SLIDESHOW: See a gallery of Honda Jazz pictures and read Alan Candy's verdict on the car
A drive up quality street in one of the smartest superminis on the market
Values of small, fuel-efficient city cars are now outperforming those of prestige-brand saloons and 4x4s for the first time ever.
According to Glass's, the used car dealers' "bible", the recession is continuing to have a profound impact on rates of used car depreciation. Adrian Rushmore, managing editor at Glass's, said: "Small and supermini cars are the residual value kings of the used car market, a position they are unlikely to relinquish in the foreseeable future."
But many drivers downsizing to supermini status may want to keep quality standards up – and that's where the Honda Jazz shines out as a beacon in its class.
With so many superminis around and in so much demand, class will always tell, which is why the Jazz is rightly lauded by the motoring press and public whenever it is being evaluated.
When it comes to quality build, versatility, vision and all-round excellence, there are few to match the Jazz.
I have been road testing the latest Jazz 1.2 SE manual, a hatchback which is just so hard to fault that a put a large round 0 in the "bad points" section of my road test checklist. It's that good.
First impressions count, and the little Jazz is a strikingly attractive model in a classic way. Edgy and angular, with sharp bonnet creases, it has muscular, sinewy flanks, a surprisingly long side profile and huge, wickedly pointed headlamps.
The interior is just as impressive and just as quality-laden as any of the benchmark German cars. The dashboard is a futuristic, stylised combination of swooping curves and razor-sharp lines, dominated by a compact centre stack thoughtfully angled towards the driver. Ergonomics are simple and effective and a big-buttoned CD-tuner is very user-friendly.
Hooded dials, finished in orange on black, feature a central speedo which also displays average consumption (mine was a satisfying 48.5mpg), a surprising amount of space, with tall headroom, excellent rear legroom and class-leading areas of glazing, so the car always feels light and airy, with good outstanding visibility.
In particular, glass quarterlights at the front and back corners of the car are a real safety bonus when manoeuvring and parking.
Jazz also creates an incredible amount of oddments and luggage space in a clever way. A cavernous boot has a hidden luggage stash under the rear floor and rear seats drop and fold in a unique way to create a completely flat cargo floor. Because the floor level is low, access is made that much easier and it gives plenty of extra height for goods to be stashed onboard.
There are also numerous useful indent spaces on the centre console, plus door bins with bottle insert mouldings.
On the move, Jazz is always a pleasure to drive. The quiet, refined 1.2-litre petrol engine is as smooth as they come and never rowdy, even when spun to the upper limits of the rev range, and early acceleration is up to par.
I loved the notchy, slick five-speed gearbox which makes swapping cogs such a pleasure.
A good lock makes shunting the car around an easy manoeuvre rather than a task while tight steering and a compact, taut feel to the handling ushers in plenty of driving satisfaction.
The little Jazz also tackles corners with confidence and lack of roll and ride quality is up there with the best in class.
Just because drivers are dropping down a size with their cars doesn't mean that standards have to fall and the Jazz is living proof of this.
Fast facts:
New Honda Jazz from 11,362-12,747.
The 1.2-litre SE and SE models achieve super-frugal 53.3mpg (combined) with 125g/km CO2 emissions.
Jazz offers many features of a bigger car (load space, driving feel and high-spec equipment) but with the fuel economy, low emissions and more affordable running costs of a small one.
New residual values show uplift of seven per cent over previous model and competitors.
More spacious, more versatile interior.
Double-trunk boot brings flexibility to load space.
Refined ride gives big car feel.
High quality interior materials and design.
Alan Candy
Production Editor
Luton Herald&Post
The Luton News
Dunstable Gazette
Direct Line: 01582 798512
alan.candy@bedsnews.com
What's the latest news? Check out our seven-day-a-week news service at www.lutontoday.co.uk and www.dunstabletoday.co.uk
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Friday 10 February 2012
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