record and decent residual values. With a £4,278 deposit, the £21,385 EX tested here will cost £239 a month over three years; conventional rivals can be had for a lot less, both in deposit and monthly payments.

If you aren’t already a Jazz aficionado, there’s not a lot here to convince you to to get the latest one unless you really like the fuel savings and the engineering. As ever, Honda ploughs its own furrow; perfect for those who want to follow, but not everyone does.

THE FACTS

2020 Honda Jazz EX

TESTED 1,498cc four-cylinder petrol engine with 0.86kWh lithium-ion battery pack and twin DC motor hybrid system with fixed-ratio step down gear; front-wheel drive

PRICE/ON SALE from £18,980 (Crosstar from £23,580), EX as tested £21,385/now

POWER/TORQUE

Engine: 96bhp @5,500rpm, 97lb ft @ 4,500rpm.

Motor: 107bhp @ 13,300rpm, 187lb ft

Total system output: 107bhp/187lb ft

TOP SPEED 109mph

ACCELERATION 0-62mph in 9.5sec

FUEL ECONOMY 61.4mpg (WLTP Combined), 60mpg on test

CO2 EMISSIONS WLTP 104g/km

VED £155 first year, then £150

VERDICT A really clever hybrid system doesn’t alter the fact that the Jazz hasn’t really been engineered for British roads, even if UK buyers value its legendary reliability. Finessed in almost every area, the fourth generation Jazz feels classier and more grown up but, as ever, the dynamics slightly let it down. If you already own a Jazz, this is automotive catnip, but if you don’t there’s not quite enough to convince you to take the plunge.

TELEGRAPH RATING Three stars out of five

THE RIVALS

Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Elite Nav, from £18,990

Top petrol model of this new and justifiably popular supermini (there’s also an EV version), now based on the PSA underbody. The Vauxhall, though, is marginally the better car than its sister 208. It rides on UK roads with more aplomb and looks less lairy and is classier.

Toyota Yaris, circa £18,500

Honda’s arch enemy gets its French-built rival on to the market this year with a 114bhp hybrid system under the bonnet. Based on Toyota’s new small car chassis, the ride and handling should be vastly improved; let battle commence.

Nissan Micra Tekna DIG-T 117 manual, from £19,880

In sales volumes the Micra is very far from the market-leading Ford Fiesta and VW Polo in this sector and in some trim levels it can be quite expensive, but it’s a classy supermini with decent looks, fine ride and handling, economical engines and a lovely interior.

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