Styling
The oddly-shaped Honda Jazz was never going to make you weak at the knees. it looks thoroughly modern though, and its designers were probably made well aware that styling wasn't their number one priority: Space always takes precedence in a Honda Jazz. (Also read more about the most practical city hatchbacks here.)
About 18 months ago, the Jazz Sport was launched alongside the Honda Civic Type R. The Jazz Sport which replaces the Jazz Dynamic models, got a sleeker grille design with gloss piano black and chrome elements, framed by slim LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, and gloss-black exterior mirror housings. An R-Type inspired front splitter with red pin-striping enhances the athletic look.
At the back, the sporty theme continues with the addition of a rear spoiler, as well as a gloss black three-strake diffuser with the same red pinstripe detailing on the upper trim line that you'll find in front. (Read New vs. old Honda Jazz: What are the top 3 differences?)
Interior
The predominantly black cockpit gets some red bedazzlement to echo the red accents on the outer shell. You'll also find some red topstitching atop the centre armrest, seats, gear knob, and on the leather-covered steering wheel. Typically Honda, it's an ergonomic cabin and where practicality is concerned, it scores full marks.
Space
The Honda may look compact, but its built to carry people and belongings in comfort, with room to spare. Sitting in the second row, I was surprised at the amount of legroom; as my kneecaps had a fair bit of space between them and the seat in front. And Honda's Magic Seat system allows you to tumble the second row's seats backwards or fold them completely flat. They can even recline!
Feeling particularly lazy? Fold the front passenger seat flat and recline the second row seat and you'll have the closest thing one can get to an in-car La-Z-Boy. Loading luggage into the boot is easy-peasy because it's so low to the ground. The boot is massive for such a compact city hatch, and trumps the cargo area of many a midsize-SUV.
Comfort & convenience features
Being at the top of the Jazz food chain, the Sport comes nicely equipped. Standard features include keyless entry, electrically retractable/adjustable mirrors, a start button, user-friendly seven-inch touchscreen, CD player, Bluetooth, parking sensors and rearview camera, and 2 USB ports as well as HDMI connections. The Jazz sport has automatic air-con, a small centre armrest, and the driver's seat is height adjustable. It's unfortunate that you can't spec leather seats in a car that is essentially meant for families.
The drive & performance
Let's not forget, first and foremost, that the Jazz is a people-carrying supermini, albeit a more sporty-looking one, in this instance. The Jazz has always been ultra-aerodynamic, and when inside, you almost feel as if you're sitting on top of the nose rather than inside the cabin. You can't see the Jazz's bonnet at all, not from behind the steering wheel anyway, and this can be quite disconcerting to some.
The 1.5-litre (97kW/155Nm) Jazz is hardly an olympic sprinter, despite its 'Sport' moniker and slight power advantage over the rest of the Jazz range. It may be more stiffly sprung, but performance wise, it's no bird's eye chilli, but more like a feta-stuffed Peppadew. It's truly let down by its noisy CVT gearbox which also hampers driver involvement. At least you can use the steering-mounted flappy paddles should you prefer to do "gear changes" yourself. If the Jazz Sport came equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, this review would have looked somewhat different, probably.
The 16-inch Berlina black alloy wheels, shod with 185/50 R16 tyres, are sufficiently grippy, but don't feel at all hard when rolling along on the tarmac.
Fuel consumption
if you drive with care, which you should, average consumption won't easily rise over 8 litres per 100 km in traffic, and 5.5-6.5 (litres per 100 km) out on the open road is a distinct possibility.
Safety
Hondas are safe cars and the Jazz is no exception. ABS, EBD, brake assist, hill-start assist and stability control are standard features. There are six airbags in total. Hondas are known for their ACE body shells that can withstand serious collisions. No, seriously: ACE is a Honda acronym for Advanced Compatibility Engineering!
Pricing
The Jazz 1.5 Sport CVT will set you back R322 200. The price includes a comprehensive five-year/200 000 km warranty and a four-year/60 000 km service plan, as well as a three-year AA Roadside Assistance package. Services are at 15 000 km intervals.
Wondering what else is available in the Jazz's price range? Read these comparative articles: Honda Jazz vs. VW Polo vs. Fiat Tipo as well as Honda Jazz vs. Mazda2 vs. Suzuki Baleno.
Also read: What is your used Honda Jazz worth?
Verdict
Jazz-fans don't buy the Jazz because of power figures. it's all down to practicality and reliability, and this is where the Jazz's sparkle truly lies. If you're buying the Jazz because of these very reasons, there are less expensive 1.5-litre models in the line-up that will deliver on these attributes. And if you can't be bothered with performance at all, the 1.2-litre models start from R222 700.
