At first we didn’t expect too much of the Jazz as, until its arrival, Honda’s record in the sub-Civic market had been inauspicious to say the least. But as soon as we saw its cute and contemporary looks and then opened a door and viewed an interior with space seemingly out of all proportion to its exterior dimensions, we knew this was something different.
And so it proves. By siting the fuel tank under the passenger seat, Honda has created a near miraculous package for the Jazz and probably still the most space-efficient car in the class. It also designed an all new family of 1.2- and 1.4-litre engines with a class-busting blend of economy and emissions. Sensibly there’s no diesel as sales are minimal at this end of the market. Of the two petrol engines, the 1.4 is preferable as this provides acceptable performance at a still more than reasonable price.
There’s no new ground broken in its suspension, with struts at the front and a torsion beam rear axle and, as we shall see, this is really the only significant area in which the Jazz can be singled out for more than token criticism.
