Honda Jazz vs Mazda2 vs Suzuki Baleno: which one has the lowest running costs?
Honda Jazz vs Mazda2 vs Suzuki Baleno: which one has the lowest running costs?
By Martin Pretorius
Small hatchbacks dominate the South African passenger car market, with the VW Polo (and its elder Vivo sibling) holding the largest market share in their segment. But if you want something that doesn’t carry a VW, Ford, Opel or Renault badge, there are other unusual options to consider. We pitch the Honda Jazz against two fringe opponents, to determine which one will have the lowest running costs.
All three cars are taken at base specification level, keeping their pricing as close as possible to each other. We considered fuel consumption, insurance costs, service- and maintenance requirements, and depreciation as the primary factors which affect running costs.
1. Honda Jazz
Starting from only R 222 700 (but running all the way up to R 325 600), the Honda Jazz range has two engine options, both naturally-aspirated petrols. The range opens with a 1.2-litre engine, delivering 66 kW and 110 Nm, which drives the front wheels through either a 5-speed manual or a CVT (constantly variable transmission).
The fuel efficiency of smaller Hondas is well known, so Honda’s official claimed average consumption of 5.6 litres/100 km (with a manual transmission) is likely pretty close to what normal driving conditions should realise. Being a small, relatively under-powered hatchback, the 1.2-litre Jazz is also considered a low risk vehicle, so insurance premiums will definitely be on the affordable side of the price spectrum.
As far as maintenance and servicing goes, the base Jazz has a significant disadvantage, due to the unavailability of a service plan with the entry-level Jazz 1.2 Trend. The 1.2 Comfort receives a service plan for 4 years or 60 000 km, but it also costs more than R30 000 extra. However, in base spec, the Jazz will not be as affordable to run as it could be, because Honda’s service charges are known to be quite high, and OEM parts prices are also rather pricey.
Honda has a solid reputation and enjoys strong demand in the pre-owned market, which will ensure higher-than-average value retention. And, because it won’t depreciate as much, owners can expect to lose less when the time comes to sell it on. The lowest running costs won’t be found in the base-variant Jazz Trend, however, but rather from the mid-trim Comfort derivative upwards – purely because of that service plan.
2. Mazda2
A very appealing driver’s car with premium finishes inside and out, the Mazda2 is really slightly more upmarket in real terms than its entry-level pricetag would suggest. The range starts at R 226 600 for a Mazda2 1.5 Active, and runs all the way up to R 349 200 for a 1.5DE Hazumi (that’s the full-house one with a diesel engine). We’ll consider the base-spec 1.5 Active here, however, to keep it close to Honda’s offering.
Only one petrol engine is on offer across most of the range (apart from the single, aforementioned diesel derivative): a non-turbo 1.5-litre petrol mill with 82 kW and 145 Nm. Mazda quotes an average fuel consumption of only 5.5 litres/100 km, but enthusiastic drivers could expect to get closer to mid-6 litres/100 km figures on real roads. Nonetheless, the Mazda’s consumption should be impressive in relation to the performance on offer.
As with the other two cars in this comparison, the Mazda2 is considered a low-risk car, which will bring along nice savings on your insurance premium. There really isn’t much to choose between these three cars in this respect. The Mazda2 does have one other ace up its sleeve here, in the form of a standard service plan for 3 years and unlimited distance. However, once that service plan has run out, Mazda maintenance-, parts-, and service costs are about on par with those of the Honda – in other words, rather expensive. It follows that, in the short term, the Mazda2 may be fairly inexpensive to run, but once the service plan has expired, its initial advantage may soon disappear.
Fortunately, the Mazda2 is also in high demand on the pre-owned market, which should make for quite acceptable value retention. In short, the entry-level Mazda2 isn’t very expensive to buy, won’t lose too much value as it ages, won’t cost a fortune on insurance, but may be expensive to run in the longer term.
This one is a bit of an off-beat choice, but the Baleno offers a lot of value for your money, plenty of cabin- and boot space, and a good level of standard kit as well. Only one engine is available across the Baleno range: a non-turbo 1.4-litre petrol unit with 68 kW and 130 Nm. While Suzuki’s claimed average fuel consumption of 5.1 litres/100 km is commendable, the Baleno can actually get very close to that number in real life as well. It’s definitely the economy champ in this comparison...
Once again, insurance costs are quite low, due to the Baleno’s low risk profile on our market and an absence of demand amongst those with long fingers. But the best news is that servicing will be free for the first 4 years or 60 000 km, thanks to the standard service plan – easily the best service plan of these three opponents. And, once the service plan has expired, Suzukis are also known to be quite affordable to service and maintain.
Depreciation is a bit of a different story, however, because the Baleno suffers from rather severe loss of value as it ages. It’s difficult to explain why, though, but part of the blame has to lie with the fact that pre-owned buyers seldom consider a Baleno over one of the mainstream alternatives. This makes for great second-hand shopping, however – low-mileage Balenos can be had for bargain prices in the used-car market.
Which one would we recommend?
In most respects, these three cars will have very similar running costs in the long term. Seeing as the Jazz only offers a service plan in its more-expensive trim levels, the basic Jazz 1.2 Trend is the first to be eliminated here. Cheap(ish) to buy and insure, and strong on residuals, those first few years’ servicing expenses nonetheless puts it out of contention.
Next up is the Mazda2 1.5 Active, which compares favourably with the Honda on purchase price, insurance and value retention, but has a good service plan to make the first few years of ownership quite affordable as well. Its only downside comes in parts- and maintenance costs once the service plan has expired.
This leaves the Suzuki Baleno as our running cost champion. It scores highly on every metric except resale value, but it more than compensates for that with its very good service plan, inexpensive long-term maintenance, excellent real-world fuel efficiency, and lower initial purchase price – it undercuts the cheapest Jazz and Mazda by about R15 000.