Car Star: Honda Jazz

What is not to love about the trusty, versatile, and reliable Jazz? Well apart from the name, which makes me think of an old uncle desperately trying to be cool by using words like ‘ace’ and ‘disco’, the Jazz is about as exciting in every sense as the same crusty old uncle, but at least he is handy for babysitting and will lend you £20 when you are short.

The Jazz much embodies this, with its Euro NCAP five star rating, you would too trust it to look after your children, as much as you will find both the room and the sensible internal layout which lends itself to the demands of family life.

A small car with the dimensions of a family car, the Jazz also offers a very refined drive with responsive handling although the ride is a little on the firm side, for a tall car at least it keeps body roll well under control. While externally it is as dull as a March morning, the one or two daffodils already flowering are all the more appreciated for their vivid contrasts. Much like this the Jazz lacks the looks or the performance to get your pulse racing, but if you want if you want to take the sensible option, then it does not get much more safe and sensible than the Jazz.

Promising not to burn a hole, the Jazz range starts from the prudent £10,575. A sage and unwavering 0-62 in 11.5 seconds at best, a top speed of 113mph for the more powerful 1.4 engine option, and 94lb of torque at 4,800 is not mind blowing but it is the kind of car that will do the odd weekend getaway and teach your teenage son to drive without complaint. The range is admittedly limited but with not diesel option, only a 1.2 or 1.4 litre engine and a choice of four variants but choice is not everything. This is a car you either want or you don’t, like marmite.

So what if you don’t like marmite? Well, with everyone looking to downsize without compromise, the Jazz is a car of the times and I think we can expect more people to decide they like Marmite. With a clever engineering tweak or two, the Jazz offers phenomenal space, with a boot capacity maximum of staggering 883 litres with the seats down. No compromise there.

Now that the first ever British Jazz is fresh off the production line this week, the Jazz should now be part of our national pride. And just why has Honda relocated Jazz production from Japan to sunny Swindon? Well because Europeans and especially Brits are lapping them up.

OK so the Jazz is outsold by the more aesthetically pleasing Fiesta and the true native, the Corsa by thousands of models, but why? Now that the Jazz is here, shouldn’t we Brits stop kidding ourselves and finally admit we like dull? As one Honda dealer told the BBC when commenting on the Jazz’s relocation to the UK: “Hondas don’t have to be exciting or fast. They’re safe and they’re extremely reliable. Exciting doesn’t always mean good.” If even your dealers won’t say a car is exciting then you can be confident that it is not. 

Thankfully for the Jazz it seems there are plenty of Brits who aren’t too worried about excitement when they can have safe, reliable and practical instead. In fact with four stars current average consumer review rating right here on RoadTestReports.co.uk, it would prove evident that there are a lot of happy Jazz-driving, sururban-dwelling, hedge-trimming, cul-de-sac living, married couples out there who are not ashamed of their bourgeois lifestyles. Well we say good for you. Say it loud and say it proud, dull is good! That is why Britain’s newest arrival, the trusty Jazz, is this month’s Car Star.

Author: Faye Sunderland, October 8th, 2009
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